Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees welcomes new trustees
The Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees is proud to announce and welcome eight new trustees and a new OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors representative.
William “Erv” Ball, Cynthia C. Calhoun, Charles “Chuck” Ciuni, Paul Gydosh Jr., Eric E. Peterson, Jacqueline “Jackie” Reau, Robert “Bob” Wolfinger Jr. and David A. Wolfort were elected to The Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees during the June 2017 Foundation Board meeting. The first official board meeting for the new trustees is Nov. 9-10, 2018.
“We are honored to be welcoming these spirited OHIO ambassadors as newly-elected Foundation Board Trustees,” said Nico Karagosian, president and CEO of The Ohio University Foundation and vice president of University Advancement. “Each of these individualsalreadyhasgone above and beyond in service to this University and truly embodies the Foundation’s mission of ‘Philanthropy in Service to Education.’ They are diverse in their expertise and skillsets but united in their enthusiasm for Ohio University and our collective goal of supporting and furthering academic excellence and transformational learning at OHIO.
Meet the Trustees
William “Erv” Ball is a 1977 graduate of the Patton College of Education with a bachelor of science in education, specializing in environmental health and safety. Ball spent 28 years as the assistant director of environmental public health at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health before retiring in 2014. He currently serves as a consultant for PPA & Associates. An expert in environmental health, Ball is a past president of the board of directors for the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, a past member of the Ohio Environmental Health Association and the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, and a past governor’s appointee to the State of Ohio Solid Waste Advisory Council. His service earned him the Ohio Environmental Health Association’s Outstanding Sanitarian Award and its President’s Award. At OHIO, Ball is a member of the College of Health Sciences and Professions’ Dean’s Advisory Council, a past member of the college’s Promise Lives Campaign Steering Committee, current chair of the Environmental Health Sciences Program Advisory Committee, and past president of the CHSP Society of Alumni and Friends. In 2005, he was presented the college’s Alumni Award of Distinction, and this fall is slated to receive the OHIO Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award.
Cynthia C. Calhoun graduated from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology in 1988 with a bachelor of science in electrical and computer engineering and is currently working on a master of science in electrical engineering. She was an electronics engineer for the U.S. Air Force at bases in Newark, Ohio, and San Antonio, Texas, before joining NASA as a project manager at the Software Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia. Calhoun is currently employed as an aerospace engineer supervisor at NASA’s John Glenn Research Center where she serves as deputy chief of the Program and Project Assurance Division. This past year, Calhoun was presented NASA’s Honor Award and Equal Employment Opportunity Medal, given to distinguished employees who contribute to the organization’s goal of fostering inclusion and diversity. Calhoun is a founding member of the Greater Cleveland Indeed We Code Camp, created to teach African-American girls computer programming. She volunteered as guest speaker at the inaugural OHIO Summer Coding Camp and previously helped to develop a partnership between the Russ College and the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland to establish an engineering summer camp for girls. Calhoun is a member of the Ohio University Women’s Club of Greater Cleveland and a past member of the OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Charles “Chuck” Ciuni is a 1980 graduate of the College of Business, earning a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting. Ciuni is a partner at Deloitte LLP and a licensed CPA. Employed with Deloitte for more than 38 years in their Columbus, Detroit and national offices, he currently serves as the leader of the firm’s Automotive Suppliers Practice and is also the lead partner on many global clients. Ciuni is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the International Association of Certified Financial Planners and has served as a trustee for the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants in the past. He has held numerous roles for not-for-profit and civic boards, including as a trustee for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, treasurer for the Campaign for All Ohio’s Children, member of the Dublin-Worthington Rotary Club, board member of MS Michigan, The Parade Company and Leadership Council of the Association of Public Television Systems. He is the former president of Easter Seals of Central Ohio and former chair of the Detroit Public Television Board of Trustees. At Ohio University, Ciuni is a member of the College of Business’ Executive Advisory Board and is a past member of its Accountancy Advisory Council.
Paul A. Gydosh Jr. earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology in 1974 and a master of business administration degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Gydosh has spent more than 30 years at Kensington Wealth Partners Ltd. where he is the managing director. An expert in finance, investing and charitable giving, Gydosh has written numerous published articles on advanced estate planning and co-authored the book, “Giving: Philanthropy for Everyone.” Among his accolades, Gydosh has been listed in Worth Magazine as one of the top 250 financial advisors in America, in Columbus Business First as one of the top 10 financial planners in Columbus, and in Columbus CEO magazine as a superstar in the finance and accounting category. He is a member of the Columbus Foundation’s Professional Advisory Council, COSI’s Community Board of Directors and serves and has served in multiple industry and community leadership positions, including the Russ College Board of Visitors. Gydosh, a licensed pilot, is married with two grown daughters and lives in Powell, Ohio.
