Sherry Bates was unanimously elected president of the Iowa Board of Regents Wednesday, becoming the first woman to be elected to the position in roughly 40 years.

The board also elected regent Greta Rouse as the new president pro tempore per the Iowa Administrative Code, governing the regents. Both were elected unanimously by the board.

Former president Michael Richards nominated interim president Bates to be permanent president and said she was the best person for the position having worked closely with her for several years.

Bates’ term as president will begin effective immediately, and Richards will continue to serve as a regent until April 30, 2024.

“I believe that she’ll be an excellent person to be president of the Board of Regents,”  Richards said.

Following the vote, Bates thanked the board for electing her as president, and said she looked forward to working with the board in the coming months. 

Regent JC Risewick nominated Rouse for pro tempore, and in his nomination, said she was the right person for the role and liked being a regent for all the right reasons.

The election comes after former president Micheal Richards announced his resignation before the end of his official term on Jan. 16, with Bates appointed to serve as president on an interim basis.

Richards said serving as a regent has been “a true honor and privilege” and thanked his fellow regents, staff, public university staff, and others he worked with during his time as regent.

Richards was first appointed to the regents in 2016 by then Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and was first elected president in 2017. Richards has since been reelected as president in 2018, 2020, and 2022.

In 2021, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds reappointed Richards to the board, and his term as regent then set to expire on April 30, 2027. According to his regent profile, Richards graduated from the University of Iowa in 1970, earning his bachelor’s degree. 

He later earned his doctorate in medicine from the UI College of Medicine in 1974.