GOVERNOR NAMES REGENTS; WALKER, MOTHERSHEAD REPLACE WASHINGTON, DEMPSTER

Gov. Mel Carnahan has named Loretta F. Walker of Olivette and Kimberly K. Mothershead of Benton to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents.

The two Democrats replace Patricia Washington of St. Louis and Lynn Dempster of Sikeston, both Democrats.

Washington resigned a week ago Friday to take a job as the university's outreach coordinator in St. Louis. Dempster resigned in February 1996 for health reasons.

The governor announced the appointments Friday afternoon.

So why did it take so long to fill Dempster's position? "We are very cautious and very careful with all of our appointments," said Chris Sifford, Carnahan's communications director.

Finding the right person takes time, he said.

But Carnahan was able to act quickly to fill Washington's position because the governor's office already had a list of potential candidates.

"We had a pretty good pool to work from," Sifford said.

"I am pleased to be able to appoint two people who are committed to higher education and Southeast Missouri State University," Carnahan said in announcing the appointments.

Walker will serve the remainder of Washington's unexpired term, which ends Jan. 1, 1999.

Mothershead will serve until Jan. 1, 2003. She replaces Dempster, whose term had been set to expire on Jan. 1, 1997.

Walker, 40, is director of external affairs for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.

During the last 16 years, she has served in a number of capacities with Southwestern Bell. She has received Bell's Vice President's Award of Excellence and its General Manager's Award.

Prior to her work with Bell, Walker was employed as a claims adjuster with the Kemper Group and as a member of the field sales task force for Anheuser-Busch Inc.

She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Boston University and a master's degree in business administration from Webster University in St. Louis.

Mothershead, 38, graduated from Southeast in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in education. She has had a variety of teaching jobs, including teaching mentally handicapped students at Thomas W. Kelly High School at Benton.

She is corporate secretary and stockholder of Midwest Agri-Chemico Inc. and First Missouri Terminals Corp. in Cape Girardeau. She also is corporate treasurer and director of the board of Don Vance Sales Inc. in Versailles and Marshfield.

Mothershead has served as presiding officer of the Senate Bill 40 Board of Directors. The board distributes funds to persons with mental and developmental disabilities.

She also has been a newspaper and television commercial model.

Mothershead serves on Southeast's National Alumni Council and is a member of the school's Copper Dome Society.

Mothershead praised the regents. "They are so very positive."

She served last year on the presidential search committee. The committee's efforts ultimately led to the hiring of Dr. Dale Nitzschke as the school's president.

Mothershead said her experience on the search committee should help her in her new role as a regent.

She welcomed the chance to serve on the board.

"I think we need all of our region represented well," she said.

She said she planned to be an active board member. "I am just ready for it all."

Walker said she became familiar with Southeast when she attended Nitzschke's inauguration earlier this year.