Alan Geiger is Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Ohio University. Dr. Geiger received a Bachelor of Architecture from Ohio State University, Master of City and Regional Planning from University of North Carolina, Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy from Ohio University. Dr. Geiger is a native of Lancaster, Ohio, and after obtaining his undergraduate education and working in North Carolina returned to Southeastern Ohio in 1967 as University Planner. He is also active in several community organizations.

Responsibility: Doing What Matters When It Matters Most

Teri E. Geiger began her duties as director of government relations in September 2005. Among her duties, she serves as a liaison between the university and governmental bodies on the state and federal levels, such as the Governor's Office, the Ohio General Assembly, and the United States Congress.

Geiger, a 1986 graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, has a broad and distinguished background in government.

Since 1987, she has held positions with the Ohio Senate's Majority Caucus. From 1996 until her return to her alma mater, she served as chief of staff for the Ohio Senate. As chief of staff, she directed the formulation of policy for the state Senate's 22-member Majority Caucus and advised on legislative and political issues. Geiger also acted as the Ohio Senate president's liaison to the Office of the Governor, Ohio House of Representatives, and state governmental agencies and lobbying organizations.

Chris Taylor is Assistant to the President for Diversity. After serving the position on an interim basis since 2004, she was named to the position in September 2005. Among her duties she collaborates with university staff members responsible for minority student recruitment, retention and scholarship programs and continuously works to improve support services for minority students. Taylor has played a lead role in developing and implementing the Urban Scholars program, an important component to increasing diversity on campus.

She holds a doctorate in mass communications and a master's degree in telecommunications management from Ohio University and a bachelor's degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

Since joining Ohio University in 1991, Taylor has worked as the associate director of residence life, the director of multicultural programs and associate vice president for finance and administration. In addition, she was the project coordinator for the Synergy Team, a university-wide initiative that focused on multicultural student recruitment and retention at Ohio University.

Prior to her work in higher education, Taylor worked in the public broadcasting industry in several capacities.

Jennifer Kirksey was appointed as the Assistant to the President and Coordinator of Special Projects on August 29, 2005. Kirksey's responsibilities include managing and responding to the President's communications, coordinating and managing special projects and ongoing programs, and also responding to problems and issues presented by students, parents, faculty, and staff.

Since joining Ohio University in 2000, Kirksey has worked as a media specialist in University Communications and Marketing. In this role, she handled media relations, managed projects, and created and implemented strategic communication and marketing plans. Her experience also includes an extensive background in written communications.

Prior to her work here, Kirksey was with a financial communications firm in New York, N.Y., where she focused on national media relations. She holds a bachelor of science in journalism from Ohio University.

Cindy Cowie was appointed as Presidential Assistant in November 2005. Cowie serves as assistant to President McDavis. Her responsibilities include the coordination of scheduling requests for President McDavis and coordination of Board of Trustee meetings and materials.

Cowie recently relocated to Athens from Vermont where she worked in administrative positions at the University of Vermont for more than ten years. Prior to her career in higher education, she worked in the private sector for New England based investment firms and in the corporate sector for IBM. She is a graduate of Katharine Gibbs School in Boston, Massachusetts and recently completed the Higher Education Resource Services Management Institute for Women in Higher Education at Wellesley College.

Jennifer (Jen) Haft has been a staff member in the Office of the President since 2002. As Administrative Coordinator, she is responsible for managing Mrs. McDavis' calendar, coordinating special events at the President's Residence, and handling budget items for the office.

Jen, who holds an associate's degree in Office Administration from Hocking College, is currently a student in the College of Communication, and is pursuing a bachelor's degree in organizational communication.