Vice Chairman Todd Buchanan says Christian has a deep understanding of Montana, its legislature and culture. He says Christian has the ability to capture the voice of Montana and turn it into a plan of action for higher education. Buchanan is also excited to have a business professional's expertise. "We've got academic expertise; we've got policy and HR expertise internally in the system. Let's get somebody with a business mind, so that we can take a business approach towards creating our strategic priorities and our agenda and Clay his experience in the business world is enormous and one that we know is going to provide confidence for us to continue this great progress we've been experiencing in the past couple of years," says Buchanan. Christian will officially take over for the current commissioner in march. He starts the transitional period in January.