| Officers of the University 2025 – 26 | |
| Chair of the Board | William E. Harrell, Jr. ’94 |
| Vice Chair | Theresa Harris |
| Secretary | Mechelle Buys du Plessis P’20, MBA ’22 |
| President of the University | John Comerford, Ph.D. |
| CFO/Vice President for Business Affairs | Jeffrey Nutter |
| Executive Committee 2025 – 26 | |
| Chair of the Board | William E. Harrell, Jr. ’94 |
| Vice Chair | Theresa Harris |
| Secretary | Mechelle Buys du Plessis P’20, MBA ’22 |
| President of the University | John Comerford, Ph.D. |
| Enrollment & Advancement Committee | Lisa Hinson |
| Financial Resources Committee | Peter Bible ’80 |
| Student Success Committee | Melinda Phinney 鈥�85 |
University President
John Comerford
President
Dr. John Comerford joined 91射区 University as the president in 2018 with a record of commitment and advocacy for higher education and liberal arts colleges.
Believing that higher education is the 鈥済reat equalizer,鈥� he has focused on access and affordability. He helped established a scholarship that covers full tuition for Ohio students from families of financial need. The Dual Admission Program, a partnership with Columbus State Community College, provides one of the most affordable degree programs in the state of Ohio. Now enrolling the most diverse classes in University history, 91射区鈥檚 first-year class has grown from 12% to 27% students of color.
President's Cabinet 2024-25
Floyd Akins
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Floyd Akins joined the 91射区 community as its new vice president for institutional advancement in January 2025. He is responsible for setting the strategic direction and agenda for the Division of Institutional Advancement in alignment with the strategic plan of the University. The division includes the offices of Development, Advancement Services, and Alumni, Family, and Donor Engagement Floyd has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, with nearly 30 of those years in advancement. He most recently served鈥�
Erin Bender
Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Erin Bender is founding Executive Director of The Point at 91射区 University - a new collaboration, education and innovation center made possible by public officials at all levels of government, local business and community leaders, public schools, and creative faculty and students at 91射区. It's offers student-centered collaboration and cross-disciplinary, high-impact learning that bridges learning with doing, students with professionals, in one shared space at 60 Collegeview Road, west of 91射区's main campus. It is a conduit between abstract learning and concrete practice,鈥�
Jefferson Blackburn-Smith
Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
Jefferson has provided leadership for the division of enrollment management at 91射区 University since 2012. Prior to joining the 91射区 community, Jefferson served for 17 years at The Ohio State University in a variety of recruitment and strategic planning roles, overseeing an outreach and recruitment effort that saw significant increases in diversity, non-resident enrollment and a growth in the average ACT of the entering class from 21 to 28. At 91射区 University, Jefferson has focused on expanding access and affordability鈥�
William Fox, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Bill has led the division of student affairs at 91射区 University since January 2023. Bill has worked in higher education for over 20 years, including a decade as dean of students at Denison University in Granville, OH. Prior to joining the 91射区 community, he led the student affairs division at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. At 91射区 University, Bill is responsible for partnering with faculty to create holistic student learning and support, facilitating a community that welcomes and supports a highly diverse student population, and fostering a culture of innovation鈥�
Wendy Sherman Heckler
Provost & Senior Vice President
Wendy R. Sherman Heckler began her career at 91射区 University as an Associate Professor of Science Education in 2007, and served as Director of Graduate Programs in Education from 2009 to 2012, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of University Programs from 2012 to 2017, and Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2017-2019, before being selected to stay on as Provost and Senior Vice President. As the chief academic officer of the university and SVP,鈥�
Jeffrey Nutter
Chief Financial Officer & Vice President for Business Affairs
