U president quits Securian Financial board amid criticism
![University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel](https://img.apmcdn.org/d3c76934162c0801389b0cf49e80ef991a27c5fb/uncropped/7a2f3f-20210222-file-gabel-schowalter01-600.jpg)
Like this?
Log in to share your opinion with MPR News and add it to your profile.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
In the face of criticism, University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel said Monday that she's resigned from the board of a St. Paul financial services company.
In a letter to university regents, Gabel said she quit Securian Financial's board out of respect for the U and to "eliminate any further distraction of our work." She said sitting on Securian's board would have expanded the U’s networking.
Gabel, whose annual pay package at the U tops $1 million, could have made another $130,000 with the Securian position, although she said in her letter that she’d waived compensation from the financial firm.
The U's Board of Regents had approved the arrangement. Critics, including some lawmakers, said it would have been a conflict of interest because of Securian's contracts with the university.
Support the News you Need
Gifts from individuals keep MPR News accessible to all - free of paywalls and barriers.