Members of the Board of Trustees
Click on any Trustee's name to see a photograph, biography and Board term.
Trustees
Student Trustees
Executive Officers of the Board
- Richard W. Pogue, Chair
- Ralph J. Palmisano, Vice Chair
- Jonathan T. Pavloff, Vice Chair
Professional Staff Officers of the Board
Ted A. Mallo
Secretary to the Board of Trustees;
Vice President and General Counsel
Paul A. Herold
Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees;
Special Assistant to the President
Biographies of Board Members
For information on Trustees' Board committee assignments, please click here.
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Richard W. Pogue, Chair, was appointed to the Board in 2004 for a limited term and reappointed in 2006 for a full term. In 2003, Ohio Governor Bob Taft appointed Mr. Pogue chairman of the Governor's Commission on Higher Education. Currently he is an advisor to Jones Day, the second-largest law firm in the United States. Mr. Pogue has a long and distinguished legal career, serving as a partner with Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue from 1961 to 1994. He has been a director of many major companies, including TRW, Continental Airlines and Derlan Industries Ltd. He serves on the board of The University of Akron Foundation, and has been a trustee of Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and many other institutions. Mr. Pogue has supported many civic organizations and charities, ranging from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the United Way Services of Greater Cleveland. He received a B.A. degree from Cornell, a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School, and an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from The University of Akron in 2004. (Term expires 2015) |
| Ralph J. Palmisano, Vice Chair, was appointed to the Board in August 2010. A partner in the Akron law firm of Leiby, Hanna, Rasnick, Towne, Evanchan, Palmisano & Hobson, LLC, he represents clients in corporate, financing, real estate development, corporate acquisition and product liability defense matters. Mr. Palmisano has lived in the Akron area his entire life. He is a graduate of Akron North High School and The University of Akron and is a member of Lone Star Fraternity. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School in 1973 and, before moving his practice to Akron, practiced law in Cleveland for 10 years. He has served on the boards of the Akron City Club, the Community Hall Foundation (Akron Civic Theatre) where he served as President, the Downtown Akron Partnership, the Revere Gridiron Club and the Revere Youth Football Association. He is a member of the Italian American Professional Businessman's Association and is active in the Italian American community of the Akron area. He and his wife, Barbara, have two children and currently live in Medina. (Term expires 2019) |
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Jonathan T. Pavloff, Vice Chair, was appointed to the Board in 2011. With a successful logistics career that spans Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial ventures and consulting, Pavloff has advised a number of clients in many industries on strategic planning and information technology issues and served as VP for an information services consulting company recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. His experience at Roadway Express and Roadway Services included 16 years as a corporate officer, including being president of Roadway Services' Information Technology operating unit, Summit Information Systems, and vice president of corporate planning. In the latter role, he managed business planning and development activity, culminating in the spin-off of Roadway Express from Roadway Services and the creation of Caliber System. Pavloff, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also serves on the boards of the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, the Old Trail School Foundation and the Summa Foundation. (Term expires 2016) |
| Roland H. Bauer was appointed to a full, nine-year term on the Board on September 13, 2011. From 2006 through 2009, he filled the unexpired term of another person and served on the Board in a variety of roles, including vice chair of the Board, chair of the Facilities Planning and Oversight Committee, and chair of the Quaker Square Coordinating Committee. Mr. Bauer is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Cypress Companies, Inc. and has been a member of the boards of the Akron Art Museum, the Greater Akron Chamber, the Akron Zoo, and both the Akron Symphony and its Foundation. He also is a member of the College of Business Administration’s Advancement Council and the Northampton Rotary and is a commissioner of Metro Parks Serving Summit County and a director of the Western Reserve Bank of Medina. Mr. Bauer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University and a Juris Doctor degree from The Ohio State University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from The University of Akron in May 2009. Mr. Bauer and his wife, Mary, have three daughters. (Term expires 2020) |
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Jennifer E. Blickle, appointed to the Board for a term beginning December 4, 2012, is an active civic leader and an involved alumna of The University of Akron. She graduated in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology/audiology and went on to earn a master's degree at Kent State University. Her family is steeped in UA tradition: her late father, John Pope, received his degree in mechanical engineering in 1943; her husband, John Blickle, earned a BS in accounting in 1973 and a JD in law in 1977; and her mother and three siblings, as well as her daughter-in-law, attended the University. Ms. Blickle has been a trustee of the Akron Community Foundation and is a sustaining member of the Junior League. She also has advised students through Collegescholars, Inc., a mentored scholarship program benefiting disadvantaged Akron students. She and her husband have supported the University through philanthropy focused on scholarships, intercollegiate athletics and the School of Law. They are the parents of three adult children. (Term expires 2017) |
