Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Bill Guidera and the reappointment of Lisa McGinn and Joe Swedberg to the Minnesota Zoological Board. All three are appointed to four-year terms that expire on January 2, 2012.

Guidera, of Orono, is a vice president of government affairs for News Corporation in New York City, a position he has held since April 2007. Previously, he was a director and policy counsel with Microsoft Corporation in Bloomington and Washington, D.C., an account executive with Strategic Telecommunications, Inc. in St. Paul, and a legislative assistant in Governor Arne Carlson’s Washington, D.C. office. Guidera earned his juris doctorate degree from George Mason University of Law in Arlington, Virginia, and his bachelor of arts degree from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Guidera replaces Sherry Broecker on the Zoo Board.

McGinn, of Eagan, is a retired St. Paul Police officer, retiring in 2003 as a watch commander. She held a number of positions in a variety of units during her 26-year career with the St. Paul Police Department. McGinn earned a bachelor of science degree in criminal judge and liberal arts from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. She has been active in a number of community service organizations, including the Children’s Safety Network, Capital City Lights Program, Habitat for Humanity, Children’s Cancer Research Center, and Boys and Girls Club of St. Paul. McGinn, who has been a member of the Zoo Board since 2004, serves on its legislative and education committees, and chaired its 2007 Beastly Ball.'

Swedberg, of Austin, is vice president of legislative affairs for Hormel Foods in Austin, where he oversees all state and federal legislative affairs for the company. He has been with Hormel Foods for 25 years, where he began as a sales representative, and has held positions as product manager, regional sales manager, director of marketing, and vice president of marketing prior to being named to his current position in 2003. Swedberg earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. He is a member and past chairman of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; chairman of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Board of Directors; board member of Students in Free Enterprise; and a member of the Advisory Leadership Circle for the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Minnesota Commission on New Americans. He is a past president of the Austin YMCA Board of Directors, and served on the Governor’s Livestock Advisory Task Force. Swedberg has been a member of the Zoo Board since January 2007.

The Minnesota Zoological Board operates and maintains the Minnesota Zoological Garden. The board consists of 30 members, including 15 appointed by the Governor and 15 appointed by the Zoo Board.