Dayton Names Leader For Higher Ed Office

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Gov. Mark Dayton has picked a seasoned housing advocate to lead the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.

Dayton's office said Friday that Mary Tingerthal will run a state agency that offers home loans and programs to address homelessness and foreclosures.

Tingerthal comes from the Housing Partnership Network, where she has worked with housing developers, charter schools and counseling programs for homeowners. She serves on the Federal Reserve's Consumer Advisory Council and previously worked at the Housing Finance Agency.

She helped establish a national trust that works to put vacant and foreclosed properties back into use.

Dayton also named Dr. Sheila Wright to lead the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, which offers financial aid and oversees tuition reciprocity programs. Wright is currently dean of Hamline's School of Education in St. Paul.

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