Sherry Bates will continue to lead the Iowa Board of Regents as President until 2026 following a unanimous vote to extend her term on Wednesday. 

Her new term will start May 1 and end April 30, 2026. The regents selected Bates as president in February for a three-month term after she served as interim president in January when former regents President Michael Richards stepped down. 

Bates is the first woman to be elected to the position in nearly 40 years. 

“She has done an excellent job as interim and I’d like to nominate regent Sherry Bates to serve as president and remove that interim title and make her President of the Board of Regents,” Richards said on Wednesday. 

She has served on the board since 2014 and was formerly a social worker in Greene County, which is near Ames, Iowa. Bates also worked for the Iowa Department of Human Services. 

Bates serves as chair of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Committee and is on the Audit and Compliance, Governance, Evaluation and Human Resources, and the Property and Facilities Committees. 

Regent Greta Rouse was also unanimously selected as President Pro Tem on Wednesday. She was previously elected President Pro Tem of the board on Feb. 28. 

She serves as the chair of the Free Speech and Student Affairs Committee and is vice chair of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Committee. She also is on the Investment and Finance and Audit and Compliance Committees.