Regent Mark Bernstein will succeed Katherine E. White as chair of the Board of Regents beginning July 1. Regent Michael J. Behm will serve as vice chair.
The leadership changes were announced at the June 12 board meeting. Bernstein and Behm will serve in their new roles through June 30, 2026.
Bernstein, the current vice chair, was first elected to the board in 2012 and was reelected in 2020. His current term expires January 1, 2029.
Bernstein is a Democrat from Ann Arbor and Behm is a Democrat from Grand Blanc. White is a Democrat from Ann Arbor.
According to the Regents’ Bylaws, the positions of chair and vice chair are filled based on seniority and rotate through the board. A regent who serves as vice chair automatically moves to the position of chair the following year.
The chair’s primary duties include working with the vice chair, president and board secretary to help set the major topics for presentation or study by the board; monitoring committee agenda planning for coordination and comprehensiveness; presiding over executive sessions when scheduled without the president; communicating certain information to other regents; and appointing the chairs and members of ad hoc and standing committees.
If the chair is unable to perform the duties, the vice chair assumes them.