Eric E. Peterson graduated from the College of Business in 1974 with a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing. He went on to complete the Executive Development Program at Northwestern University and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. Peterson was employed at General Motors Corporation for more than 40 years, retiring in 2016 as the U.S. vice president for diversity dealer relations. Throughout his career, Peterson’s focus was always on helping others to be successful. As he progressed through various positions of increasing responsibility, he dedicated his time and efforts to the professional development of direct reports and fellow employees. One of the most rewarding parts of his career was helping others achieve their dreams, heading General Motors’ dealer development program and increasing the number of minority and women-owned dealerships in the GM network. In 2017, Peterson was presented the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers’ (NAMAD) Lifetime Achievement Award. Peterson believes giving back and serving others is very important, which led to establishing The Eric and Sandy Peterson Excellence Scholarship to assist underrepresented students in attending Ohio University. He also serves on the NAACP Foundation Board of Trustees and chairs the board of trustees for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. Peterson also continues to be of service to Ohio University, guest judging entries in the Student Research and Creative Activity Expo and mentoring KeyBank Scholars, a diversity and inclusion program in the College of Business that provides select students with financial assistance and professional development opportunities.
Jacqueline “Jackie” Reau is a two-time graduate of Ohio University, earning a bachelor of science in journalism from the Scripps College of Communication in 1992 and a master of sports administration from the College of Business in 2012. Reau launched her career in Cincinnati, first as public relations counselor for The Christ Hospital and later as the director of marketing and public relations for the Cincinnati Art Museum. In 2002, she co-founded Game Day Communications, a sports and entertainment communications/marketing firm, where she serves as CEO while also teaching at the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. Reau’s professional experience has earned her numerous awards, including the 2006 Leading Women of Cincinnati Award, the Cincinnati chapter of the Public Relations Society of America’s 2007 Public Relations Professional of the Year Award and, in 2011, the chapter’s highest honor, the Wener-VonderHaar-Bogart Award. She chairs the Cincinnati Women’s Sports Association Board of Directors and serves on the boards of directors for the Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, the Kentucky Speedway Children’s Charity and the Reds Community Fund. Reau is a past member of the OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors and in 2017 was presented the association’s Medal of Merit.
Robert “Bob” Wolfinger Jr. earned an associate of arts degree from Ohio University in 1973 and a bachelor of general studies degree in 1980. An expert in financial analysis and strategic planning, Wolfinger was employed by National City Bank, now known as PNC Bank, for more than 36 years. He retired in December 2007 as senior vice president; then in November 2007, he was elected treasurer for the City of Lancaster (Ohio), an office he continues to hold. Wolfinger is a director of the Citizens Independent Bancorp Directors, treasurer of the Lancaster Port Authority and a member of Lancaster Rotary Club. His service to the community includes serving as a past president of the Lancaster Area Community Corporation, a former campaign chair for United Way of Fairfield County, a past chairman of the Fairfield Medical Center as well as the Fairfield Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, and a past president of the Lancaster Festival. He is a current member of the OHIO Bobcat Club Advisory Board and served six years on the OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors.
David A. Wolfort is a 1974 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, earning a bachelor of arts degree in government. Wolfort has been employed in the steel industry since 1974, joining Cleveland-based Olympic Steel, Inc. in 1984. He served as the steel processing company’s chief operating officer from 1995 to 2016 and has been its president since 2001. Wolfort is a former director of the Metals Service Center Institute, the premier trade association serving the industrial metals industry, and has chaired the institute’s Government Affairs Committee and Political Action Committee, after having served 20 years on the board of directors. He is a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s ITAC-12 Committee and is the vice chair of human resources and trustee for The Musical Arts Association (Cleveland Orchestra). Wolfort’s dedication to Ohio University includes a nine-year term on the Board of Trustees, a governing board he chaired for 2016-17; serving as vice chair of the Promise Lives Campaign Committee; and serving as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Bicentennial Campaign Committee. He also served as chairman of the presidential search committee for Ohio University’s 21st president. In 2008, Wolfort was presented a College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2017 was presented with the Notable Alumni Award, also from the College of Arts and Sciences
Also joining The Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees as the board’s alumni association representative is Jeffrey “Jeff” Laturell. The vice chair of the OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors, Laturell holds two degrees from Ohio University, a bachelor of science in communication from 1980 and a master of business administration in accounting from 1982. Laturell is the senior vice president and treasurer of the Gebauer Company, a medical device manufacturer based in Cleveland. Prior to that, he spent more than eight years at American Roll Form Products where he was the vice president and chief financial officer and more than 17 years at Avery Dennison where he was the director of finance. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants. Laturell has served on the OHIO Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2012.
Established in 1945 by President John C. Baker, The Ohio University Foundation serves as the fundraising arm of OHIO. The Foundation is an institutionally-related, nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, and is the repository for all private gifts to Ohio University through annual giving programs, capital and special campaigns, and planned or deferred gifts such as bequests and trusts. Gifts from generous donors have provided for scholarships and financial aid packages, research and faculty development, capital expansion and renovations, technology upgrades and lab equipment, library acquisitions, and vital unrestricted support that has allowed Ohio University to meet unexpected challenges.