FRANKLIN - Key Persons
Alissa Amidon-Carbonaro is an experienced real estate professional with a focus on specialty retail.
Initially drawn to Columbus from Buffalo, N.Y., for a position with Cardinal Health, Alissa accepted a role with The Limited (now L Brands) in 1997, supporting the U.S. growth of multiple brands including Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, The Limited, Express, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Alissa held a variety of roles in real estate as well as in finance and information/data management. Her most recent assignment as VP of international real estate focuses on the growth of Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret across 70+ countries. She works closely with strategic, regional franchise partners to deliver compelling real estate around the globe.
Alissa holds bachelor's degrees in history and political science from the University of Rochester, as well as an MBA with a concentration in leadership from Franklin University.
Job Titles:
- Community College Regional Representative
Mr. Gonsalves is currently working as a Marketing Consultant. He has an extensive marketing background, which is highlighted in his previous position as the Chief Marketing Officer for Allied Insurance, Titan Insurance, Nationwide Commercial, Nationwide Specialty, and Nationwide Agribusiness in Des Moines Iowa. Mr. Gonsalves has also worked as the Vice President for Marketing Strategy & Planning for Nationwide in Columbus, Ohio. At Franklin, Mr. Gonsalves currently serves the Academic/Student Committee as well as the Marketing & Enrollment Management Committee.
Job Titles:
- Doctoral Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Business Development
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President & Founder of Futurety
Bill Balderaz is President & Founder of Futurety, a data analytics and marketing consulting firm. The firm focuses on helping organizations use data to power marketing and communications, serving regulated industries, including healthcare, pharma, finance, government, and medical devices. Previously, Bill was the founder and president of Webbed Marketing which went from a one-man consultancy to one of the fastest-growing interactive marketing agencies in the Midwest. He has spoken at more than 150 conferences from New York to California on innovation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Regional Executive and President of the OhioHealth North Market
Mr. Hagen joined the Franklin board in 2010 and served as Board of Trustees Chairman 2017-2018. Bruce is the regional executive and president of the OhioHealth North Market. He is responsible for coordinating OhioHealth's growth in the northern areas served by the hospital system. He has more than 30 years' experience in the healthcare industry. He is a fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives, and has been affiliated with many community service programs including the Board of Directors of the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Gerald R. Ford Council of Boy Scouts and the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, Great Rivers Affiliate. Bruce serves on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Trusteeship Governance.
C. Kenneth Smith* served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1981-1982
Job Titles:
- Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
Providing industry expertise across multiple areas of growth at Franklin, including its expanding list of healthcare offerings, Carrie Harris-Muller is a highly accomplished and nationally recognized healthcare leader who will bring her more than 30 years of senior executive experience in insurance companies, health plans, and hospital and health systems to the Franklin Board. She currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer for Ohio Health, where she leads overall strategic direction for population health initiatives, including developing prevention and wellness programs to lower risks for patients and improve overall health outcomes. Carrie oversees the system's care management efforts, its post-acute care programs and division, and OhioHealth's Clinically Integrated Network and Accountable Care Organization. She is also responsible for the relationships with local and national payers and leads managed care for the health care system. Prior to joining OhioHealth, Carrie held executive leadership positions with local and national payers and hospital and healthcare systems. Carrie is passionate about community service and serves on several national and local nonprofits boards.
Christine Seebon joined Franklin University as an adjunct over a decade ago. She teaches in the business graduate and undergraduate programs and has taught extensively in the marketing program. Christine enjoys teaching both domestically and internationally. She facilitates reflective discussions, has listening skills, manages collaborative classrooms, and provides constructive feedback. With over 25 years of business expertise, Christine also brings practical experience and insights into her courses. She provides motivation and positive reinforcement through coaching, action plans and accountabilities. Christine readily adapts to diverse environments and is culturally sensitive.
Christine is forward-thinking and results-oriented with a strong record of accomplishment. She is a consultant and has held roles such as leadership coach, marketing director, business strategist, product manager, and relationship manager. Christine is practiced in relationship development, listening to needs, questioning for clarification and deeper insights, responding to requests, providing relevant solutions, and communicating openly.
Christine obtained her MBA from the University of Dayton and her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University. Christine continued her education through professional and academic conferences and is currently completing her Doctor of Business Administration. She has five rescue dogs and enjoys family, travel, kayaking, off-roading, and being athletic.
