Wichita State President John Bardo expanded the Wichita State Innovation Alliance (WSIA) board from 11 seats to 13 and appointed three new directors at Friday’s meeting.

WSIA is the non-profit organization that manages Innovation Campus. Bardo, who is chief officer of WSIA, hand-selects board members.

Bardo named Provost Rick Muma, Pierre Harter, and Bayram Yildirim directors. Harter is the Spirit AeroSystems director of research and development and a member of the WSU Board of Trustees. Yildirim is a professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing and Engineering and a former Faculty Senate president.

Bill Moore, board chair of the WSU Foundation and former president and CEO of Westar Energy, retired from WSIA.

Muma was the only new appointee not in attendance at Friday’s meeting.

Yildirim became the first faculty member on WSIA’s board.

“I think this is a good way to build a bridge between faculty and the board to voice faculty problems or faculty concerns or faculty accomplishments,” Yildirim said.