| Officers of the University 2023 – 24 | |
| Chair of the Board | Cheryl Herbert |
| Vice Chair | William E. Harrell, Jr. ’94 |
| Secretary | Alan Waterhouse ’82 |
| Assistant Secretary | Theresa Harris |
| President of the University | John Comerford, Ph.D. |
| Interim CFO/Vice President for Business Affairs | Allan Gozum |
| Executive Committee 2023 – 24 | |
| Chair of the Board | Cheryl Herbert |
| Vice Chair | William E. Harrell, Jr. ’94 |
| Secretary | Alan Waterhouse ’82 |
| Assistant Secretary | Theresa Harris |
| President of the University | John Comerford, Ph.D. |
| Audit & Risk Management Committee | K. Christopher Kaiser `77 |
| Enrollment & Advancement Committee | Lisa Hinson |
| Financial Resources Committee | Peter Bible ’80 |
| Governance Committee | David Fisher ’75 |
| Student Success Committee | Melinda Phinney 鈥�85 |
University President
John Comerford
President
Dr. John Comerford joined 星空传媒 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, 星空传媒鈥檚 first-year class has grown from 12% to 27% students of color.
President's Cabinet 2023 - 24
Erin Bender
Executive Director of The Point
Erin Bender is founding Executive Director of The Point at 星空传媒 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 星空传媒. 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 星空传媒'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 星空传媒 University since 2012. Prior to joining the 星空传媒 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 星空传媒 University, Jefferson has focused on expanding access and affordability鈥�
Frank E. Dobson, Jr.
Chief Diversity Officer
Frank E. Dobson, Jr., Ph.D. has served as an instructor and administrator at a number of institutions, including Bowling Green State, Vanderbilt, and Wright State.聽 Frank has directed Black cultural centers at two institutions, and led numerous diversity and equity efforts, including the Posse program at Vanderbilt and the Freshman Prep Program at Lafayette College.聽 Frank is involved in community service and activism, including serving as the board chair for the Launch Mentorship program in Nashville, TN. He is also鈥�
William Fox, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Bill has led the division of student affairs at 星空传媒 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 星空传媒 community, he led the student affairs division at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. At 星空传媒 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�
Dr. Allan Gozum
Interim CFO and Vice President
Dr. Allan Gozum is serving as the Interim CFO and Vice President for Business Affairs. He also serves at Antioch University as the Vice Chancellor/CFO and Treasurer of the corporation. At 星空传媒, he will oversee budget and planning, information technology, food services, risk management, facilities planning, and human resources. Prior to Antioch, Gozum was employed at Benedictine University based in Lisle, Illinois for 15 years and served as vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Earlier in his career,鈥�
Wendy Sherman Heckler
Provost & Senior Vice President
Wendy R. Sherman Heckler began her career at 星空传媒 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�
Michael McGreevey
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Michael McGreevey joined 星空传媒 as vice president for institutional advancement on Oct. 19, 2015. He came to 星空传媒 from Wells College in Aurora, NY, where he served as vice president for advancement since 2008. McGreevey brings with him more than 25 years of experience in higher education administration within advancement, alumni relations, international education, enrollment and student affairs. As vice president for advancement at Wells College, McGreevey developed a full service advancement program and led the planning and implementation of鈥�
Board of Trustees 2023 - 24
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�
Rev. April Casperson, ’03
Trustee
Rev. April Casperson serves as the Director of Enrollment Management at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She is an ordained deacon passionate about diversity and inclusion, vocational discernment, and the organizations and systems that recruit, educate and equip leaders for thoughtful, intentional ministry. Rev. Casperson previously served as Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Rev. Casperson has鈥�
John Comerford
President
Dr. John Comerford joined 星空传媒 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, 星空传媒鈥檚 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�
David W. Fisher, ’75
Trustee
David W. Fisher is vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of Wesley Family Services (formerly the United Methodist Children鈥檚 Home) in Worthington, Ohio, and a member of the law firm, Kephart Fisher, LLC, based in Columbus. A native of Clarksburg, West Virginia, Fisher graduated from 星空传媒 in 1975 with a degree in philosophy and theology. After college, he did graduate work at Candler School of Theology at Emory University before attending law school at Northern Kentucky University. Since earning鈥�
James L. Francis, ’71
Trustee
Jim Francis earned his bachelor's degree in education from 星空传媒 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 星空传媒 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 星空传媒 University Alumni Council鈥�
William E. Harrell, Jr. 鈥�94
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees锘�
William 鈥淓ddie鈥� Harrell Jr. earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration from 星空传媒 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
Secretary 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�
Cheryl L. Herbert