Job Titles:
- Community College Regional Manager
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Senior Vice President, Technology Practice for RTI International
David White is the Senior Vice President, Technology Practice for RTI International. David previously held the position of Chief Information Officer at Battelle. He and his team were responsible for strategically aligning and advancing corporate application development, infrastructure platforms and development initiatives across the enterprise. David has held various executive-level positions with the state of Ohio including Executive Program Manager of the Ohio Administrative Knowledge System, Director of State Accounting within the Office of Budget and Management and Director of Revenue Management within the State of Ohio Treasury. He is a member of the CIO Advisory Board for Box.com, the advisory board of the Columbus African American Leadership Academy and a member of the COSI Community Board. David attended the Ohio State University where he studied electrical engineering, Columbus State Community College receiving a degree in business administration and Franklin University receiving a degree in computer management. At Franklin, Mr. White currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board and serves on the Audit, Controls and Compliance Committee and the Infrastructure Committee.
Job Titles:
- Student Recruitment Operations Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- CIO of Nationwide Children 's Hospital
A leader in the constantly evolving technology industry, Denise Zabawski, CIO of Nationwide Children's Hospital and a Franklin MBA alumna, brings expertise honed over more than two decades of experience in healthcare and banking. During her service at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Denise has led the implementation of multiple EMR systems, ERP systems, and two new data center construction projects and supported the construction of many new facilities. Denise is also a member of numerous professional organizations and associations, including HIMSS, CHIME, and the Children's Hospital Association.
Derek Grosso is an entrepreneur, connector and community-builder. He founded the Columbus Young Professionals (CYP) Club in 2005 and has grown it into the nation's largest association for young professionals - with more than 30,000 members - while maintaining a focus on advancing careers, community, conversations and culture for emerging leaders across central Ohio. Through his leadership, the CYP Club has helped create thousands of personal and professional connections, contributed more than 100,000 volunteer hours, and raised more than $600,000 for charity since its inception. In 2020, Columbus Business First named the CYP Club No. 7 on its Corporate Citizenship Top 100 list, having donated $225,520 of in-kind donations to charity.
He is also co-founder and CEO of Virventi, a tech startup that brings virtual events and people together with a focus on the social experience.
He studied entrepreneurship and small business management at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration. He proudly serves the community through his volunteer work. He lives in Upper Arlington with his wife Nicci and daughter Hannah.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- President
Dr. David R. Decker serves as the fourth President of Franklin University. Prior to coming to Franklin he held a number of positions at the New York Institute of Technology, including playing a key role in their internationalization and development of their online presence.
Dr. Decker has also held positions at Youngstown State University, as well as at three other universities, and has international teaching experience in China, Malaysia, Russia, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Brazil, and Jordan. His extensive corporate experience includes serving as president and CEO of a $130 million manufacturing company.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Chair of the Business Administration Program
Dr. Doug Ross is a professor and chair of the Business Administration Program at Franklin University. Dr. Ross has extensive experience in the marketing field, both from a corporate and academic background.
With 25 years in the academic sector, Dr. Ross is a distinguished international speaker, on a range of topics. Additionally, he's recognized for his consulting experience in both large and small corporate settings as well as in the goods and services marketing.
He received his doctorate in business administration from New Mexico State University, and his master's and bachelor's degrees from Colorado State University.
As a respected faculty member at Franklin University, Dr. Ross has earned the distinction of being the only educator to receive the Columbus American Marketing Association Marketing Professor of the Year honor, a record five times (1999, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014). In addition to his many awards for marketing excellence, Dr. Ross was awarded the Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, a distinction bestowed by Franklin students each term to acknowledge the professor who was most influential in their programs. A top-ranked professor, Dr. Ross was also awarded the Franklin University Teaching Excellence Award.
Job Titles:
- Senior Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
Education: B.S. in Human Development Family Studies an M.S. in Higher Education Administration.
Professional Experience: I have been working in Higher Education for about 5 years now. The majority of my experience has been within Educational Policy Studies, but I have worked many roles mentoring, advising, and instructing students.
