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
President, Employee Benefits Division
Unison Risk Advisors 

Judie Fall Lasser, '00
Hudson, Ohio

Dale A. Leppo, '74
Chairman of the Board
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

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

Chiemelae Ekuibe
Student Representative
Major: Finance; Class of 2023

Adam Hackett
Student Representative
Majors: Finance 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