Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Jim Rhodes to the ClearWay Minnesota Board of Directors.

Rhodes, of St. Louis Park, is the legislative director with the Minnesota Department of Administration as well as the Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology, a position he has held since 2004. Previously, he was the director of community development for Auriton Solutions, and has over 30 years of experience in business and non-profit management. Rhodes was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1993 through 2004, St. Louis Park School Board from 1980 to 1993, and has been an active community volunteer in a number of organizations, including the St. Louis Park Rotary, St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts, St. Louis Park Community Foundation, St. Louis Park Community Band, Park Nicollet Foundation Board, and as a Brown College trustee. He holds an associate of arts degree from the University of Minnesota. Rhodes is appointed to a three-year term on the ClearWay Minnesota Board of Directors that expires on September 28, 2012 and he replaces Mark Mishek on the board.

ClearWay Minnesota is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the human and economic harms of tobacco use in Minnesota. ClearWay Minnesota – formerly the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco – was created in 1998 by the Ramsey County District Court as a part of the $6.1 billion tobacco settlement. ClearWay Minnesota funds research, community outreach, and smoking cessation activities. The Board of Directors consists of 19 members, including two appointed by the Governor.