The Marietta College Board of Trustees met on the College campus last week for the first time in the new fiscal year, which began on July 1. New Chair Dr. J.S. (Jim) Wilson conducted the meeting and three new trustees joined the Board.
Wilson ’69, has been a Trustee since 2021. Wison is a retired Navy Captain and Naval Aviator, and a retired Raytheon Company executive. He is an experienced non-profit leader having served as a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America. As a student at Marietta College he was a member of a Dad Vail gold medal championship crew.
Wilson served as Vice Chair last year and worked closely with Chair Mary Korn ’82 during that time.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome Jim Wilson to the role of Chair,” Korn said. “We have worked collaboratively over the past several months to ensure a smooth transition of leadership and an uninterrupted continuation of the forward progress the Board has made toward a thriving future for Marietta College,” Korn added. “Entering a new fiscal year, I feel confident that the work we have done will help the Board and the institution maintain momentum.”
Interim President Kathleen Poorman Dougherty expressed gratitude to Korn for her unwavering leadership and dedication to the College over the past two years.
“I am sincerely appreciative of the dedication and enduring support for Marietta College Mary has shown as Chair of the Board and as a Trustee,” Dougherty said. “As Chair she has guided us through challenging times and we celebrate the outcomes she has helped to produce during her tenure.”
“The College is grateful for Mary’s leadership and we look forward to her continued service as a Trustee as we welcome Jim Wilson into the Chair’s position. We are grateful for his willingness to take on this important role.”
As Wilson begins his tenure as Chair he said the Board will continue to focus on collaboration.
“The past several years have required thoughtful consideration of issues and the making of some associated difficult decisions,” Wilson said. “There have been unique initiatives brought forward by a collaborative college community, with the leaders across the campus working to address these issues and look toward a stable and productive future for the college.”
Wilson calls for continuing the utilization of shared governance to identify opportunities and understand any associated challenges.
“The broad leadership team of the college has been doing just that, as they are implementing the strategic plan that will challenge the issues and put in play some new educational programs, new leadership and personal development opportunities, and ways for the college to continue to remain a vibrant community leader and knowledge-sharing organization in the mid-Ohio Valley.”
The meeting of the Board was the first for the three newest Trustees: Don Conkle ’86, Sean O’Connor ’88 and Michael Gleason ’95.
Conkle is a seasoned executive with global exposure and decades of leadership experience in the oil and gas industry. He currently applies that experience as Director & Co-Founder of Morpheus LLC, a platform where he mentors entrepreneurs and advises early-stage companies in scaling their innovations globally. He is also President & Founder of Cornerstone Creek companies, where he supports landowners with oil & gas leasing, mineral rights acquisition and general consulting in the Ohio Utica area.
O’Connor has more than 35 years of experience in the beverage industry. Since 2023 he has been Executive Vice President of Supplier Business Development at Breakthru Beverage Company. He is a member of USC’s Center for Marketing Solutions Advisory Board and partners each year with the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, on the development and execution of beverage alcohol brand-specific projects.
Gleason started his career at Nortel Networks, where he held various roles in support, business operations, and program management for service provider networks. He joined Juniper Networks in 2012 and currently leads the Cloud Provider Services segment. At Marietta College, Michael competed in rowing, served as student government vice president, and was a Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity member.
Five Trustees completed their terms on June 30. President Dougherty expressed appreciation for the dedication and energy each of the outgoing members has given to the College. The Board celebrated the service of each of the outgoing members during their May meeting. Completing terms were Jim Fryfogle, Jack Hopkins, Di Krivchenia, Michael Moffitt, and Matt Weekley.