Christian R. Palich

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Term: 2022-2031
Residence: Plain City

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Christian R. Palich to the Kent State University Board of Trustees. He will serve through May 16, 2031.

Trustee Palich is vice president of public affairs for the firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister where he advocates on behalf of clients in multiple sectors in Washington D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and states across the nation. He is a proud Northeast Ohio native, born and raised in Cortland, Ohio, where he attended Maplewood High School. 

He is a Kent State alumnus, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 2009. Upon graduation from Kent State, he began his professional career on the first campaign for Ohio 6th District Congressman Bill Johnson. He served several years in a variety of roles on Capitol Hill as well as in the Congressman's district office, gaining valuable experience in public policy and the legislative process.

In 2013, he was selected as president of the Ohio Coal Association, the state's oldest energy trade association. He led that organization for nearly four years, advocating policy makers at both the state and federal levels on some of the most important energy issues of the time. In 2016, he was named one of the "20 People to Know in Energy" by Columbus Business First. 

In 2017, Trustee Palich returned to public service in Washington, D.C., as he was appointed by the President of the United States to serve as senior political staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was a deputy associate administrator of Congressional Affairs for the EPA administrator. His chief responsibility in this role was to interface with the U.S. Senate on confirmation and EPA legislative priorities. 

In 2019, he received his second presidential appointment to the U.S. Department of the Interior, working on mining and energy policy as a senior advisor to the secretary of the Department of the Interior. During this time, he was involved in several successful policy initiatives, rulemakings, and legislative victories.