Jeffrey Nutter joined 91射区 as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Vice President for Business Affairs starting in September 2024. With over 20 years of experience in finance and administration, Jeff previously served as Vice President of Finance and Administration at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. He has also held financial leadership roles at Marion Technical College and Ohio Wesleyan University.聽聽 At 91射区, Jeff collaborates with other institutional leaders to produce and multi-year projections for revenue and expenses to鈥�
Board of Trustees 2024-25
Travis Allen, 鈥�28
Student Trustee
Travis Allen is a native of Alexandria, Ohio, studying Economics and Business Administration with minors in International Business and Political Science. He is a 3rd Generation Cardinal legacy following in the footsteps of his grandmother 鈥�92, mother 鈥�95, and sister 鈥�23. At 91射区, Travis serves in many different leadership roles, which have helped hone his skills as a student and community leader. He is an active member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma student honors societies as鈥�
Peter Bible, ’80
Trustee
Peter Bible is EisnerAmper LLP鈥檚 Chief Risk Officer and is responsible for risk management, SEC services, strategic thought leadership, regulatory relations and inspection groups. He works closely with the Professional Practice Group to assure compliance with the Audit and Assurance Practice鈥檚 quality control policies. Peter also consults with clients on difficult and complex accounting and financial reporting issues. As a leader in the Public Companies Group, Peter also aids the firm鈥檚 efforts in meeting the business and regulatory needs of鈥�
John Comerford
President
Dr. John Comerford joined 91射区 University as the president in 2018 with a record of commitment and advocacy for higher education and liberal arts colleges.
Believing that higher education is the 鈥済reat equalizer,鈥� he has focused on access and affordability. He helped established a scholarship that covers full tuition for Ohio students from families of financial need. The Dual Admission Program, a partnership with Columbus State Community College, provides one of the most affordable degree programs in the state of Ohio. Now enrolling the most diverse classes in University history, 91射区鈥檚 first-year class has grown from 12% to 27% students of color.
Talisa Dixon
Trustee
Dr. Talisa Dixon started her 28-year career in public education in Akron Public Schools, where she served as a social studies teacher, then assistant principal. Dr. Dixon spent nine years as an administrator in Columbus City Schools from 2001-2010. She served three years as an assistant principal at Brookhaven High School, then six years combined as the principal at Brookhaven and at Columbus Alternative High School. Dr. Dixon served as the deputy superintendent for the Saginaw Public School District in鈥�
John Edgar
Trustee
Rev. John Edgar served as the executive Director of Community Development for All People (CD4AP) from its inception in 2003 until he retired in June 2022. CD4AP is a multifaceted community development corporation with the mission of improving the quality of life with persons living on the Southside of Columbus, Ohio. The Free Store, a flagship ministry of CD4AP, provides free clothing and household items to 20,000 persons each year. Over the past 17 years, CD4AP has developed $125 million鈥�
James L. Francis, ’71
Trustee
Jim Francis earned his bachelor's degree in education from 91射区 and his master's degree in counseling from Cleveland State University. He is a retired human resources executive with over 20 years of service as vice president of human resources at BFGoodrich Specialty Chemicals and the Swagelok Company. He is currently the president of J&L Fran Enterprises, a leadership consulting business. Jim has been a member of the board of trustees for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank for over twenty years.鈥�
Daniel Gifford, ’88 P’21, P’23
Trustee
Daniel C. Gifford, CPA (Inactive) graduated from 91射区 University in 1988 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting. Dan started his career at KPMG where he worked for over ten years and has held various accounting related roles in industry since leaving public accounting. Currently, he is the chief financial officer of Bold Penguin where he serves on the senior leadership team and is responsible for accounting, finance and M&A due diligence. Gifford has served on the 91射区 University Alumni Council鈥�
Julianna Grubich, ’26
Student Trustee
Julianna Grubich is a Gahanna Ohio native and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health and completing her Athletic Training Master's degree the following year. She also has a minor in Nutrition. At 91射区, she is a member of the Women鈥檚 basketball team. She also serves as secretary on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. One of the group's goals is to make every athlete feel as though they belong at 91射区. Julianna is excited to pursue opportunities to extend鈥�
