The Michigan State University Board of Trustees has re-elected Joel Ferguson of Lansing to a fourth two-year term as board chairman.
At a special meeting today, the board also elected Brian Breslin of Williamston to a two-year term as vice chairperson.
Ferguson was first elected to the MSU board in 1986. He was elected again in 1996, 2004 and 2012. He was elected board chairman in 1992, 2007 and 2010.
Ferguson is the co-founder of the F&S Development Co.; founded and served as president and owner of WLAJ-TV, an ABC affiliate in Lansing; and has organized several banks, including Capitol National Bank, the only locally owned bank in Lansing. He also was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the board of Freddie Mac.
Very active in civic affairs, Ferguson is a Golden Heritage member of the NAACP, and sat on the boards of the Boy’s Club, the Arthritis Foundation and Junior Achievement.
Breslin was elected to the board in 2010. Until his retirement in 2006, he was the senior vice president of human resources and government relations at Michigan-based Meijer Inc. Having been with the company since 1977, he also served as the vice president for public and consumer affairs and as a company spokesperson.
Breslin has served as a board member of the Indiana Retail Council and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, working to enhance business and employment opportunities in both states.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in food systems economics and management from MSU in 1977, while playing basketball for the MSU Spartans.
In other action, the board approved the appointment of June Youatt as acting provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. She succeeds Kim Wilcox, who is stepping down to join the nonprofit organization Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa.