INDIANAPOLIS (July 27, 2005) – Governor Mitch Daniels today announced appointments to the boards of seven public colleges and universities and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, to replace members whose terms have expired. The list includes one reappointment, Mamon Powers, Jr., at Purdue University, as well as student trustees at various state institutions.

“We have taken great care to select Hoosiers who are willing to serve in leadership positions at our colleges and universities,” said the governor. “Our universities must play a crucial role in Indiana's economic growth and are critical to preparing the next generation for the knowledge economy. They need and deserve talented leadership.”

Purdue University

There were two vacancies and a student position on the board of trustees.

• Mamon Powers, Jr., of Gary, has been reappointed to a three-year term (7/1/08). Powers, who was appointed to the Purdue board by Governor Frank O'Bannon in 1996, is president and chief executive officer of Powers and Sons Construction. He has a degree in civil engineering from Purdue. His company has been recognized in Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the nation's largest African-American businesses in the industrial services category.
• William Oesterle, of Indianapolis, has been appointed to a three-year term (7/1/08). Oesterle is the founder of Angie's List, one of Indiana's fastest-growing companies. He was campaign manager for Governor Daniels. Oesterle earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a West Lafayette native, and his father was a Purdue economics professor.
• Rachel Cumberbatch, of Lebanon, a pre-veterinary medicine major, will serve a two-year term (7/1/07) as student trustee. She initiated the President's Leadership Class involvement in the Boiler Volunteer Network's Martin Luther King Day of Serving. She was a 4-H member for more than 10 years and continues to remain active with the organization.

Indiana University

There were two vacancies and a student trustee vacancy.

• Tom Reilly, Jr., of Carmel, has been appointed to a three-year term (7/1/08). He retired in 2003 after 13 years as chair of Reilly Industries. He has served as the chair of the Committee on Higher Education for the Indiana Government Efficiency Commission, chair of the Butler University Board of Trustees, and president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. Reilly earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his MBA from the Harvard Business School.
• Dr. William Cast, of Fort Wayne, was appointed to a three-year term (7/1/08). He earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana in 1958 and graduated from the IU School of Medicine in 1962. He is the founder of DuPont Hospital in Fort Wayne and its first chairman. His private practice, Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists, has been in operation since 1969. He also is the one of the founders of the Canterbury School, a pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade school in Ft. Wayne.
• Casey Cox, an IU School of Law student from Spencerville, will serve a two-year term as student trustee (7/1/07). As an undergraduate, he served as president of the IU Student Association, was a special assistant for civic engagement with the Division of Student Affairs, and an undergraduate legislative assistant for Hoosiers for Higher Education.

Ball State University

Danielle Frazier, an elementary education major from New Palestine, has been named to serve the two-year student trustee term (7/1/07). She is the incoming president of Student Voluntary Service, tutors and mentors elementary students and serves as an Indiana 2016 ambassador. She was an AmeriCorps volunteer from 2003 to 2005 and is a Lilly Endowment, Papa John's and Kiwanis Club scholar.

University of Southern Indiana

Lauren Fultz, a chemistry/pre-medicine major from Seymour, will serve a two-year term as student trustee. She is a student ambassador and a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, Girl Scouts and the Christian Village Nursing Home.

Indiana State University

There were two vacancies, an alumni vacancy (which must be confirmed by the governor), and a student trustee vacancy.

• R. Brooks LaPlante, of Terre Haute, has been appointed to serve a four-year term (7/1/09). LaPlante is the chief operating officer of Doughmakers Gourmet Bakeware and a former state representative. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester and earned his MBA at the William E. Simon School of Business at Rochester.
• John Thyen, of Jasper, will serve a four-year term (7/1/09). He is a retired senior executive vice president of Kimball International, Inc., where he remains a board member. He is a 1962 graduate of Indiana State with a degree in business administration.
• Michael Alley, of Carmel, was approved for a three-year term (7/1/09) as an alumni member. He is the owner of Patriot Investments, LLC, a business consulting and investment company. He retired in 2002 as president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, Central Indiana.
• Grant Sharton, of Greenwood, a political science major, will serve a two-year term as student trustee.  He has worked in the Student Government Association for two years, most recently as assistant chief of staff. He is a 21^st Century Scholarship recipient.

Ivy Tech Community College

There were five vacancies. Each of the college's 14 regions must be represented. Terms of these appointees expires July 1, 2008.

• Bruce Walkup, of Sullivan, will serve a three-year term representing Region 7. He is the community president, southern region, for First Financial Bank.
• Jesse Brand, of Columbus, will serve a three-year term representing Region 10. He is president of Brands, Inc., a lumber and building materials business, and a member of the Columbus City Council.
• Mark Neff, of Aurora, will serve a three-year term representing Region 11. He spent his entire career with US Bank, where he was a regional president. He currently is a member of the US Bank Advisory Board of Directors and serves as government affairs manager for the Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce.
• Ned Pfau, Jr., of Jeffersonville, will serve a three-year term representing Region 13. He is president and CEO of Pfau's Sons Co., a leader in processing and manufacturing of specialty fats and oils. Pfau also is a director of the Indiana Manufacturers Association.
• Lee Marchant, of Bloomington, will serve a three-year term representing Region 14. He is president and CEO of LJM Enterprises in Bloomington and former chair of the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

Vincennes University

Gregg Wong, of Syracuse, a philosophy major, will serve a one-year term as student trustee (7/1/06). He was elected to serve as the student body executive treasurer in 2004 and has worked with faculty to review policy changes and procedures.

The governor also has appointed four members to the Indiana Commission on Higher Education.

• Richard Johnson, of Columbus, will serve a four-year term (7/1/09) as an at-large member. He is chair of Johnson Ventures, a member of the Indiana University Foundation Board of Directors and founder of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
• Jon Costas, of Valparaiso, will serve a four-year term (7/1/09) representing the 1^st Congressional District. Costas is mayor of Valparaiso. He earned his undergraduate degree from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer and his law degree from the Valparaiso University School of Law.
• Marilyn Moran Townsend, of Ft. Wayne, will serve a four-year term (7/1/09) representing the 3^rd Congressional District. She is the chair and CEO of CVC Communications and a past chair of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce
• Fred Cate, of Bloomington, will serve a two-year term (7/1/07) as full-time faculty representative. He is a distinguished professor at the Indiana University School of Law and the director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research.

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