May 24, 2013
A committee headed by Gov. Riley has nominated three Auburn University trustees who are not legislators and who will bring more diversity to the Auburn board.
The five-member nominating committee voted unanimously for Fayette school principal Sara Newton, state Revenue Commissioner Dwight Carlisle of Alexander City, and city planner Charles Ball of Gadsden.
If approved by a majority of the state Senate in a September session, they would replace state Senator Lowell Barron of Fyffe, state Representative Jack Venable of Tallassee and Cullman businessman Charles Glover.
Riley had urged the board not to appoint legislators as trustees because of "a perceived conflict of interest" when they vote on universities' state appropriations.
Trustee Bobby Lowder, who serves on the nominating committee, is good friends with Barron. Lowder says he decided to make the votes unanimous because it would benefit the university for everyone topull together.
If the nominees are approved by the state Senate, Newton would become the second woman on the board, and Ball would be the second black.
