Tucson Standard

Gov. Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.) recently appointed Katelyn Rees, a sophomore at the University of Arizona (UA), to a position on the Arizona Board of Regents, according to a news release from the governor's office. 

Rees is pursuing a double major in mechanical engineering and computer science and currently holds a 4.0 grade-point average, the news release said. She is a member of the Chi Omega sorority and Tau Beta Pi, the national Engineering Honor Society.

“[Katelyn] is an influential member of many university programs and community organizations, and I’m sure her achievements will only continue to grow,” Ducey said in the news release. “As the Board of Regents’ newest member, Katelyn has the skills and experience to represent Arizona’s university students in this critically important role.”

Rees will succeed Nikhil Dave, a student from Arizona State University, on the board. She will spend her first year learning procedures, reaching out to other students, and learning more about university operations, according to the news release. She will have full voting rights in her second year as a board member.

“As a proud Arizona native and University of Arizona student, becoming the next student regent is the highest honor and a great responsibility,” Rees said in the news release. “In assuming this leadership role, I look forward to learning the details of what makes Arizona higher education successful and to positively progressing our universities. Similarly, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from fellow board members and university faculty as I endeavor to discover a greater purpose for myself and my state.”

The Arizona Board of Regents is the governing body presiding over Arizona's three public universities, the news release noted.