Job Titles:
- Community College Regional Manager
Mr. Flynn joined the board in 2002. Gary serves as the Chair of the Partnership Committee. In addition, he serves on the Marketing & Enrollment Management Committee, the Committee on Trusteeship Governance, and the Audit. Controls & Compliance Committee. He earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Franklin University in 1971. Flynn also is a 1983 graduate of The Ohio State University's Executive Development Program. Mr. Flynn was employed 33 years at Abbott Laboratories, a leading global broad-based healthcare company, where he retired as Senior Vice President of Abbott Nutrition. Gary served as Chairman of the Board in 2013 & 2014.
Mr. James is an alumnus of Franklin University, a past Board of Trustees Chairman, and currently serves on the Finance, Partnerships, and Governance Committees. He is founder and President of Dynalab, Inc., an electronic manufacturing services company; Dynalab Test Systems, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of electronic test equipment; President of JAAS Systems, LLC, a publisher of manufacturing software; and a board member of MD Systems, LLC, a medical device manufacturer. Mr. James has served as President of a Kiwanis club, Treasurer of National Church Residences, and in numerous other community organizations.
George A. Snodgrass * served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1962-1963
Job Titles:
- Senior Graduate Admissions Advisor
Gregory S. Lashutka served as a Trustee April 2004 - January 2022, served as Chairman of the Board 2006-2008
J. Richard Emens * served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1995-1996
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1999 - 2000
James W. Phillips * served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1976-1977
Ms. Crane is a community advocate currently serving on the boards of Goodwill Columbus, Upper Arlington Community Foundation, and the Columbus Foundation Reese-Shackelford Supporting Organization. She has also served on numerous other boards, including Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio/Greater Ohio, Columbus School for Girls, and I Know I Can. She is highly active with the Crane Group, which was founded by her grandfather. Prior to leaving the corporate world, Ms. Crane worked in Chicago (IL) for Kraft General Foods/Kraft USA where she led the brand management for several multi-million-dollar product lines, and developed the strategic plan and coordinated the major planning projects for a multi-billion division. Ms. Crane holds an MBA in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, at Northwestern University (IL), and a BS in Marketing and Management from Indiana University. Ms. Crane and husband Tim Miller reside in Columbus, and are the proud parents of Taylor and Hailey. Jamie serves on the Academic & Student Affiars Committee and the Human Resource & Advancement Committee.
Job Titles:
- Regional Vice President With Nationwide Financial
Jeffrey Lawler, regional vice president with Nationwide Financial, serves financial professionals by designing complete financial plans using strategies that will enable clients to prepare for and live in retirement.
Jeff is a lifelong resident of Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in political science. He spent three years with PaineWebber serving clients directly, before joining Nationwide in 2003. Jeff earned his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) in 2004, Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation in 2011, and Chartered Advisor of Senior Living in 2018. Jeff prides himself on being a lifelong learner and always seeking to understand before providing solutions. For the past 17 years, Jeff has served financial firms and their advisors building relationships and providing solutions to their client goals and dreams.
Jeff lives with his wife Jaime and four children Sam, Will, Addie and Jack. He has completed a marathon and four half marathons. Jeff's passion's lie in spending time with his family and giving back to his community. An avid sports fan, he spends much of his time at fields, diamonds, basketball courts or tracks supporting his favorite athletes.
Job Titles:
- Community College Regional Manager
Jennifer Thomas recently retired from Nationwide Insurance, where she served in several leadership roles within the legal department. She is an attorney with over 25 years of experience advising corporate executives on various legal issues, including complex contract issues, employee benefits, employment policy issues, and business operations compliance issues. As an executive at Nationwide, she worked closely with her internal clients and colleagues to attain business objectives and generate practical and creative solutions to various business and legal challenges. Jennifer recently served on the board for Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio for the full six-year term, where she was a member of the executive committee and the Fiscal and Governance committees. She currently serves on the Groveport Community School Board. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Capital University College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Jennifer currently serves on the Franklin University Board of Trustees Human Resources Committee.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director - Community College Alliance
Job Titles:
- Senior Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Graduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 2004 - 2006
As the President of Cristo Rey High School since 2020, Joseph Patrick will lend his decades of finance, accounting, and auditing expertise to the Board and its oversight of the University's financial activities. His expertise is supported by 30 years of experience as a CPA at Schneider Downs, and at Coopers & Lybrand. Lending insight to the University's expanding list of K-12 academic offerings, Joseph's knowledge and experience in secondary school issues and the teacher education regulatory environment support Franklin's rapid expansion in education-related programs. Joseph's business and charitable community activities include involvement with the Catholic Foundation, the Women's Care Center, Recreation Unlimited, Hands on Central Ohio, and Medigold.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community College Alliance Ohio
Karen M. Fowler is a trusted, business-focused, collaborative diversity, equity and inclusion leader with experience working in domestic and global corporate, nonprofit and higher education environments. She has over 30 years of increasingly complex positions supporting company board members, CEOs, general managers, university presidents and world-wide client groups across most business functions and industries.
