Bob Archer graduated from Case Institute of Technology in 1957 and received his MBA from Kent State University in 1960. He began working at The Hoover Company in North Canton, OH in 1957 and later worked for White Motors in Cleveland, OH before joining Brown Group/Eagle Rubber Co. in 1973. He also taught undergraduate evening classes at Kent State/Canton from 1961-65. In 1981, Bob purchased Kent Watersports with five partners from Brown Group. Since then, the company has made 34 acquisitions and divested three. Watersports brands include HO/Hyperlite, Liquid Force, O’Brien, Connelly, Barefoot International, Absolute Outdoor, Onyx, Kidder and Full Throttle. The company also offers Arbor Snowboards and Arctic Shield hunting apparel. Bob and his wife, Janet, have been married since 1957 and live in Ashland. They have three children, Pamela, David and John.

Fred Broad is the former owner of Packaging Specialists, LLC, which he recently sold to Packaging Corp. of America (PCA). He currently serves as a consultant at PCA overseeing operations. Fred has been an Ashland University trustee since 2007 and is currently serving as the Institutional Advancement Committee Chair. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ashland College in 1975. Fred is a 2010 recipient of the AU Alumni Association’s Special Achievement Award. He is married to Anne (Mainwaring), and they have two grown children. Anne received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Ashland College in 1976 and is a retired speech pathologist. Fred and Anne reside in Pittsburgh, PA.

Mark Camp is a 1969 graduate of Ashland College with a BS in Education.  He has worked on his master’s degree in secondary administration at Kent State University.  Mark taught seven years at Strongsville High School, Strongsville, OH, and also coached football and wrestling.  He left teaching to begin his business career in 1976.  Mark started selling in the electronics industry and in 1982 bought into Rockford Controls.  In 1996, he co-founded RCO Sales, Inc., and became sole owner of Rockford Controls.  Mark has served on four top management councils and developed three like councils.  He served on the Ashland University’s Alumni Board for six years and as President during his final year on the board.  Mark joined the AU Board of Trustees in 2004.  He is a member of the United Church of Christ serving many years as a trustee.  Mark has been married to his wife Barbara, for 48 years.  They have two children; son, Brandt, a 1992 graduate of AU, and daughter, Abby, plus three grandchildren.

Steven Cole is the Executive Director of The Brethren Church.  He is a native of Texas and has spent time in New Mexico, Georgia and Northern California.  As the Executive Director of the Brethren Church, Steven works to communicate the vision and diverse story of The Brethren Church denomination.  He is a 2007 graduate of Bethel Seminary with a Masters of Arts degree in Transformational Leadership and is currently working on his Doctor of Ministry degree at Ashland Theological Seminary.  Steve and his wife, Beth, have been married since 2001 and are the parents of Maggie and Patrick.

John Denman is a former Officer and Vice President for The J.M. Smucker Company, an $8 billion food and beverage manufacturer and marketer of iconic North American brands including Smucker's®, Jif®, Folgers®, Crisco® and in pet food and pet snacks, Meow Mix®, Milk Bone®, Kibbles ‘n Bits®, 9Lives®, and many more.

In his 40 years of service at The J.M. Smucker Company, he held eighteen positions in Finance and Human Resources.  His first 35 years were in Finance, including Chief Financial Officer, Canada; and Global Controller & Chief Accounting Officer.  His last 5 years were in Human Resources, including Vice President Human Resource Operations and Senior Director, Talent Acquisition & Employee Development.  John served as an officer of the Company from 2004 - 2016.

John received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ashland University in 1979.  He passed the CPA exam in 1982.

John serves on the Ashland University College of Business and Economics Advisory Council.  He also served on the board of The Institute for Global Ethics.  John was the recipient of the 2014 Ashland University Alumni Special Achievement Award.

John retired from The J. M. Smucker Company on March 29, 2019. He and his wife, Hallie, reside in Akron, Ohio.  They enjoy travel and time with family.

Chaplain David E. Graetz is a resident of Campbellsburg, Kentucky. Ordained as an Elder of The Brethren Church of Ashland, Ohio in 1987, he served as Senior Pastor of the Highland Brethren Church in Marianna, Pennsylvania. After completing a Clinical Pastoral Education Residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, he became a hospital chaplain at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He transferred to the Lexington, Kentucky VA Medical Center on February 5, 2017 where he serves as the Chief of Chaplain Service. He is a board certified chaplain with the National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains.

He began his military service in the United States Navy on Active Duty from 1975 to 1979, serving with Patrol Squadron 24 out of Jacksonville, Florida. He deployed to Sigonella, Sicily twice and once to Keflavik, Iceland serving on a P3C flight crew chasing Russian submarines over the Mediterranean and North Atlantic Oceans. He completed his naval service in the Reserves where he achieved the rank of First Class Petty officer.

In 1984, he received a Direct Commission in the Army Reserves as a Chaplain Candidate. He transferred to the Army National Guard in 1985. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Circleville Bible College in Circleville, Ohio in 1983 and his Master of Divinity degree in Pastoral Psychology and Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary in 1986. In addition, in 2008 he was awarded a Master of Science degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.

