News Announcement
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Cheryl L. Kight - Associate Vice President, Marketing

Columbus, April 1, 2006

Daniel T. Anderson Elected Chair of the Board of Trustees of
The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges

Slate of officers elected along with four new board members

At the Annual Meeting of The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC), Daniel T. Anderson, President, Retail Group, The Andersons, Maumee, was elected as chair of the OFIC Board of Trustees, succeeding Robert G. Merzweiler, Chairman & CEO, Landmark Plastic Corporation.

The Andersons Inc., founded in 1947, is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, as well as in railcar marketing, industrial products formulation, turf products production, and general merchandise retailing.  Mr. Anderson began his career with the company in 1979.  He joined the Retail Group in 1984 and was named president in 1996.  He was elected to OFIC’s Board in 1996, has served as a campaign volunteer and Toledo area campaign chair, and was an OFIC Toledo area Volunteer Award winner in 2001-1002.  In addition to his work with OFIC Mr. Anderson is active in civic organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, United Way and the Ohio 4-H Foundation.  He and his wife, Lynn, have eight children and reside in Whitehouse, Ohio.

Other officers elected are:
Michael Kehoe, Vice President, AT&T Ohio, Columbus, Vice Chair
Daniel J. Curran, President, University of Dayton, College Vice Chair
Ronald G. Johnson, President, Malone College, Canton, College Vice Chair-Elect

New  Members elected to the OFIC Board of Trustees:

Evan J. Andrews, Executive Vice President, Montgomery Inn Inc., Cincinnati, joined the family business in 1986.  Since then he has helped spearhead growth in non-traditional restaurant business.  In 1990 Montgomery Inn began selling its barbecue sauce and ribs to grocers in the tri-state area and established a mail order division in 1995.  Mr. Andrews holds a B.S. in Economics and Industrial Relations.  He resides in Cincinnati with his wife and children.

Richard C. Baylor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Camco Financial Corp., Cambridge, has more than 27 years of experience in the banking industry.  He has been with Camco Financial Corporation, a multi-state financial holding company providing a broad range of financial services, since 1998.  Mr. Baylor holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and Finance and is a graduate of the Institute of Financial Education.  He and his wife live in the New Concord area and have four children.  

Anthony J. Payiavlas is President of AVI Foodsystems Inc. in Warren.  Founded in 1960, AVI is a family owned and operated business that has rapidly become the largest independently owned and operated food service company in the United States.  Mr. Payiavlas is on the board of directors of the Warren City Schools Foundation and is a trustee of Hellenic College, Inc. in Massachusetts.   He resides in Warren with his family.

E. Jeffrey Rossi has been affiliated with E. J. Rossi & Company in Youngstown since 1978. The company is an insurance broker of health, life and retirement products.  Mr. Rossi holds a B.A. in Politics and a Juris Doctor Degree as well as degrees in Chartered Life Underwriting and Chartered Financial Counseling.   He and his wife and three children live in Warren.

OFIC, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 35 independent Ohio colleges and universities. OFIC member colleges collectively enroll more than 97,000 students.   For 55 years The Foundation has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education.  Through contributions raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations OFIC has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship assistance, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in independent higher education.  OFIC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of Ohio’s corporate leaders, as well as presidents of the 35 member colleges.

The member colleges are:  Antioch College, Ashland University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Bluffton University, Capital University, Cedarville University, University of Dayton, Defiance College, Denison University, The University of Findlay, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franklin University, Heidelberg College, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone College, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein College, Urbana University, Ursuline College, Walsh University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster.