Karen Brooks Hopkins, President of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Approved as Newest Member of Board of Regents

Legislature Also Reelects Merryl Tisch And Anthony Bottar

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan and Higher Education Committee Chair Ron Canestrari today announced the election of Karen Brooks Hopkins as the newest member of the New York State Board of Regents at a noon-hour joint session of the Legislature. Re-elected to the 16-member board were Merryl H. Tisch of Manhattan and Anthony S. Bottar from Onondaga County.

"The addition of Karen Brooks Hopkins continues in the tradition of ensuring that the State Board of Regents is comprised of distinctly talented, enthusiastic and dedicated individuals who, although from vastly different backgrounds, share a commitment to our state's children and varied institutions of learning," said Silver. "While there are a range of educational challenges currently confronting our state, it is gratifying to know that this board is in place and willing to take on the enormous responsibility of setting the policies that guide the education of this and future generations of New Yorkers."

Karen Brooks Hopkins is the president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), where she has worked since 1979. As president, Hopkins oversees the Academy's 300 full- and part-time employees and facilities, including the 2100-seat Howard Gilman Opera House and 874-seat BAM Harvey Theater, the four-theater BAM Rose Cinemas and the BAMcafé.

In May 2004, Hopkins concluded a two-year term as the chair of The Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), which consists of 33 prominent New York City cultural institutions. In this capacity, she also served as a member of the mayor's Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Hopkins received her MFA from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

"The New York State Board of Regents is among the most respected education policymaking groups in the nation," said Nolan. "While the regents' challenges are obviously much different today than they were when the Board was first created in 1784, I am certain that the commitment to our state's youth and to the structure and quality of New York's education systems is a link through that time to this," said Nolan. "I congratulate the newly elected members and look forward to working with the entire board in the years to come."

"We are indeed fortunate to add Karen Brooks Hopkins to the distinguished state Board of Regents," said Canestrari. "I am confident that she, along with the state's other regents, will produce dramatic results that will lead to an even stronger educational system for the residents of New York State. I thank the entire board for their dedication to public service."

The Board of Regents was established in 1784 and is the oldest, continuous state education entity in America. The regents are responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the state, presiding over the State University of New York and the New York State Education Department.

Board members are elected to five-year terms by a joint session of the state Legislature. There is one regent for each of the state's 12 judicial districts and four at-large members. The current terms of these regents is set to end March 31. Regents do not receive a salary for serving on the board.

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