What to know about UW Regents Amy Bogost, Karen Walsh and Jennifer Staton, who changed their votes on diversity, pay raises

Three members of the UW Board of Regents changed their votes on a controversial deal over diversity efforts and pay raises.

The vote-flipping by Regents Karen Walsh, Amy Bogost and Jennifer Staton solidified a deal months in the making between the University of Wisconsin System and Republican legislative leaders.

Here are a few things to know about the people behind the key votes:

Gov. Tony Evers appointed all three to the board

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed all three women to the board.

Walsh donated more than $100,000 to Democratic politicians, according to campaign finance records. Bogost has given about $1,250 to Democrats.

Walsh, Bogost have top jobs on the UW Board of Regents

Walsh and Bogost serve as board president and vice president, respectively.

When they were elected to their leadership positions in 2022, it marked the first time two women had led the board in UW System history.

Regents talk about why their vote changed

Walsh said more extensive discussions with campuses helped shape the board's change of heart.

"It was clear last Saturday that the board did not have sufficient time to discuss this document and its potential benefits and pitfalls," she said. "Since that vote, we have had the opportunity to discuss the proposal with each other and hear viewpoints from our chancellors, faculty, staff and students. That's just good governance, not a defense of a particular ideology."

Bogost and Staton talked about the dire financial state of campuses, which was made more clear to board members in the days after Saturday's vote.

 "We have heard from all of the chancellors and they have asked for our help," said Staton, a UW-Parkside student. "And right now I will place their needs above my own. They are the leaders of their campuses, and we have entrusted them with this leadership. The reality is without this resolution, Parkside may not be here in the years to come."

Regent Bogost is serving unconfirmed by the Senate

Bogost joined the board in 2020. She's almost exactly halfway through her seven-year term and remains unconfirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate.

Senate President Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, said Bogost and the other unconfirmed regents could lose their jobs as soon as January if they voted against the deal.

Walsh was confirmed by the Senate several years ago. Staton got the chamber's stamp of approval last month.

Walsh's career spans journalism, communications, nonprofits

Walsh, who joined the board in 2019, serves as the director of a local family foundation dedicated to advancing human and animal health and welfare. She previously spent 23 years in a variety of communications positions at UW-Madison and did a stint as a Wisconsin Public Radio reporter.

She and her husband donated $10 million to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in 2015 to increase the size of the UW Hospital emergency facility.

On Wednesday, she said she would donate to support a UW-Madison faculty position focused on conservative political thought. The new job funded entirely with donor money was part of the deal UW System negotiated with Republicans.

Bogost is a lawyer familiar with Title IX

Outside of serving as a regent, which is an unpaid voluntary job, Bogost runs her own law practice based in Madison.

She specializes in Title IX, a federal gender-equity law, and frequently represents victims of sexual assault. One of her most notable cases was representing the women who accused former UW-Madison Badgers player Quintez Cephus of sexual assault.

Staton is a student veteran

Staton, who joined the board in 2022 for a term ending next May, is studying applied health sciences at UW-Parkside.

From 2007 until 2014, Staton also served in the U.S. Army in various roles, including as a combat medic while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Walsh and Bogost are Badgers

Walsh graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from UW-Madison.

Bogost graduated with a degree in political science and history from UW-Madison. She earned her law degree from Chicago Kent College of Law.

Bogost is passionate about Indigenous issues

During Bogost's time on the board, she has elevated issues related to Native students and the relationship campuses have with tribal nations.

More:Wisconsin 'trial college' gives Indigenous advocates the skills to work in tribal courts

Bogost has taught at the National Tribal Trial College, which is co-sponsored by UW Law School. The six-month program is the only one of its kind in the country. Instead of teaching outsiders how to work within a tribal nation’s legal system, the program provides legal advocacy training to Native people.

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.