Gov. appoints city manager and business development expert to Grand Valley Board of Trustees

Gov. Rick Snyder appointed two Grand Valley alumni to the Grand Valley State University Board of Trustees, effective January 1, 2015.   

Victor Cardenas, assistant city manager of Novi, and Megan Sall, business development manager for the Right Place Program in Grand Rapids, have been appointed to eight-year terms ending December 31, 2022.  

They will succeed trustees Michael Thomas of Freeland and Shelley Padnos of Grand Rapids, whose terms expire at the end of this year. (http://gvsu.edu/s/Mv)

“We look forward to working with Victor Cardenas and Megan Sall, who both bring impressive experience and backgrounds to our board,” said David Hooker, chair of the Grand Valley Board of Trustees. “We want to thank Shelley Padnos and Michael Thomas for their service. Their time on our board was productive, and we are grateful that they lent their expertise to positioning Grand Valley as a leading university.”

Cardenas earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Grand Valley in 2000 and a master’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University. He is the assistant city manager of Novi and was acting city manager during a vacancy in the top job earlier this year. While at Grand Valley, he was active in student government and was elected president of the Student Senate. 

“I am honored, humbled and excited to serve on my alma mater’s Board of Trustees,” said Cardenas. “I look forward to serving both the student body and alumni base.”

Sall, of Grand Rapids, earned two degrees from Grand Valley — a bachelor’s in international relations in 2007 and a master’s in public administration in 2009. Prior to joining Right Place, Sall was DDA/Community Services director for the City of Wyoming, Michigan, and was a program manager for the International City/County Management Association in Washington, D.C, working on a USAID project in Afghanistan assisting in the creation and improvement of local government services. While at Grand Valley, she was a Cook Leadership Fellow and currently serves as a mentor for the Cook Leadership Academy.

“It’s a privilege and honor to be able to serve the Grand Valley community in this way,” said Sall. “I am excited about all the things Grand Valley is doing and I’m proud of the impact it has on the community. I look forward to working alongside the university as we move forward and continue to do great things for West Michigan and the state.”