Governor Mark Parkinson appointed Arthur Edwin “Ed” McKechnie to the Board of Regents in February 2010. He currently serves as Chair of the Board, is a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, has served as Vice Chair of the Board and has served on the Audit and Finance Committee. He is the Executive Vice President for Strategic Development and the Chief Commercial Officer for Watco Companies, Inc. in Pittsburg.

McKechnie is a member of the American Shortline and Regional Railroad Association and has served as Chair of the Legislative Policy Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee. He is a former Kansas State Representative, serving from 1991-2001. As a State Representative, he served on various committees including the Appropriations, Transportation, Energy and Natural Resources, and State Building Committees. He also served as a member of the Joint Committee on Legislative Post Audit.

He earned a B.A. in Communications from Pittsburg State University in 1986. McKechnie and his wife, Kristine, have two sons and live on an American Quarter Horse Ranch near Arcadia, Kansas. He enjoys horse riding, snow skiing and attending college athletic events.

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