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Cheryl Herbert has over 40 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She began her career as a nurse in Columbus and soon progressed to supervisory and management roles. This led to a position in Marion beginning in 1990 as a director of nursing at MedCenter Hospital and becoming president of that organization in 1997. Herbert joined OhioHealth in 1998 as MedCenter Hospital merged with Marion General Hospital and served as a vice-president of the consolidated entity. In her years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�
Gregory S. Jordan
Trustee
Greg began his career at Nationwide in 2001 and has served in several Business and Finance leadership roles. Greg is currently, Senior Vice President & Chief Audit Executive, and is responsible for overseeing the Nationwide鈥檚 Office of Internal Audit activities. In this role, Greg is responsible for reviewing and communicating the results of internal audit work and serves as a business partner and strategic advisor on various business cabinets. Greg previously held the positions of Vice President and Chief Financial鈥�
K. Christopher Kaiser, 鈥�77
Trustee
Chris Kaiser earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in 1977 from 星空传媒 University in business administration with a concentration in accounting. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1979 and worked for Deloitte, an international auditing and consulting firm for 15 years. Kaiser, who retired in 2016, was the Chief Operating Officer for OSU Surgery, LLC, a multi-specialty surgical practice that provides business and management services to more than 100 doctors affiliated with The Ohio State University. He joined this organization in鈥�
Yasmeen Khafagy, 鈥�25
Student Trustee
Yasmeen Khafagy is a Hilliard Ohio native pursuing a Bachelor of Science in both Biology and Biochemistry with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. At 星空传媒, she has served as co-president of the newly formed Muslim Student Association as well as a Diversity Ambassador through the Office of Admission. She also serves as a Van Sant Fellow through the Center for Community Engagement where she has a partnership with CRIS Ohio (Community Refugee & Immigration Services). Yasmeen aims to make the鈥�
Susan Millsap
Professor & Faculty Trustee
Dr. Susan Millsap has been teaching and coaching forensics for forty years, thirty-five of those years at 星空传媒.聽 She is a professor of Communication teaching; Public Speaking, Argumentation and Advocacy, and Interpreting Communication Research.聽 Over the years, her Speech and Debate Teams have won numerous state and national awards.聽 She has served on the national council of the National Forensic Association. She has served on the national council for Pi Kappa Delta and is currently serving as its National Historian.鈥�
Nevalyn Fritsche Nevil, ’71
Trustee
Nevalyn Fritsche Nevil originally began her college career at Florida State University in 1966. She finished her freshman year, but then transferred to 星空传媒 in her hometown of Westerville. She earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology and psychology and went on to earn her master鈥檚 degree in counseling psychology at The Ohio State University in 1978. She began her career at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, where she helped develop several books focused on helping people with psychological disorders.鈥�
Melinda Phinney, `85
Trustee
Melinda (Mindy) Phinney earned her Bachelor of Science degree at 星空传媒 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
Trustee
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 星空传媒 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�
Kathryn Stephens, ’97
Alumni Council Trustee
Kathryn Stephens graduated from 星空传媒 University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and since graduating has proven herself a natural born leader. Over the past decade Kathryn has worked for nonprofit organizations dedicated to exceptional causes and communities. She served as the Executive Director for Walk with a Doc, an organization encouraging people to get moving and to get healthy by walking with physicians and providers. Kathryn served as the Director of Philanthropy for Susan G. Komen Columbus, an鈥�
John Tansey
Professor & Faculty Trustee
John Tansey has been a faculty member at 星空传媒 since 2002. He has taught courses ranging from the more general (General Chemistry, Survey of Organic and Biochemistry) to more specific (Advanced Biochemistry). He has also taught in the Nursing department and Integrative Studies, and Honors programs. He was awarded the 鈥楤est New Teacher鈥� award in 2004. He currently serves as the Director of the interdisciplinary program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB). John is a graduate of the University of鈥�
Alan Varrasso, MBA 鈥�11
Trustee
Alan Varrasso completed his bachelor鈥檚 degree at Marietta College in 1996, and established his career with Verizon. During his nearly 20 years with Verizon, Alan completed his MBA at 星空传媒. He joined JPMorgan Chase in 2012 as the Chief Technology Officer, led technology delivery to more than 5,000 branches and 16,000 ATMs. Through that role, he also provided support for 2.5 million small business customers and Chase鈥檚 auto loans and leases portfolio. In 2022 Alan joined Wells Fargo as their鈥�
Karin Yaffe Stump
Trustee
Karin Yaffe Stump earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology and sociology from 星空传媒 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�
Mahad Yusuf, 鈥�26
Student Trustee
Mahad Yusuf is a native of Westerville, Ohio and is pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in engineering physics. Mahad has taken on both collaborative and organizational efforts while being a senator serving on student governance and various committees with both peers and faculty. He serves to contribute to the progress of multiple initiatives and organizations. Mahad was selected to serve as the student trustee for a two-year term.