Chaplain Graetz became the Assistant Chief of Chaplains for the Army National Guard on 17 January, 2014 and was promoted to Brigadier General on December 10, 2014. He became the Joint Chaplain at National Guard Bureau on August 1, 2015. His previous chaplain assignments include serving as the Senior Army Chaplain for the Kentucky Army National Guard, the 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, 1/123rd Armor Battalion, 737th Maintenance Battalion, 1/110th Infantry Battalion, the Deputy Staff Chaplain for the 377th Theater Support Command in Camp Arijan, Kuwait and the Staff Chaplain for the National Support Element in Taszar, Hungary. He has served in the Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky Army National Guards and served with the Tennessee Army National Guard while in Kuwait. He retired from the Army National Guard on January 31, 2017.

His military education includes the Chaplain Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, the Division Chaplain and Chaplain Colonel Courses, the United States Army War College and the Defense of Civil Authorities Course.

Chaplain Graetz has served in Operation Joint Forge, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Jump Start as well as serving on an activation in a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF). He responded to Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.

His military awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Kentucky Distinguished Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

He is married to the former Gale Ann Unger. They have been married for 38 years. Together they have three daughters and two sons-in-law, one who is also a Citizen Soldier Chaplain in the Army National Guard. They are the grandparents of two grandsons, Josiah and Isaiah and four granddaughters, Kloey, Hannah, Lily and Isabella.

Jim Hess is President and Managing Principal of Whitcomb & Hess, CPAs & Financial Advisors in Ashland, Ohio.  As a firm, W&H uses an integrated services model to offer a wide variety of financial and business advisory services to companies, organizations, and individuals.

An Ashland native, Jim is a graduate of Ohio Northern University and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1982. He and his wife, Margaret Ann, are the parents of two married sons – Timothy (Jennifer), and Mark (Amanda).  They are also proud grandparents of three grandchildren:  Sophia, Alexander and Charlotte.

Jim has been involved in leadership and advisory roles in the community with Ashland University, United Way, Ashland Family YMCA, National City Bank, Ashland County Community Foundation, Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, and Lifework Leadership/City Gates marketplace ministry through Ashland Theological Seminary.

Jim and Margaret Ann are long-time members of Park Street Brethren Church where Jim has served as Moderator of the Leadership Board and as a share group and youth leader.

G. Emery Hurd graduated in 1979 from Ashland University with a Bachelor of Arts in Family Services and Religion.  He received a Master’s of Divinity and Master of Arts in Pastoral Clinical Psychology in 1983 from Ashland Theological Seminary.  In 2002 he received a Doctorate in Ministry Transformational Leadership from Ashland Theological Seminary.  He is currently the Lead Pastor of Cheyenne Brethren Church and National Moderator of the Brethren Church.  He and his wife, Susan, were married in 1980.  They have two daughters, Crystal Hurd Graf and Tiffany Hurd Jones.  Emery enjoys reading, racquetball, motorcycle riding and woodworking.

Billie Massie has been a member of the Ashland University Board of Trustees since May 17, 2013.  She has a deep commitment to AU and takes every opportunity to support and attend events at the University and Ashland Theological Seminary.  Billie is honored to be a trustee and currently serves on the Academic Affairs committee and Retirement Plan subcommittee.  She works closely with the AU Dwight Schar College of Nursing.  Billie graduated from the MB Johnson School of Nursing, Elyria, OH, and 12 years later received her BS in Professional Arts from St. Joseph’s College, North Windham, ME.  She formerly worked in Nursing Administration at Tampa General and MedCentral Health System.  Billie is past president of the American Association of Spinal Cord Nurses.  Currently, she is very active in the Ashland Medical Reserve Corps and local and state nursing associations.  Billie also serves on the board at Albion Brethren Church.

Tom Minnich is a 1981 graduate of Ashland with a BSBA.  He received a Master of Business degree from Frostburg (MD) State University in 1984. Tom was a non-traditional student, working full-time while attending night classes.

Tom began his career in banking and then in 1978 joined Eagle Rubber in Ashland.  He received several promotions with Eagle and Hedstrom Corporation, ending as VP Finance and a Director from 1987 through 1993.  In 1993, he joined Kuhlman Electric Corporation in Lexington, Kentucky as VP Finance, Secretary and Director.  He was named Kuhlman’s President & CEO in 2005 and led the Company through its’ sale to ABB in 2008.  Tom expanded his roles with ABB and was recognized as a Top Global Manager in 2009, before retiring in late 2011.

Post-retirement, Tom joined Boards for Radix Wire and American Bath, both successful private-equity companies.  He also consults for First Reserve Corporation, a large private equity company. 

Tom and Loretta Minnich are members of Ashland’s President Circle and have established 4 Endowed Scholarships.  They have been blessed with two sons and four grandchildren during their marriage.

Tim Solomon is the volunteer mentor and associate pastor of a Latino congregation, Casa de Restauración, in Bradenton, FL.  As a USCG licensed boat captain, Tim also works with his wife, Jan, in their sailing charter business, Key Sailing, in Sarasota, FL.  He has also worked as a radio announcer/producer, as the manager of a chain of Christian bookstores (Bethel Bookstores) and in the president’s office at Campus Crusade for Christ at their world headquarters in Orlando, FL.  He later served as the senior pastor of the Iglesia de los Hermanos in Sarasota, FL, for over 10 years.  Born in Ashland, OH, Tim grew up on the mission field in both Argentina and Colombia.  He and his wife also served in Colombia as missionaries for three years, and they continue to be involved in short-term mission trips overseas.  He is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary, and his wife is alumnus (M.Ed.) of AU. Both sets of Tim’s and Jan’s parents were also alumni of Ashland College, and both of their maternal grandfathers served on the faculty and administration at AC. Tim and Jan have two children and three grandchildren. Tim has served on the AU Board of Trustees since 2000.