| Olivia P. Demas, J.D., was appointed to the Board for a term beginning September 13, 2012. An alumnus of the University who holds degrees in chemistry and law, Mrs. Demas currently serves on the University Foundation’s College Centered Committee. She previously was a member of the University’s National Alumni Board and a constituent board member for the School of Law, serving as its president in 2009-2011. Mrs. Demas' community commitment includes being a board member of the Akron Community Foundation and the Executive Leadership Team for the Go Red for Women initiative of the American Heart Association. Her past board affiliations include the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Ohio Ballet, Summit Developmental Disabilities Board and Old Trail School. Mrs. Demas is a member of the Akron/Canton Barristers Association, and the Ohio State Bar and Akron Bar Associations. A native of Guyana, South America, Mrs. Demas and her husband, Dr. William F. Demas, have three adult children and reside in Richfield. (Term expires 2021) |
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Chander Mohan, M.D., was appointed to the Board in 2004. Dr. Mohan is president of the Clinic for Behavioral Health Services, a solo practice in Cuyahoga Falls. He also serves as a staff psychiatrist at Akron General Medical Center, as associate medical director of geriatric psychiatry for Massillon Community Hospital, a staff psychiatrist at Barberton Citizens Hospital, and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Prior to moving to Ohio, Dr. Mohan was a clinical teaching assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and at the New York University School of Medicine in New York, New York. Dr. Mohan serves the community as a member of the Summit County Republican Party and as co-chairman for the Physician's Advisory Board for the National Republican Congressional Committee. (Term expires 2013) |
| Warren L. Woolford was appointed to the Board in 2009. He is the retired planning director for the City of Akron and began his career with the City of Akron in 1972 as a student intern in the Planning and Urban Development department. He held a variety of positions and in 1988 was promoted to comprehensive planning and zoning manager. He was appointed Director of Planning in June 1993. Woolford is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and earned his Bachelor's degree in social science and secondary education at Coppin State University in Baltimore and received his Master's degree in geography from The University of Akron. A resident of Akron for more than 30 years, he is a graduate of the Leadership Akron Class of 1995. He also is a member of Mount Calvary Lodge No. 76, the United Negro College Fund Night Committee, Christmas in April, the Great Trail Council Pathfinder Advisory Committee and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. In 1994, he was named Outstanding Alumnus by The University of Akron's Department of Geography and Planning. (Term expires 2018) |
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Nicholas C. York was appointed to the Board in 2010. A partner in the Cleveland office of Tucker Ellis & West LLP, he represents a wide variety of clients in administrative, litigation and corporate matters. York is a long-time proponent of civic and community involvement and has served as Vice Chairman of the Council of Smaller Enterprises and a publicly elected member of the Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities, and currently is on the board of the National Small Business Association. He has also served as general counsel and a board member for several non-profit organizations, including Kids Voting, Inc. York was named one of Crain's Cleveland "40 under 40" for 2004, selected as an Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star 2005/2006/2007, and chosen for Leadership Cleveland's Class of 2009. He holds a bachelor's degree from Ohio University and a juris doctor from Capital University Law School. (Term expires 2014) |
| Sandra Pianalto, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, is the first person to hold the Advisory Trustee position, established by the Board in 2011. Pianalto, who joined the Bank in 1983 and progressed through the ranks to become president in 2003, participates in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy and oversees 1,000 employees in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh who conduct economic research, supervise financial institutions and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government. She also serves as vice chair of the board of University Hospitals and is a past chair and a life director of the board of United Way of Greater Cleveland, as well as a member of many other community boards, including The Cleveland Foundation, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Team Northeast Ohio, College Now Greater Cleveland, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Pianalto is a graduate of The University of Akron, The George Washington University and Duke University’s Advanced Management Program in the Fuqua School of Business. (Term expires 2015) |
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Alan M. Bowdler was appointed to the Board as a Student Trustee on March 8, 2012. An Eagle Scout from East Liverpool, he is a senior Honors College student studying Sales Management and International Business. In addition to being an active member of many student organizations including Akron C.A.R.E.S. and Residence Hall Council, he currently works as a resident assistant, a business tutor and a community assistant, all while maintaining Deans List status in his academic pursuits. Among his numerous volunteer activities are Boy Scouts of America, the University’s Relay for Life, Boys State, Camp Quality and Haven of Rest, as well as local churches. (Term expires 2013) |
| Ryan J. Thompson, who was appointed as a Student Trustee on August 8, 2012, is a junior majoring in Political Science (International) and minoring in financial planning. A Canton resident, he is active on campus as an executive chair for the Zips Programming Network and a member of the Ohio Student Educational Policy Institute/Ohio College Access Network Akron team, College Republicans and Pi Sigma Alpha. In addition, Ryan has worked as a student assistant/chef at Rob's Cafe on campus, as a member service representative for Truliant Federal Credit Union and as an intern for both Ohio House District 99 State Representative Casey Kozlowski and the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee. (Term expires 2014)
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