Phoenix, Arizona - The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees recognized three retiring members, elected new members and re-elected members at its board meeting today.

“We are fortunate to have such integrity and excellence in our board of trustee members,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “Our new, re-elected and retiring public trustees are all shining examples of this high standard of excellence.”

The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees recognized and elected three emeritus trustees:

• Tom Brokaw, special correspondent, NBC News
  Brokaw joined Mayo’s board in 2008 and is one of the most trusted and respected figures in broadcast journalism. He has received numerous honors, including the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award and the Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and he was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Learn more in his bio. “Tom’s interest in what we do at Mayo Clinic is genuine,” says Samuel Di Piazza, board chair. “It's deep. It's sincere. A lot of people that have accomplished what Tom has accomplished professionally might forget their roots, might forget how people could perceive them. Not Tom. He is as genuine today as he was in the Dakotas as a teenager, and that is obvious to anyone who interacts with Tom Brokaw.”

• Pamela O. Johnson, RN, chief nursing officer, Mayo Clinic, and chair, Department of Nursing
  Johnson is accountable for all aspects of nursing and provides leadership for 13,000 nurses across Mayo Clinic. Johnson joined the board in 2014. Learn more information in her bio. “Pam represents the best of the Mayo Clinic,” says Di Piazza. “She has an enormous focus on our patients, but she understands the complexity of the system. She brings a unique focus because of her long history in nursing and knows our patients from a different perspective — and that’s very important for us to have at the table.”

• Ronald L. Olson, partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson, whose practice involves a combination of litigation and corporate counseling
  Olson joined the board in 2004. Olson is a director of Berkshire Hathaway, Graham Holdings Company, and Western Asset Trusts. The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles recently broke new ground on a new facility, and it will be called the Ron Olson Justice Center in his honor. His commitment to social responsibility is illustrated in this 1994 Los Angeles Times feature story. Learn more in his bio. “Ron has served Mayo Clinic in almost every capacity,” Di Piazza says. “He’s chaired committees, been central to strategic discussions and worked on issues of succession, but the most important thing that Ron brought was a very experienced, thoughtful human touch that was grounded in technical proficiency.”

The board elected three new public trustees:

• Cokie Roberts, political commentator, ABC News, and senior news analyst, National Public Radio
  From 1996 to 2002, Roberts and Sam Donaldson co-anchored the weekly ABC interview program “This Week.” In her more than 40 years in broadcasting, she has won countless awards, including three Emmys. Roberts has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting. Learn more in her bio.

• Kenneth Salazar, partner, WilmerHale, a global law firm, and founder of the firm’s Denver office
  As a Partner at WilmerHale, Salazar provides legal advice to national and international clients on complex matters concerning regulatory, civil and criminal matters. He is the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Senator and Colorado Attorney General. Learn more in his bio.

• Anne Sweeney, member, Netflix Board of Directors, and a Deans Distinguished Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education
  Sweeney was previously co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, which includes The Walt Disney Company's global entertainment and news TV properties, owned TV stations group, as well as radio and publishing businesses. Learn more in her bio.

The board re-elected two public trustees:

• Linda Alvarado, president and CEO, Alvarado Construction, Inc., a commercial general contractor, construction manager, development, design/build, and property management firm
  Based in Denver, the company has offices in several states and has successfully developed and built projects across the U.S. and internationally. She also is president of Palo Alto, Inc., a Yum! Brands franchise company that owns 150 restaurants in several states and is co-owner of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team. Alvarado was first elected to the board in 2012.

• Randolph Steer, M.D., Ph.D., independent pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices consultant since 1989
  Steer has a broad background in business development, medical marketing, and regulatory and clinical affairs, having served as a consultant to many corporations in the U.S. and abroad. He has also advised numerous venture capital firms, investment banks and independent investors on the commercial development of drugs, biologics, diagnostics and medical devices. Dr. Steer joined the board in 2011. Learn more in his bio.

The board also elected two internal trustees:

• Steven Buskirk, M.D., professor of Radiation Oncology and chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic in Florida
  In his 30 years at Mayo Clinic, he has practiced on Mayo Clinic’s Florida and Rochester, Minnesota, campuses and has served on numerous Mayo Clinic committees and professional societies. Dr. Buskirk was re-elected to a four-year term. Learn more in his bio.

• Paula Menkosky, vice chair of Administration, Mayo Clinic, and chief administrative officer, Mayo Clinic in Arizona
  Menkosky is responsible for Mayo Clinic operations in Arizona in partnership with Wyatt Decker, M.D., CEO, Mayo Clinic in Arizona. In this role, she serves on numerous leadership committees and is the secretary for the Executive Operations Team in Arizona. In addition, Menkosky serves as a vice chair of Administration for Mayo Clinic and is responsible for External Relations. In this role, she oversees Public Affairs and Development activities across Mayo Clinic. Menkosky was elected to a one-year term. Learn more in her bio.