Sports columnist and Toledo native Christine Brennan is being named as the University of Toledo Board of Trustees’ first “national board member.”

Trustees approved the board’s ability to appoint national members to serve for a two-year term as volunteers without voting privileges at its April meeting. National board members are eligible for an additional two-year term. Her appointment is scheduled to be formally approved by the board on May 15.

The role of national members is to advocate on behalf of higher education and UT, as well as provide counsel to the board and university, the university said in a prepared announcement Saturday.

“As one of the most respected sports journalists in the country, Christine Brennan is a trailblazer for women,” said board chairman Sharon Speyer. “Her breadth of experience, including her service as a trustee for Northwestern University, will provide great insight as the board deliberates on issues that impact our community at large. We are honored that she has accepted this invitation, and we look forward to working with her.”

A graduate of Ottawa Hills, Ms. Brennan is a national columnist at USA Today and a commentator at ABC News, CNN, PBS NewsHour, and National Public Radio. She has authored seven books.

She grew up in the Old Orchard and Ottawa Hills area, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University, and has worked as a sports reporter for the Miami Herald and Washington Post. She was a sports intern for The Blade in 1978 and 1979.

Ms. Brennan is slated to deliver the keynote address during UT’s spring commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. today at the Glass Bowl.

First Published May 7, 2017, 6:08 a.m.