Gov. Katie Hobbs appointed Regent Michele Halyard, MD, to the Arizona Board of Regents in March 2026. Regent Halyard is a nationally recognized radiation oncologist, academic leader and nonprofit founder with more than 30 years of experience in health care practice, medical education, research and strategy. She served on the Mayo Clinic staff from 1989 until her retirement in June 2023 and holds the academic rank of professor of radiation oncology.

Regent Halyard served as the Suzanne Hanson Poole vice dean of the three-campus Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and was the inaugural dean of the school’s Arizona campus. In those roles, she led the successful launch of the Arizona campus, oversaw the operational integration of the medical school’s campuses in Arizona, Minnesota and Florida, and led the first multi-site accreditation of the medical school by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. She also chaired the department of radiation oncology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, established Mayo’s Center for Women’s Health and served on Mayo Clinic’s Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.

In addition to her academic and clinical leadership, she serves on the Arizona Community Foundation Board of Directors and previously served on the Flinn Foundation Arizona Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee and the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Advisory Board.

Regent Halyard earned her bachelor’s degree and medical degree from Howard University and completed her residency in radiation oncology, followed by a fellowship at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education.