Senate confirms dozens of appointees, including School Trust Lands director Erin Vande Linde

The Minnesota Senate on May 14, 2026, took up the confirmation calendar and approved a slate of appointments by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Sen. McEwen moved to take several committee reports from the table and to adopt them, leading to confirmations of nominees to the Minnesota Board of Electricity (including Keith Kolbert, Sarah Gonda, Vincent Jeff Heimark and Travis O'Toole) and to the Board of High Pressure Piping Systems (including Joseph Abbott, Aubrey Archer, Edgar Castro, Sam Christensen and others). The motions to adopt the reports and confirm the nominees were adopted and the individuals were confirmed.

Sen. Latz moved to confirm a list of notaries public received May 4, 2026, describing the routine role of notaries in verifying identity for affidavits and other documents; the motion prevailed and the notaries were confirmed. Sen. Cwodzinski moved to confirm Erin Vande Linde as director of the Office of School Trust Lands through the end of 2029, summarizing Vande Linde's service in the office since 2012 and her role as director since 2015; the chamber consented and confirmed the appointment.

Senators who spoke in support characterized many of the confirmations as routine but emphasized the functions of the boards (for example, the Board of Electricity oversees licensing and code interpretations and the High Pressure Piping Systems board advises on safety standards). Several confirmations were completed without recorded roll-call votes.

What happened next: the confirmed appointees will assume or continue their duties according to statutory appointment schedules and any applicable agency onboarding procedures.