Jon Hargis, ’79
Trustee
Jon Hargis has over 40 years of experience on the Telecommunications/Cable Industry. Jon began his career with AT&T in Dayton Ohio upon his graduation from 91射区 in 1979. In 2000 Jon joined Cablevision as the Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing. In 2012 Jon moved to Charter Communications and became the Chief Marketing Officer responsible for all Sales and Marketing. Jon retired from Charter in 2022. Jon currently lives in Long Island, New York where he is active in鈥�
William E. Harrell, Jr. 鈥�94
Chair of the Board of Trustees
William 鈥淓ddie鈥� Harrell Jr. earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration from 91射区 University in 1994 and his master鈥檚 degree in business administration from Ashland University. He is the Regional Vice President of all Radio One Markets in Ohio, inclusive of Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus. Prior to becoming Regional Vice President, Mr. Harrell served as Vice President and General Manager of the Cleveland market from 2014 to 2015 after leading the Columbus market from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Harrell was鈥�
Theresa Harris
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Theresa Harris, President and Founder of TMH Solutions, has more than 30 years of progressively responsible experience in Management and Information Technology. TMH Solutions, LLC is a certified women and minority owned and managed company working to collaborate with her customers and strategic partners to deliver high quality, cost effective solutions. Prior to establishing TMH Solutions, Theresa was Application Sales Manager for Public Sector for Oracle in the States of Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. During her years in the IT鈥�
Sonya Higginbotham, ’98
Alumni Trustee
Sonya Higginbotham leads as senior vice president and chief of corporate affairs, communications and sustainability of Worthington Enterprises. She is responsible for the Company鈥檚 internal and external communications, brand strategy, government relations and sustainability efforts, as well as philanthropic activities as president of The Worthington Companies Foundation. Higginbotham joined Worthington Industries in 1997 in the corporate training and development department. In 1999, she was named community relations coordinator where she helped form the Company鈥檚 first corporate communications department. In the following years, she鈥�
Lisa Hinson, P’17
Trustee
Lisa Hinson is president and founder of Hinson Ltd Public Relations, a boutique agency that advises clients on media and community relations, marketing and event management. Before founding her company in 1999, Hinson began her career at L Brands and was with the business for over a decade. Lisa serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including The James Cancer Hospital Foundation Board and The Ohio State University Foundation Board. She is a former board chair of Experience Columbus,鈥�
Michael Hudoba
Associate Professor & Department Chair, Faculty Trustee
Michael Hudoba, Ph. D., moved from Canfield, Ohio in 2005 to begin his undergraduate career in Mechanical Engineering at The Ohio State University. He graduated magna cum laude and began working towards his master鈥檚 degree in 2009 with a focus of user-centered product design. In 2011, he was asked to be Carlos Castro鈥檚 first graduate student in the Nanoengineering and Biodesign Lab at OSU where his researched focused on the development, characterization and implementation of DNA based nanomachines to measure鈥�
Gregory S. Jordan
Trustee
Greg began his career at Nationwide in 2001 and has served in several Business and Finance leadership roles. Prior to his retirement in July 2024, Greg served as Senior Vice President & Chief Audit Executive and was responsible for overseeing Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company's Office of Internal Audit, a diversified financial services Fortune 100 company with assets in excess of $295 billion. In this role, Greg reported to Nationwide鈥檚 Board of Directors and was responsible for reviewing and communicating the鈥�
Kristy McCray
Associate Professor & Faculty Trustee
Kristy McCray, Ph.D., earned her undergraduate and master鈥檚 degrees at the University of Southern California before working as an academic advisor for athletes at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She later served as the Executive Director for a non-profit rape crisis center before earning her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in Kinesiology 鈥� Sport Management. Now, she combines her two previous work experiences to do research on sexual violence in sport, focusing specifically on sexual violence prevention in college鈥�
