Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Paige Winebarger to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board.

Winebarger, of Bloomington, retired in 2001 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Marquette Financial Companies in Minneapolis. She previously served as an attorney for the Federal Reserve System and as Assistant Commissioner of Banks and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Winebarger currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Nature Conservancy of Minnesota, as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, and as a member of the Strategic Advisory Group to the Dean's Office of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. She previously served as Board Member and Chair of the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and as Board Member and Officer of Friends of the Minnesota River Valley.

Winebarger received a B.S. in Business Education from Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Virginia. Winebarger is appointed as a public member of the board for the remainder of a term ending January 5, 2004. She replaces Brian Kaden on the board.

The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) helps coordinate the actions of the major state agencies, and is charged with providing the Governor and the Legislature tools to address environmental issues that do not fit under the other state environmental agencies. The board consists of 16 members, including five public members appointed by the Governor.