BISMARCK — The finalists to fill the vacancy on the North Dakota Board of Higher Education has been forwarded to Gov. Kelly Armstrong.

The nominating committee agreed on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to forward three names to the governor to consider in filling the opening on the board. The three finalists are Michelle Kommer of Fargo; and Stan Shauer and Darin Scherr, both of Bismarck.

Kommer is a human resources and employee benefits consultant, and is also a former state commerce and labor commissioner as well as the former director of Job Service North Dakota.

Schauer is currently the director of assessments at the N.D. Department of Public Instruction.

Scherr is the business and operations manager for the Bismarck school district.

The governor’s selection will succeed Levi Bachmeier, who resigned from the board in November when he took office as North Dakota’s new superintendent of public instruction. The new board member will be responsible for completing Bachmeier’s four-year term on the board, which ends June 30, 2029.

The new board member will begin serving immediately after the governor’s appointment, but his pick must eventually be confirmed by the N.D. Senate to allow him or her to continue.

The nominating committee’s membership is outlined in the N.D. Constitution. It is made up of Bachmeier; Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, which represents educators and public employees; Supreme Court Chief Justice Lisa Fair McEvers; state Sen. Kyle Davison, R-Fargo, the Senate’s president pro tempore; and N.D. House Speaker Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield.

The Board of Higher Education oversees and sets policy for the 11 institutions in North Dakota’s university system.