She is an effective strategist and change agent with a proven track record of accomplishment in leading organizational initiatives, building programs, managing change, and influencing employees at all levels.
Karen has certifications in leadership development (DDI), unconscious bias, and disability etiquette and awareness. She has been a featured speaker at national and local conferences on topics ranging from Women in Leadership to People with Disabilities.
Karen continues to mentor women in college and young female professionals. She is extremely active in the community and holds leadership roles in many organizations including Dress for Success, Jazz Arts Group-Columbus and Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD).
She is married to the love of her life and has an adult son, a fabulous daughter-in-law and two grandsons.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions
Job Titles:
- Community College Alliance Enrollment Advisor
Job Titles:
- Community College Alliance Enrollment Advisor
Job Titles:
- Senior Graduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Treasurer
Marv Briskey joined Franklin University as Chief Financial Officer in 2006. Dr. Briskey was promoted to Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in 2011, and Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in 2014.
Under his leadership, the Chief Financial Office focuses on providing both strategic operational and programmatic support to the University. The Chief Financial Office establishes and communicates both fiscal and safety and security policies and procedures; oversees $111 million in net assets, and a $90 million investment pool; and reviews and establishes internal control procedures to safeguard financial and human capital assets.
Dr. Briskey holds a Bachelor of Art in Accounting from Hillsdale College, a Master of Business Administration from Capital University, and a Doctor of Business Administration from Baker College.
Ms. Duchi joined the board in 2009. Mary is past Chair of the Franklin University Board of Trustees and currently serves on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Trusteeship Governance. Mary has extensive background in both the private and public sectors. She joined Battelle in 1977 and retired from the organization 34 years later as the Vice President of Operations and Systems Services. Ms. Duchi has volunteered her time toward both professional and personal interests by serving as Board member for the Battelle National Biodefense Institute; as a Franklin Park Conservatory Trustee; as a board member for both the Central Ohio Regional Science and Engineering Fair and Edison Welding Institute boards; and on a number of committees and boards for the city of Upper Arlington. Ms. Duchi earned her MBA in Finance and Quantitative Methods from The Ohio State University and her BBA in Finance from the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Community College Alliance Enrollment Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Senior Executive
Matthew is a senior executive for the non-profit scientific information firm, CAS. Matthew has over ten years as an operations leader of the world's largest and most comprehensive chemical science data and information collection. He has been employed by CAS in numerous positions since 1987. Matthew served in the US Army Reserve from 1982-2002. Matthew holds a PhD, Interdisciplinary (food protein chemistry, nutrition, pathophysiology) (1992), a Master of Science degree in Food Chemistry and Nutritional Biochemistry (1979) a Bachelor of Science degree (1976) from The Ohio State University. Matthew currently serves on the Academic/Student Committee and Partnerships Committee.
Maureen Metcalf is a highly respected executive advisor and the visionary founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Innovative Leadership Institute. Committed to creating a better world through exceptional leadership, Maureen guides her clients in elevating the quality of their leadership talent pool.
Recognized as a Fellow of the esteemed International Leadership Association, Maureen is also an accomplished author. Her international award-winning book series on innovative leadership, including the acclaimed "Innovative Leaders for Health Care," received the prestigious International Book Award.
Beyond her writing achievements, Maureen extends her influence through her captivating international podcast, "Innovating Leadership: Co-creating our Future," ranked in the top 1% of podcasts globally. As the host, she leads engaging discussions on cutting-edge leadership practices, garnering a wide and appreciative audience.
Maureen's expertise is highly sought after in leadership, as evidenced by her regular contributions as a writer and expert contributor to Forbes.com. Her esteemed Forbes Coaches Council membership further solidifies her role as a trusted authority in the field.