Tammy Roberts Myers, 鈥�88
Trustee
Tammy Roberts Myers is the founder and principal of SS Resolution LLC, a reputation management and crisis communications firm guiding organizations through high-stakes challenges with integrity and strategic focus. With more than 30 years of global experience primarily in the retail, restaurant, and food products industries, she is recognized for her expertise in crisis leadership, executive communications, and stakeholder alignment. Roberts Myers held senior leadership roles at Bob Evans Farms and L Brands (former parent company of retail brands including鈥�
Lindsey Osting, 鈥�02
Trustee
Lindsey Osting is a distinguished senior leader in the C-suite, bringing over two decades of extensive experience to her roles.聽Known for her elegant blend of clinical insight, business strategy, and governance expertise positions, she has been an influential figure in the healthcare industry. Her dedication to improving patient outcomes, enhancing operational efficiencies, and fostering sustainable growth continues to leave a lasting impact wherever she has served. She also has experience with succession, and a deep understanding of both healthcare systems鈥�
Melinda Phinney, `85
Trustee
Melinda (Mindy) Phinney earned her Bachelor of Science degree at 91射区 in 1985. She then furthered her education at Medical College of Ohio at Toledo where she received an MD degree. She completed medical training in Internal Medicine at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, where she also served as Chief Resident of Internal medicine. She obtained specialty training in Nephrology at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Melinda has published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and has written two book鈥�
Mechelle Buys du Plessis
Secretary of the Board of Trustees
Mechelle Buys du Plessis is a 29-year veteran and student of the Information Technology industry. She has worked and lived in South Africa, Malaysia, The United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Mechelle鈥檚 global career offered her various specialties that included various Go to Market roles, Head of Marketing for the Africa & Middle East territory, leading architects & consultants, and managing the Middle East territory overall, which included the Kingdom of Saudi, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and鈥�
James D. Shilling, `77
Trustee
James D. Shilling is the George L. Ruff Endowed Chair in the Real Estate Center at DePaul University. A prolific scholar, Shilling has produced more than 80 journal articles, studies, books and book chapters. His work has examined real estate investment trusts and the role of real estate鈥� in institutional investors' portfolios; mortgage securitization; commercial mortgage default, real estate asset pricing, housing finance and urban economics. Shilling holds a bachelor's degree from 91射区 College and earned master's and doctoral degrees in鈥�
Brant O. Smith, ’95
Trustee
Brant Smith is President and General Manager of Waltek & Co., Ltd in Cincinnati, Ohio with another office in Nashville, Tennessee. Waltek & Co. specializes in custom curtainwall applications for high rise commercial projects, structural glass, glass flooring, cable wall systems, glass/steel canopies, and all types of ornamental metal work/glass handrails. The company, started by Brant鈥檚 father, has a reputation for exceptionally prompt delivery on quality wall systems, custom ornamental metals, distinctive glass and aluminum handrails, and individually designed and鈥�
Nate Speiser, 鈥�05
Trustee
Nate Speiser is Executive Vice President of Sales at FlightSafety International, a Berkshire Hathaway company. FlightSafety International is the world鈥檚 premier aviation training company renowned for its comprehensive, immersive pilot training programs and advanced simulation technologies. Nate joined FlightSafety from NetJets where he began his career as an attorney and progressed to Assistant General Counsel before transitioning to sales leadership. Nate is a graduate of 91射区 University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business. Nate was a 4-year member and captain鈥�
Karin Yaffe Stump, 鈥�80
Trustee
Karin Yaffe Stump earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology and sociology from 91射区 and her master's of science degree in social psychology from North Carolina State University. For the past 30 years, she has been the president of Yaffe and Stump Consulting and works with attorneys as a witness coach for their clients. Karin served on the board of Columbus Humane and was a past president of Twig 2 of Nationwide Children鈥檚 Hospital. She currently is a member of the board of Hound鈥