The office of Gov. Ted Strickland appointed two alumni to fill open spots on the Ohio University board of trustees, effective this year.
David Wolfort, who earned a B.A. from OU in 1974, has served as the president of Olympic Steel since 2001 and chief operating officer since 1995. Founded in 1954, Olympic Steel is a publicly traded company that sells and distributes processed steel.
Wolfort said keeping talented students in Ohio is vital to economic development, echoing the governor and his top education official.
I
of course have a vested interest in education in Ohio because I'm a large employer in the state of Ohio Wolfort said.
The company recently announced plans to build a new processing facility in Dover, Ohio.
Wolfort also serves as director of the Metal Service Center Institute, a trade organization for steel services, and as board member for the Northern Ohio Anti-Defamation League.
David Brightbill, a 1970 graduate of OU, has served as the executive director of the Community Action Program Corporation of Washington-Morgan County since 1987 but has worked at the organization since leaving OU.
Brightbill also served on the OU Alumni Board from 2002 to 2005 and as president of the Corporation of Appalachian Ohio Development in the mid 1990s. His son graduated from OU in 2002.
I think it's a fantastic institution and there's lots of good things it can do for the region and state
Brightbill said.
Wolfort and Brightbill replace C. David Snyder, who's term ended May, and Scott Boregemenke, who resigned after accepting a position with Magna Entertainment Corp. because of the travel demands.
The governor appoints the board's members and five of the board's nine voting members must be OU graduates.
The governor is confident that the recent appointees will serve OU well and their experience will provide a wise voice for the university
said Keith Dailey, a spokesman for Strickland.
Voting members serve a nine-year term and can be reappointed to the board after four years.
Brightbill, who graduated in the same year and program as President Roderick McDavis, applied for the vacant position through the Ohio Board of Commissions while Wolfort was recommended by the president himself after consultation with current board members.
I think we have two good people that will serve OU well
McDavis said. This gets us back to full strength on our board.
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