With a passion for education, Maureen has imparted her knowledge to students across various universities as an esteemed educator. She serves as the Vice President of James Madison University's School of Strategic Leadership Studies Advisory Committee and Franklin University's Mason Leadership Center, demonstrating her commitment to advancing the study and practice of strategic leadership.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Immediate past Chair of the Board
- SVP and General Manager With Synchrony
Melissa Gutierrez currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the Board. Melissa is the SVP and General Manager with Synchrony, where she leads the rapidly growing Pets Best Insurance business unit within the Care Credit portfolio and serves as a key partner to leaders across the Care Credit platform within Synchrony. Prior to joining Synchrony, Melissa held a number of positions at Nationwide Insurance, including positions in sales, strategy, marketing and finance across several business units including Nationwide Insurance, Nationwide Financial and Nationwide Better Health. Melissa holds the chartered life underwriter (CLU) designation, and in addition to her bachelor's degree in Marketing from Franklin University, also holds an MBA from the University of Dayton. Melissa is currently the Chair of the Committee on Trusteeship Governance and serves on the Finance Committee.
Job Titles:
- Senior Doctoral Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President & Chief Executive Officer at Maryhaven, Inc
Bringing strong operational and strategic leadership experience to the Board, Oyauma Garrison serves as the President & Chief Executive Officer at Maryhaven, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps individuals and families lead healthy lives free from addiction and mental health challenges by providing education, treatment, and support. A Franklin MBA alumnus, Oyauma previously served as the National President & CEO of A Kid Again, a nonprofit focused on providing Hope, Happiness, and Healing for families raising children battling a life-threatening condition. He is a former insurance company executive of over 20 years. Active in the community, Oyauma has received numerous awards for leadership and community service, including being named a Top 50 Smart Business Leaders, CEO of the Year finalist (2020 & 2021) - Columbus CEO, a Columbus Business First Most Admired C-Suite leader (2019 & 2021) and NBMBAA Lifetime Achievement Award, and National MBA of Year. He has also been recognized with the United States of America Presidential 2014 Gold Standard Award for Service.
Pamela Springer is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience growing tech-based companies including raising $55M in funding and leading re-starts and IPOs. She most recently served as president and CEO of ORIS Intelligence. There, she drove strategic growth for the company including being named one of the fastest growing companies in Ohio, supporting over 750 world-class brands and growing its team by 100 percent over the past three years, leading to its acquisition in 2019 by PriceSpider. Prior to ORIS, she built Manta Media into one of the largest, most trafficked websites in the U.S. Pam has been recognized as one of the "13 Powerful Women Running Today's Biggest Startups" by Business Insider and was awarded the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Technology for the Central Region. She sits on the boards of multiple emerging growth companies including RevLocal and InvestX Capital. Springer earned a business degree from Franklin University, graduating summa cum laude. She played on the Oakland University basketball team the year they made it to the NCAA Division II Final Four. When she's not working, Pam is an avid sports fan, outdoor enthusiast, and flute player, and recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. Pam serves as the Chair of the Marketing & Enrollment Management Committee.
Peter joined the Board in 2009, and currently serves Franklin as the Chair of the Finance Committee and as member of the Partnership Committee. Roche retired from his position as Senior Vice President, Finance at Chemical Abstracts Services in 2008. Prior to joining Chemical Abstracts, he served as Vice President, Accounting & Finance for Honda of America Manufacturing; Senior Manager, Tax with Peat Marwick; Partner with Hammersmith, Roche & Jenkins, CPAs; and as a tax consultant for Frank, Seringer & Chaney, CPAs. Mr. Roche earned his B.S. degree in Accounting for The Ohio State University; his CPA certificate shortly thereafter.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Co - Founder and Principal of Epcon Communities
Phil Fankhauser is co-founder and principal of Epcon Communities and Epcon Communities Franchising. Since 1986, Epcon has been a developer of communities designed for the age 55+ market. With a home office in Columbus, Ohio and Regional offices in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, Epcon is recognized nationally as a top builder of age-targeted properties. The franchise business includes franchised builders in over 20 states. Fankhauser has over 45 years' experience in real estate development and construction and serves as a member of the Urban Land Institute's "Lifestyle Residential Development" Council. He is an alumnus of Franklin University and currently serves on the Marketing & Enrollment Management Committee as well as the Infrastructure Committee.
