Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

During its regularly scheduled January Annual Meeting of the Membership, Franklin University’s Board of Trustees unanimously elected Melissa Gutierrez as its new chairperson. Gutierrez replaces Clarke Price, who served as Board Chair for the past term.

“I’m honored by the opportunity to serve as chair of the Franklin University Board of Trustees,” said Gutierrez. “I look forward to leading the Board’s collective efforts and continuing the University’s strong tradition of offering educational opportunities globally to support economic advancement for all.”

Melissa Gutierrez - Chair
A proud Franklin University alumnus, Melissa recently began a new position with Synchrony, serving as SVP and General Manager. In her new role, she will lead the rapidly growing Pets Best Insurance business unit within the Care Credit portfolio and serve as a key partner to leaders across the Care Credit platform within Synchrony. Prior to joining Synchrony, Melissa held a number of positions at Nationwide Insurance, including positions in sales, strategy, marketing and finance across several business units including Nationwide Insurance, Nationwide Financial and Nationwide Better Health. Melissa holds the chartered life underwriter (CLU) designation, and in addition to her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Franklin University, also holds an MBA from the University of Dayton.

  Stan Partlow - Vice Chair

During the January meeting, the Board also elected Stan Partlow as Vice Chair. Recently retired from AEP, Stan spent the past fifteen years serving in various roles at AEP including as vice president and chief security officer and as director of physical security and aviation services. Prior to joining AEP, he served the law enforcement community for over 25 years. His service includes serving the Columbus Division of Police for over 21 years, and serving as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Capital University School of Law, a master of science degree in Administration from Central Michigan University (1990), and a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from Bowling Green State University (1980).  Stan currently serves on the Academic/Student Committee and the Infrastructure Committee.

Ralph Sanese - Secretary

Mr. Sanese is Vice President, Business Development AVI Foodsystems and President of Sanese Services, Inc., a family-owned foodservices and vending company. He is a board member of the Simon Kenton Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is active in several other civic organizations. Mr. Sanese, a Franklin University alumnus, serves on the Infrastructure Committee and the Human Resources Committee.

The Franklin Board of Trustees governs the University utilizing leadership comprised of respected business and community leaders. Members of the University’s Board apply their extensive business and professional experience to help guide the direction of the University and help it effectively adapt to anticipated changes in society and the business community. Through their leadership and industry insight, Franklin University has stayed true to its philosophy of being a pioneer in meeting the needs of adult students who have the ambition to continue their education in combination with other responsibilities by adapting to their needs and responding to changes in society, professions, and the business community. 

Other Board members include:  Stacey Armstrong, Jack Cartner, Jamie Crane, Mary Duchi, Phil FankHauser, Gary Flynn, Ted Ford, Anthony Gonsalves, Eugene Griffin, Bruce Hagen, Gary James, Floyd Jones, Lori Kaiser, Gregory Lashutka, Peter Roche, David Stone, Matthew Toussant, Carole Watkins, and David White. For more information on the Franklin University Board of Trustees: https://bit.ly/2W2ZOCk 

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).