MONTEVALLO &8212; American Village founder Tom Walker has been appointed to the University of Montevallo&8217;s board of trustees.

Walker replaces Michael Stephens, who stepped down from the board in March.

&8220;We were extremely pleased to hear of Tom Walker&8217;s appointment,&8221; said UM President Philip Williams. &8220;His strong ties with the university go back years, and we look forward to Tom&8217;s presence on the board and his wisdom and vision.&8221;

Gov. Bob Riley nominated Walker for the position, which the Alabama Senate approved May 29.

Walker&8217;s past, present and future are very much intertwined with the university, his alma mater. Besides being a graduate, Walker is also a former student leader and past employee.

Walker earned his B.A., with honors, from Montevallo in 1975. Since then, he worked as UM&8217;s special assistant to the president from September 1990 through December 1999.

Walker is past president of the Student Government Association and the National Alumni Association. He has also received the Alumnus Loyalty Award and was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1996.

&8220;I really treasured my Montevallo education and will always be grateful to the university,&8221; said Walker. &8220;I&8217;m excited about my appointment. I think Montevallo is really going to have an opportunity to blossom and flourish, and I look forward to being a part of that.&8221;

Besides founding the American Village, Walker has been active in public service and education at both the local and state levels.

He is a past two-term vice-president of the Alabama PTA and created the Alabama Education Partnership.

Walker and his wife, the former Betty Ann Driver of Montgomery, have three children.

Their son Matt is a 2002 graduate of the university; their daughter Jane earned her master of education degree from UM in December; and youngest son Jeff will be a senior at the university this fall