Department of Higher Education

Gwen Grant, Mike Thomson, Joe Cornelison, and Shawn Saale have been selected to serve one-year terms as committee chairs for the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE).

Gwen Grant, Kansas City, will serve as chair of the Academic Affairs and Workforce Needs Committee.

The Academic Affairs and Workforce Needs Committee focuses on a variety of issues including the approval of certificate and degree programs at Missouri’s public colleges and universities and initiatives to improve the transfer of college credit and increase college completion.

Grant was appointed to the CBHE in 2018 and is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City and is the co-founder of the League’s Servant Leadership Development Program.

Mike Thomson, Maryville, will serve as chair of the Budget and Financial Aid Committee.

The Budget and Financial Aid Committee focuses on issues related to state funding for Missouri Department of Higher Education operations and Missouri’s public colleges and universities and the department’s administration of state student financial aid programs.

Thomson, a former educator and Missouri state representative, is currently the marketing and development director for the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri. He was appointed to the CBHE in 2016, and is vice chair of the board.

Joe Cornelison, Maryville, has been selected to serve as chair of the Audit Committee.

The Audit Committee reviews state and federal audits of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and its programs.

Cornelison was appointed to the CBHE in 2017 as an At-Large member. He was appointed the Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal Commission, retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army, and served as senior counsel for Husch Blackwell LLP in Kansas City.

Shawn Saale, Defiance, will serve as the chair of the Strategic Planning and External Affairs Committee.

The Strategic Planning and External Affairs Committee focuses on implementing the board’s coordinated plan for higher education and working with the state’s colleges and universities to ensure access to high-quality, affordable higher education opportunities in Missouri.

Saale was appointed to the CBHE in 2017. He is a partner at Saale & Bailey, LC where he specializes in estate law, business succession planning and charitable giving.

About the Missouri Department of Higher Education: The department seeks to build Missouri’s future by degrees and coordinate higher education policy that fosters a quality postsecondary system. More information about MDHE can be found at https://dhe.mo.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter @MoHigherEd.

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