Cheryl Rush Dix has been elected the new chairperson of the board, replacing Mr. Ron DiNicola. “This is a natural transition as Chair Rush Dix has served as vice-chair since our inception and was a key player in bringing the community college to Erie County,” says President of EC3 Dr. Chris Gray. “With gratitude
toward my fellow trustees, I accept the role of chairperson of the Erie County Community College Board of Trustees,” says Dix. “It is an honor to receive the Board’s confidence. I look forward to continuing in the momentum of the past several years through close collaboration with President Gray and County Executive Davis on behalf of our students, faculty and the Erie Community.”
The board also elected its executive committee at the Annual Meeting. Christina Vogel has been appointed Vice Chairperson. Dr. Annette Wagner has been appointed Board Secretary. Justin Gallagher has been reappointed Finance committee chair.
EC3’s Board of Trustees is comprised of nine volunteers who are appointed by the county government to serve six-year terms. The inaugural board members drew random lots for initial two, four, and six year terms and Ron DiNicola and Tom Benson drew two-year terms.
Kurt Hersch replaces Ron DiNicola who was appointed by Erie County Councilmn Terry Scutella who represents District 1. Bob Merrill replaces Tom Benson who was appointed by Erie County Councilwoman Ellen Schauermanwho represents District 7.
New Trustee Bob Merill has over 22 years of HR experience serving in roles such as Senior Employee Relations Manager, Director of HR Administration and Human Resources Manager for companies which include Marine Bank, PNC Bank and First National Bank. In the past he has served on the Board of Family Services of Northwest PA and the Financial Services Advisory Board for Southwest PA.
New Trustee Kurt Hersch comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and diverse background. He currently is Assistant Teaching Professor in Entrepreneurship and Management at Gannon University. Kurt held positions at Hewlett-Packard and was the founder and Vice President of identity management software company Trulogica Inc. Kurt has held many board positions within the Erie community including Habitat for Humanity, Celebration Donation, Bloom Collaborative, and is currently on the Executive Committee of Stairways Behavioral Health.
EC3’s board of trustees meets monthly and information can be found at www.ec3pa.org.