Meet the Trustees

Jay Cowles
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Jay.Cowles@minnstate.edu

Congressional District 4
Term ends June 30, 2026

Jay Cowles, St. Paul, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2014. He is managing director of Lawrence Creek LLC, a private family investment company. Previously, he held several positions with Cowles Media Company, former owners of the Star Tribune newspaper, concluding as chairman of the Board of Directors. Cowles also served as chairman and president of the Women’s Pro Softball League, a startup sports enterprise that continues today as National Pro Fastpitch.

He is a founding and active member of the Itasca Project since 2004, and currently serves as a board member of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, Green Minneapolis, and the Mississippi Park Connection.  He also holds advisory roles at the University of Minnesota with the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Center for Transportation Studies. He has served a number of civic and arts organizations including the Saint Paul Foundation, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Guthrie Theater, The Friends of the Saint Paul Library, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Governor Tim Walz reappointed Cowles to the Board of Trustees in 2020. His terms ends June 30, 2026. 

Jim Grabowska 
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Jim.Grabowska@minnstate.edu

At-large
Term ends June 30, 2028

Jim Grabowska, St. Clair, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2022. He has been active in different fields of education during most of his professional career. He taught a variety of subjects in high schools here and abroad before moving into higher education, teaching at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, the state university of Cuenca, Ecuador and 23 years teaching at Minnesota State University, Mankato. While at MSU, Mankato, he taught Spanish and world language education courses. He retired from teaching in 2021. Jim served in a variety of roles within the faculty union while at MSU: as local association president for 3 years and then as president of the Inter Faculty Organization from 2014-2018.

Jim has represented education interests on a variety of boards including the ISD 75 School Board, Minnesota Board of Teaching (now PELSB), Region 9 Development Commission, South Central Service Cooperative and the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration.

He received his B.S. from Northern State University, M.A. from the University of Oklahoma and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Governor Tim Walz appointed Grabowska to the Board of Trustees in 2022. His terms ends on June 30, 2028.

Idman Ibrahim
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Idman.Ibrahim@minnstate.edu

State University Student
Term ends June 30, 2025

Idman Ibrahim, St. Paul, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2023. Ibrahim graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a bachelor's degree in social work and gender and women’s studies. She served as the Student Body Vice President at Minnesota State University, Mankato where she advocated for students' voices and pushed for a more equitable campus and space inclusivity, and also worked with Library and Learning to extend the writing and tutoring center hours for students who have a language barrier. She worked as a community leader fellow for Students United and has been appointed to the St. Paul Recovery Act Community Reparation Commission.

Governor Walz appointed Ibrahim to the Board of Trustees in 2023. Her term ends on June 30, 2025.

Roger Moe
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Roger.Moe@minnstate.edu

Congressional District 7
Term ends June 30, 2026

Roger Moe, Erskine, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2014. He is the current president of National Strategies, Inc. He served 32 years in the Minnesota Legislature, including 22 years as Senate Majority Leader. His legislative accomplishments include the creation of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, the Midwest Higher Education Commission, and the Environmental Trust Fund. He has also served as the Vice President of Coleman/Christison, Inc., and as a mathematics teacher and coach at Ada High School.

Moe is a former member of the Policy Consensus Initiative Board of Directors, Debate Minnesota, the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Governance Committee, and the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board. Senator Moe earned his B.S. from Mayville State University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Minnesota for his years of public service.

Governor Tim Walz reappointed Moe to the Board of Trustees in 2020. His term ends on June 30, 2026. 

April Nishimura
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
April.Nishimura@minnstate.edu

Congressional District 2
Term ends June 30, 2024

April Nishimura, Apple Valley, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2018. She is the head of Customer Experience at Onsemi Semiconductor with oversight of their global digital transformation. Previously, she served in multiple executive leadership roles at Ecolab in Finance, Sales, Marketing, and Product Development. Prior to that, she led sales transformation at GTE and Verizon Communications in its Hawaii, West Coast, Southwest, and New England markets.

Nishimura served as an Ecolab Executive Mentor and previously served on the Dallas Asian Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in Process Improvement and a Certified Scrum Product Owner. She earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Hawaii and her MBA from Pepperdine University’s George L. Graziadio school of Business.

Governor Mark Dayton appointed Nishimura to the Board of Trustees in 2018. Her term ends on June 30, 2024.

Kathy Sheran
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Kathleen.Sheran@minnstate.edu

Congressional District 1
Term ends June 30, 2026

Kathleen Sheran, Mankato, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2020. She served three terms in the Minnesota Senate representing District 23 and 19.  While in the Senate she served as a Majority Whip, Vice Chair for Higher Education, and Chair of Health, Human Services and Housing. Prior to serving in the Senate, Senator Sheran was on the faculty at Minnesota State Mankato teaching in the School of Nursing. Additionally, she was an equity partner in SMR, a real estate development and management company.  Senator Sheran has a long history of service, including 16 years as President of Mankato's City Council, and most recently as Chair of Minnesota's Insurance Exchange.

Governor Tim Walz appointed Sheran to the Board of Trustees in 2020. Her terms ends on June 30, 2026.

Cheryl Tefer
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-201-1705
Cheryl.Tefer@MinnState.edu

Congressional District 6
Term ends June 30, 2028

Cheryl Tefer, Andover, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2016. She faculty was a faculty member at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, where she taught nursing for 26 years. She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Iowa, a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Minnesota, and did post-graduate work at the University of Minnesota. Tefer served on a strategic planning committee for Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College, as well as the academic affairs and standards council at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. She was named Minnesota State Board of Trustees Educator of the Year in 2014.

Governor Tim Walz reappointed Tefer to the Board of Trustees in 2022. Her term ends June 30, 2028.