Phyllis H. Greene* served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1983-1984
Ralph E. Waldo* served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1979-1980
Mr. Sanese is Vice President, Business Development AVI Foodsystems and President of Sanese Services, Inc., a family-owned foodservices and vending company. He is a board member of the Simon Kenton Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is active in several other civic organizations. Mr. Sanese, a Franklin University alumnus, serves on the Infrastructure Committee and the Human Resource & Advancement Committee.
Ricardo Vanella delivers more than 30 years of expertise in advising global corporations, institutions and NGOs on business development, marketing, communications and international engagement. He is an experienced speaker, speechwriter, author, TV and radio producer, and presenter.
He is a member of The SPECTRUM Group and supported diverse projects funded by the United Nations, European Union, U.S. Department of Commerce, USAID and Inter-American Development Bank.
In addition to his consulting work, Vanella serves on the boards and in the executive leadership of several professional member organizations. Previously, Ricardo was a board member of Global Ties U.S., the American national office for 100 councils that work in partnership with the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program.
Vanella has a law degree from the National University of Cordoba, an MBA from Bocconi University in Milan, and a specialization in international business from The American University of Paris.
He is a graduate of the National Defense University's Strategy and Defense Policy Program at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, as well as the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program on Globalization and International Trade.
Robert L. Bailey * served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1993-1994
Robert S. Crane * served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1987-1988
Roger L. Merrill* served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1972-1973
Sam Sharp is an inspirational leader, mentor and collaborator with a consistent track record of excellent results over 25 years in enterprise technology.
He possesses global expertise in product management, technical sales, business development, sales strategy and channel management. Sharp was responsible for $4 million in channel revenue at start-up Elastic representing 300% growth.
At Oracle, he drove global strategy for $1.6 billion of channel revenue for Middleware and Business Analytics and was responsible for building Middleware Sales organization up to $300 million annual revenue.
Sam's experience spans federal, state and local, and commercial markets working for Oracle, Elastic, Microsoft, ConsenSys and Blue Yonder. He has focused his career on enabling enterprises across industries to leverage software in transformational solutions. His knowledge areas include technical depth in cloud (IaaS, SaaS, & PaaS) enterprise architecture, business intelligence, integration and big data.
Sam is a graduate of George Mason University with a degree in design and management of information systems.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director Graduate Admissions
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive Healthcare
Sean McKibben is a senior executive healthcare leader with a proven record of accomplishment leading successful growth, expansion and operational improvements of healthcare organizations. His significant achievements include safety, quality, and patient experience improvements, leadership development and building high-performing teams, service line expansion and enhancement, business development, physician relations and recruitment, profitability improvement, graduate medical education and community relations.
After a successful tenure as president of Mount Carmel Grove City (previously Mount Carmel West Hospital), Sean currently is a business advisor for Rev1 Ventures, a Columbus-based incubator and investor that provides strategic advice and capital to help scale start-up companies. He currently is advising four healthcare start-up organizations.
Sean has been honored numerous times for his professional achievements including Lifeline of Ohio's Administrator of the Year and ViaQuest's Business Partner of the Year. A frequent speaker at many state and local events, he was included in Crain's Cleveland Business' 2008 Forty Under 40 class and is distinguished as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Sean and his wife Cindy reside in Dublin, Ohio and are proud parents to four children. He enjoys a wide variety of activities including serving on nonprofit boards and community organizations, watching his children's athletic events, golf and tennis.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director - Community College Alliance
Stacey Armstrong is an alumnus of Franklin University, having earned her MBA in 2009, and currently serves as the president of the WVU Innovation Corporation. Stacey previously served as chief operating officer of Riverside Methodist Hospital. During her time at OhioHealth, she also served as chief operating officer and president of Grant Medical Center in Columbus and as vice president of specialty services for OhioHealth Physicians Group. Stacey received her bachelor's degree in medical technology from Indiana University. Stacey currently serves on the Partnerships Committee and Chairs the Human Resource & Advancement Committee.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Officers Team
Stan Partlow currently serves as the Chair of the Board. Stan retired from American Electric Power in 2020. He served as AEP's Vice President and Chief Security Officer a post he was appointed to on September 1, 2015. Stan joined AEP as the Director of physical security and aviation services on Oct. 31, 2005. During his career with AEP Stan had leadership responsibilities for physical security operations, access control, asset protection for AEP facilities and properties, AEP´s aviation services department, cyber security, procurement and the motor vehicle fleet. Prior to joining AEP, Stan served the Law Enforcement community for over 25 years. Stan served the Columbus Division of Police for over 21 years and retired as the Commander of the Detective Bureau. Stan served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1984-1988 where he was responsible for conducting a variety of criminal investigations. As a former adjunct professor at Franklin University, he taught in the Leadership and Public Safety Management programs. Stan has also been an adjunct professor for Capital University. Stan holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Capital University School of Law (1995), a Master of Science degree in administration from Central Michigan University (1990), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Bowling Green State University (1980).
