Dennis Eckart

Residence: Concord, Ohio

Dennis E. Eckart, Cleveland area attorney and former U.S. Congressman, was appointed to the Kent State University Board of Trustees by Gov. Ted Strickland.
 
Eckart served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1980 to 1992 in such wide-ranging roles as chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Antitrust, Deregulation and Ecology, and as a member of the House Energy and Commerce and the Education and Labor committees. From 2000-2003, he served as president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. In that role he facilitated the group's merger into what is known today as the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
 
Eckart has been an active supporter of Kent State University, which was located in his congressional district at the time of his service. When he left public service for private law practice, Eckart donated his remaining campaign contributions to create the Dennis Eckart Scholarship Fund, now administered by the university's Center for Student Involvement. The funds support undergraduate students who wish to attend workshops, conferences or other activities designed to develop their leadership skills.