The Wayne State University Board of Governors elected Kim Trent to a one-year term as the board's chair at its Feb. 1 meeting.

Trent, whose eight-year term as governor runs through 2020, currently serves as senior vice president, corporate and civic engagement for Compass Strategies LLC., a Detroit-based communications, government relations and community relations firm. 

Trent's current community leadership includes her service as president of the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation and vice president of Connect Detroit. She is a past president of Wayne State's Organization of Black Alumni. She has received many awards, including the State Bar of Michigan's Liberty Bell award and the Women of Wayne State University's Headliner award.

Trent holds a bachelor's in journalism and Africana studies and a master's in communication from Wayne State University.

Also elected to one-year terms as board officers were William Decatur and Julie H. Miller. Decatur, re-elected treasurer of the board, has been an administrative officer to the Board of Governors since 2015. He is vice president for finance and business operations, treasurer and chief financial officer at Wayne State University. Miller was re-elected secretary to the board. She has been an administrative officer to the Board of Governors since 2001. Miller also is vice president and secretary of the university.

Wayne State University's Board of Governors is one of three university governing bodies in Michigan — along with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University — that has constitutional independence. Its members, who serve eight-year terms, are elected by voters throughout Michigan.