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Finance Transformation at Cardinal Health
Stephanie Revish is currently the vice president of Finance Transformation at Cardinal Health, a Fortune 16 company. In this role, she is responsible for partnering across the enterprise and with the business process outsourcing partner to drive multimillion-dollar efficiencies and insights by leveraging process standardization and data and analytics while also integrating digital tools and technology. Prior to this role, she supported various areas within Cardinal Health's medical segment including Medical Solutions, a multibillion dollar commercial, product and services organization.
Job Titles:
- Senior Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Board
Ted Ford is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in government, marketing, higher education, and public-private partnerships. Ted currently serves as a CEO for Advanced Energy Economy Ohio, a statewide trade group involved in the development and financing of advanced energy projects. Previously, Ted served as TechColumbus' first CEO and as President and CEO of Edison Welding Institute, a nationally recognized independent engineering research and development organization. As Senior Vice President for University Advancement at Northern Arizona University in the late 1990's, he led the development launch of the institution's first capital campaign which raised $100 million. He has served as a business development professional, legislative advocate, legislative staffer, and executive assistant to the Governor of Ohio. He is also a regional affiliate director for BioOhio. He received his undergrad and his Master's at The Ohio State University. Ted serves as the Chair of the Academic/Student Committee.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Admissions Advisor
Thomas Shoupe recently retired from Honda of America Mfg., Inc. (HAM), where he served in numerous leadership and management roles over his 33-year career. In his final role at Honda, he served as Executive Vice President and COO of HAM, was a senior member of the Honda North America Regional Operating Board, and served as function leader for the company's human resources planning and staff deployment for regional manufacturing operations. Before joining Honda, Tom served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Representatives Thomas N. Kindness and Michael G. Oxley. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Tom represented Honda externally in many capacities, including serving as a board member for the Columbus Partnership and Columbus 2020, an economic development organization for the 11-county Columbus, Ohio region. He previously served on the board from April 2008 through January 2012, and currently serves on the Academic/Student Committee and the Partnerships Committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Senior Vice - President, Human Resources at Cardinal Health
Valerie Pitteroff is Senior Vice-President, Human Resources at Cardinal Health with responsibility for the company's international Medical Segment. Valerie joined Cardinal Health in October 2002 and has held both HR Business Partner and Talent Management Center of Excellence roles supporting all facets of the Cardinal Health business. Prior to joining Cardinal Health, Valerie was a member of the United States Peace Corps serving in Paraguay, South America. Her volunteer service focused on working with educators and farmers to establish a rural community cooperative and developing educational programs for women and students. She is originally from Southern California and is a graduate of the University of California at Riverside. She now resides in Hilliard, Ohio with her husband Jason, children Ethan and Sofia and rescue dog Cooper. The Pitteroff family enjoys game nights, movies and traveling together. Valerie currently serves on the Academic/Student Affairs Committee and the Human Resource & Advancement Committee.
Job Titles:
- Undergraduate Admissions Team Lead
William H. Bennett * served as Chairman of the Franklin Board of Trustees from 1997-1998
Job Titles:
- Graduate Admissions Advisor
Job Titles:
- Owner and CEO of 3 Pillar Homes
Zenios Zenios is the owner and CEO of 3 Pillar Homes, a custom home builder and land developer in central Ohio, founded in 1999. Zenios is also a mixed used commercial developer and real estate investor.
Zenios has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Franklin University.
He is a board member at Buckeye State Bank and an organizer and board member of Locality Bank. Zenios served on the board of the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio and in 2010 served as the board president.
Zenios received the Forty Under 40 award from Columbus Business First, and 3 Pillar Homes has received the publication's Fast 50 award multiple times.
Zenios lives in Powell with his wife Matina, who also has her MBA from Franklin University. The couple has two sons, Michael and Christos.