Foundation Board

BOARD OFFICERS

Valoree Vargo
CEO
Vice President, Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement
Kent State University

Michelle D. Thomas, Ph.D., ’05
Chair
President
The James Franklin Group, LLC

Gregory A. Long, ’71
Treasurer and Chair, Committee on Finance
President and Managing Partner
Long, Cook & Samsa, Inc.

James M. Bailey, ’03, MS ’04
Chair-Elect and Chair, Committee on Investments
Senior Vice President, Managing Director
PNC Institutional Asset Management

​​​​​Peter M. Holway, ’82
Immediate Past Chair
Principal (retired)
Hirtle, Callaghan & Company 

​​​​​Greg Ina, ’95, M.A. ’05
Secretary 
Executive Vice President
The Davey Tree Expert Company

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

Pamela E. Bobst, M.Ed. ’85
Representative, KSU Board of Trustees
Mayor
City of Rocky River

Roxia Boykin ’71
Vice President of Community Benefit and Diversity (retired)
Summa Health System

Gary L. Brahler, ’89
First Vice President - Investments
Morgan Stanley

Heather Cerbone, ’90
Senior VP Product Design and Development
Ralph Lauren Corporation

Vicki Haywood Doe, Ph.D. ’09
President
Vicki Doe Fitness

Timothy D. Eippert, ’92
CEO 
Stratus 

John R. Elliot, ’70
Owner
AMFM, LLC

Alexander Evans, ’14, M.B.A. ’15, M.GISc ’19
Alumni Board Representative
Epidemiologist
Franklin County Public Health

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
Alumni Board Representative
Vice President and CFO
Insurance Board

Valerie Patton George, ’06
Chair, Committee on Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement
President
Simply Formulas, Inc.

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​​​​

Nora Conway Jacobs, ’73
Senior Vice President, Crisis Communications
Hennes Communications

Lauren Klodt
Student Representative
President
Kent Student Ambassadors

Richard G. Krumel, ’71
Chair, Committee on Governance
President (Retired)
Searchwise, Inc.

Steffany Matticola Larkins, ’92
Chair, Committee on Audit
President, Employee Benefits Division
Unison Risk Advisors 

Judie Fall Lasser, ’00
Hudson, Ohio

Dale A. Leppo, ’74
Chairman of the Board (retired)
Leppo Group

Mark Lucas, ’83
Lean Manufacturing Manager
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

Owen Ross
Student Representative
CIO
The Golden Flash Asset Management Group

Robert E. Ross, ’70
Director, Private Asset Management (retired)
Robert W. Baird & Co.

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

Scott McKinney, ’97, M.P.A. ’13
Assistant Vice President, Donor and Volunteer Engagement

Diane Petrella, D.M.A.
Dean, College of the Arts

Mark M. Polatajko, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration

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