State Board elects John Robbins president, Mary Meister vice president

The Iowa State Board of Education elected John Robbins president and Mary Meister vice president at its May meeting, formalizing the board’s leadership for a two‑year term running May 2026–April 2028.

President Robbins was chosen by nomination and voice vote after members moved to organize the meeting and approve the agenda. Shortly afterward, the board confirmed Mary Meister as vice president by a similar voice vote. Robbins then made administrative appointments, naming board member Jeff Henderson chair of the non‑public school advisory committee and appointing himself to the Iowa Public Broadcasting System Board when no volunteer came forward.

Director Katie Snow reviewed the board’s public‑comment rules before the comment period, noting the board’s limit of 30 minutes for public comments, a five‑minute standard per speaker (reduced to three minutes when many speakers register) and a requirement that individuals recognized by the president be allowed to speak. There were no public commenters at the meeting.

The new officers will lead a board whose next regular meetings were later set and confirmed on the calendar. The session closed with routine procedural business and transitions into the department reports and a packed agenda of community college budget reviews.