Michelle Wimes has left her position on the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Michelle Patterson Wimes, Kansas City, has announced that she will step down from her seat on the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors, effective June 30, 2008.

University President Aaron Podolefsky today said she informed him of her decision by letter in which she also expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to have served on the board.

"This is a tremendous loss for the University of Central Missouri,"� Podolefsky said. "Governor Wimes has provided exceptional leadership and counsel throughout her tenure on the Board of Governors. Her strong background in education gave her the insight to understand and embrace the level of board support that is essential to achieve our university's vision and to take UCM to the next level. Governor Wimes will be greatly missed."�

Wimes, who is one of seven voting members of the board, is an attorney serving as Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives with the firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP, in Kansas City. She was appointed to the board by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt on July 5, 2005, to serve a term which expires Jan. 1, 2011. The university will work with the governor to fill the position.