Brownback appoints three to Kansas Board of Regents

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to correct the names of the outgoing members of the board.

TOPEKA – Gov. Sam Brownback has named Wichita businessman David Murfin to the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s higher-education system.

Murfin, who owns Murfin Drilling Co. and several other holdings, previously was a member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors.

He also is a member of the board of directors for the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and is president of the Kansas Club for Growth. Both groups campaigned against rolling back an income tax exemption for business owners during the 2015 legislative session.

Brownback threatened to veto any tax plan that included a rollback of the business exemption. He also warned that his administration would make steep cuts to higher education if lawmakers failed to pass a tax plan more to his liking.

The governor also appointed Daniel Thomas, a Leawood periodontist, and Dennis Mullin, CEO of Manhattan-based Steel and Pipe Supply, to the board.

All three men will serve four-year terms on the nine-member Board of Regents. The outgoing members of the board are Fred Logan, Robba Moran and Kenny Wilk.

This story was originally published June 16, 2015 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Brownback appoints three to Kansas Board of Regents."