Kirk Penner appointed to State Board of Education to fill southeast Nebraska spot

LINCOLN — An Aurora man with experience on his local school board is filling a vacant post on the Nebraska State Board of Education.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Thursday that he appointed Kirk Penner to represent district five, which includes much of southeast Nebraska. His appointment follows the retirement of Patricia Timm of Beatrice. She stepped down in October for health reasons after serving 17 years on the board.

Penner served 16 years on the Aurora School Board. He is President of Penner Patient Care and Penner Manufacturing, which makes and assembles bathing systems for healthcare and residential settings. In his community, he is President of the Aurora Development Corporation.

“The Department of Education welcomes Mr. Penner to fill the important role of a state board member,” said Commissioner Matthew Blomstedt. “Like each board member, his experiences, perspectives, and representation of District 5 will be a value to the Constitutional work of the Department.  I appreciate his willingness to serve in this role and look forward to working with him in this capacity.”

Penner unsuccessfully ran against Rep. Adrian Smith in the 2018 Republican primary for Nebraska’s District Three seat in the House of Representatives.

He will serve the remainder of Timm’s term. The next election for District 5 is in November.