UA forms business executive advisory council

Staff report

AKRON

The University of Akron announced that an advisory group made up of some of Akron’s leading business executives has been formed to provide assistance and counsel to UA President Scott L. Scarborough and the university’s trustees.

Charles E. Jones, president and chief executive officer of FirstEnergy Corp., will head the University of Akron Business Executive Advisory Council.

Other members are Virginia Albanese, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Custom Critical; William Considine, president and chief executive officer of Akron Children’s Hospital; Paul Greig, president and chief executive officer of FirstMerit Corp.; Joseph S. Kanfer, president and chief executive officer of GOJO Industries, Inc.; Richard J. Kramer, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; Dr. Thomas A. Malone, president and chief executive officer of Summa Health System; Dr. Thomas L. “Tim” Stover, president and chief executive officer of the Akron General Health System; and Donzell S. Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Welty Building Co.

“The Akron area has a wealth of business expertise, and we are pleased that such an outstanding group of community leaders, many of them proud graduates of the University of Akron, has offered to provide assistance and counsel going forward,” Scarborough said. “Their experiences and perspectives can help ensure that additional points of view are considered and that the community is more engaged in the important issues we are confronting. Ultimately, our goal is to work together to ensure we continue to meet the needs of students, faculty, staff and alumni, while also developing and implementing our plans to enhance academic quality, grow the university and increase its national profile.”

According to FirstEnergy’s Jones, a University of Akron alumnus, the council will meet as needed with Scarborough, university trustees and other university officials.

“Our goal is to serve as a sounding board to the University of Akron’s existing leadership team,” Jones said. “By drawing from our collective, often hard-learned leadership experiences, we can provide counsel and offer suggestions that we hope will help the university adapt and succeed in the rapidly changing world of higher education and remain the important community asset that it has been for so many years.”

Jonathan T. Pavloff, president of UA’s trustees, said the council members’ willingness to contribute to the community and university speaks to the quality of the individuals.

“At the end of the day, we all share the same goal, which is to make the University of Akron one of this country’s leading educational and research institutions and a continued source of pride for the local community,” he said.