Iowa Board of Regents reelects Robert Cramer as president, Kurt Tjaden as president pro tem

Cramer and Tjaden will continue in their leadership roles on the board following the elections.

Madelyn Johnson, News Reporter

April 23, 2026

Iowa Regents Robert Cramer and Kurt Tjaden sit at the Board of Regents meeting at the Iowa State University Alumni Center in Ames, IA on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The Board will be meeting for two days to discuss topics such as tuition, construction and destruction of campus buildings, and majors that will be started or discontinued at Iowa’s three public universities. (Mitchell Brinkmeyer/The Daily Iowan)

The Iowa Board of Regents elected new leadership during its April 23 meeting, reappointing Robert Cramer and Kurt Tjaden as president and president pro tem, respectively, to guide the board over the next year, serving from May 2026 to April 2027.

Cramer and Tjaden are serving consecutive terms in their respective positions. The board holds annual officer elections as part of its governance structure. Newly elected officers serve one-year terms.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Cramer in March 2023 and appointed him as board president in 2025, with a term set to expire in 2029.

“I appreciate you all continuing to put your trust in me,” Cramer said.

According to the Regents’ website, Cramer graduated from Iowa State University in 1990 with a bachelor of science in construction engineering. He serves as a chair for the University of Iowa Health Care committee and the Evaluation and Human Resources committee.

Tjaden was appointed to the board by Gov. Kim Reynolds in March 2025, and his term on the board expires in 2031. The president pro tem supports the board president and assumes leadership roles in their absence.

Tjaden serves as a chair for the Investment and Finance committee and the Properties and Facilities committee, and a vice chair for the Governance, Evaluation, and Human Resources committee and the University of Iowa Health Care committee, according to the website.

The election comes as the board continues to address key issues facing Iowa’s public universities, including tuition increases, budget approvals, and long-term planning initiatives.

In the meeting, the board heard from faculty and students at all three universities. Both groups emphasized the need for additional funding. Cramer said any additional staff funding would need to come from a tuition increase for students.

“I appreciate the way you seem to understand the tension we are up against,” Cramer said.