Arizona Board of Regents welcomes Hobbs' first non-student appointee

Elizabeth Archuleta, the first non-student appointee Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has named to the Arizona Board of Regents, formally began her term on the board last week.

Hobbs previously appointed two student regents: David Zaragoza of Arizona State University and Jadyn Fisher of Northern Arizona University.

Archuleta may serve for up to a year while she awaits state Senate confirmation.

“Liz has earned a reputation as a fiscally conservative public servant, champion for education, effective consensus builder, proponent of economic development and tenacious problem solver who chases down complex issues and actively seeks and facilitates collaboration,” according to the governor’s announcement in April.

Here’s what to know about the newest member of the board that oversees the three state universities including the University of Arizona.

What is Archuleta’s background?

Archuleta is a fourth-generation Northern Arizona native. She was the first Latina elected to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors in 1996 and represented her district there for 25 years.

She was appointed by the Biden-Harris administration to serve as director of the office of external and intergovernmental affairs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s senior leadership team. In that role, she was responsible for cultivating relationships with elected officials, government leaders, private sector CEOs, national trade associations and nonprofits on behalf of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

In March 2023, Archuleta was chosen to serve as the president and CEO of United Way of Northern Arizona.

Since 1997, Archuleta has “championed many efforts” at United Way of Northern Arizona, its president, Mike Kelly, said. “She’s been a board chair, led an annual campaign and a capital campaign, been the chair of the Summit Society and spearheaded a special 50th anniversary drive to support the KinderCamp program.”

UWNA works with partners in Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties to “improve lives and communities by investing in early childhood education, positive youth development and helping families in times of crisis,” according to the organization’s website.

Who is she replacing?

Archuleta will place Regent Lyndel Manson, who was appointed by Republican then-Gov. Doug Ducey in 2016.

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Manson most recently served as treasurer of the board, chair of the Strategic Initiatives and Planning Committee and a member of the University Governance and Operations Committee.

Manson, from Flagstaff, also served as president and treasurer of the Northland Preparatory Academy Board of Directors when the Flagstaff school was “consistently ranked among the country’s top 100 high schools and enrollment increased by 88%,” according to the ABOR website.

“Regent Manson has had a deep and lasting impact on Arizona’s public universities,” said ABOR Interim Executive Director Chad Sampson. “Our university enterprise is stronger because of her service, and I am grateful for her leadership and friendship during the past eight years.”

Manson served two terms as chair and co-chaired the Northern Arizona University presidential search committee, which ultimately named José Luis Cruz Rivera to the position.

How long will Archuleta serve?

Regents, once confirmed by the state Senate, serve eight-year terms.

Archuleta hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate, so she is permitted to serve a one-year term until she is. In the past, Hobbs has struggled to get appointees confirmed at state agencies by the Republican-controlled Legislature, so it’s unclear what Archuleta’s confirmation process will entail.

What is the board’s makeup?

The board currently has 11 members.

Hobbs and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne both have seats on the board.

There are also two student regents: David Zaragoza of ASU and the newly appointed Jadyn Fischer of NAU.

All of the other regents, besides Archuleta, were appointed by Ducey. They include: Chair Cecilia Mata, Treasurer Fred DuVal, Secretary Gregg Brewster, as well as Doug Goodyear, Jessica Pacheco and Larry Edward Penley.