Foundation Board
BOARD OFFICERS
Valoree Vargo
CEO
Vice President, Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement
Kent State University
Peter M. Holway, '82
Chair
Principal (retired)
Hirtle, Callaghan & Company
Catherine E. Hackney, Ph.D., '74
Secretary
Associate Dean, Administrative Affairs & Graduate Education (retired)
KSU College of Education, Health and Human Services
Gregory A. Long, '71
Treasurer and Chair, Committee on Finance
President and Managing Partner
Long, Cook & Samsa, Inc.
John R. Elliot, '70
Immediate Past Chair
Owner
AMFM, LLC
Michelle D. Thomas, Ph.D., '05
Chair-Elect and Chair, Committee on Governance
President
The James Franklin Group, LLC
Jessica H. Vargo, CPA, '89
Assistant Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer
Kent State University Foundation
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Virginia Addicott, '85, MBA '95
President & CEO (retired)
FedEx Custom Critical
Raj Aggarwal, MBA '70, DBA '80
Retired Visiting Research Scholar
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Lawrence R. Armstrong, '80, BARC '80
Chairman
Ware Malcomb
James M. Bailey, '03, MS '04
Chair, Committee on Investments
Senior Vice President, Managing Director
PNC Institutional Asset Management
Pamela E. Bobst, M.Ed. '85
Representative, KSU Board of Trustees
Mayor
City of Rocky River
Gary L. Brahler, '89
First Vice President - Investments
Morgan Stanley
Heather Cerbone, '90
Senior VP Product Design and Development
Ralph Lauren Corporation
Edmund D. Cooke Jr., '65
Partner
Law Offices of Cooke Robotham LLC
Timothy D. Eippert, '92
CEO
Stratus
Barry E. Fetterman, '74, MBA '76
Principal/Portfolio Manager (retired)
Sirach Capital Management Inc.
Richard J. Frenchie, MBA, LFACHE
President, The Frenchie Group
Affiliated Partner Leadership Excellence Health Care Advisory Network
Andrea Gauding, '87
Vice President and CFO
Insurance Board
Valerie Patton George, '06
Executive Vice President, Research and Development
John Paul Mitchell Systems
Cathy D. Hemming, '70
Founder
Cathy D. Hemming Literary Agency LLC
Candice A. Hughes, '70, M.Ed. '72, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of School Psychology
Adjunct Faculty, International Psychology Department
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Greg Ina, '95, M.A. '05
Executive Vice President
The Davey Tree Expert Company
Nora Conway Jacobs, '73
Senior Vice President, Crisis Communications
Hennes Communications
Richard G. Krumel, '71
President (Retired)
Searchwise, Inc.
Steffany Matticola Larkins, '92
Chair, Committee on Audit
Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer
Medical Mutual
Judie Fall Lasser, '00
Hudson, Ohio
Dale A. Leppo, '74
Chairman of the Board
Leppo Group
Mark Lucas, '83
Lean Manufacturing Manger
General Motors
Stephen M. Milkovich, '93
Co-owner and VP of Operations
Construction Mechanics Inc.
Robert G. Risman
Chair, Subcommittee for the KSU Hotel & Conference Center
President and CEO
Burton Carol Management LLC
Robert E. Ross, ’70
Director, Private Asset Management (retired)
Robert W. Baird & Co.
Barbara Smith, '84
Alumni Board Representative
Executive Vice President, Chief Banking and Strategy Officer
Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod
Diana P. Strongosky, '88
Senior Vice President, Group Strategy and Supply Chain Execution
Sherwin-Williams Company
Daniel A. Wolfe, '82
Vice President; General Manager, Aircraft Captain
Aviation Business Center, Nationwide Insurance
UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVES
Todd A. Diacon, Ph.D.
President
Adam Hackett
Student Representative
Majors: Finanance and Economics / Minors: Data Analytics and Music; Class of 2023
Versie Johnson-Mallard, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Nursing
Scott McKinney, '97, M.P.A. '13
Assistant Vice President, Donor and Volunteer Engagement
Mark M. Polatajko, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
Margaret Selva
Student Representative
Major: Actuarial Mathematics; Class of 2023
Melody Tankersley, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Provost
EMERITI REPRESENTATIVES
Roger K. Derr, '58, MBA '63
Executive Vice President and COO (retired)
Ametek Inc.
Cecile M. Draime, '58
Owner (retired)
CD Interiors Unlimited
Linda Allard, '62, KHHL '91
Design Director (retired)
Ellen Tracy
Roe Green, '80
Theatrical Stage Director (retired)
Self-Employed
Mel Mellis, '68
President (retired)
Real Estate Group, Bartlett & Co.
Ronald A. Pizzuti, '62
Chairman and CEO
The Pizzuti Companies