[ad_1]
MARIETTA — The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees voted Thursday to offer the job of leading the institution to U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, but the Marietta resident said he has not made a decision.
Johnson, R-6th, said a national executive search firm recently made him aware of the opportunity to become Youngstown State’s president.
“I wasn’t looking for another job, because I love serving the people of Eastern Ohio,” he said in an emailed statement. “When I was approached about leading this great university, with student success at the forefront, and helping to prepare the next generation of Americans to lead, I listened.”
A release from the university on Thursday said the board gave authorization for negotiation to begin with Johnson for an agreement of employment.
“Congressman Johnson is a strong, innovative, servant leader who we believe will be well positioned to guide the university as we take charge of our future,” said Michael Peterson, chairman of the YSU Board of Trustees. “The Presidential Search Guidance Committee, working with executive search firm Witt/Kiefer, did a great job identifying a highly qualified individual who will be able to position YSU for a vibrant future.”
If he accepts the job, Johnson would succeed interim President Helen K. Lafferty, who took over Feb. 1 following the departure of Jim Tressel, the former national championship-winning head football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes who had served as Youngstown State’s president since 2014.
Johnson was elected to the House in 2010 and has lived in Marietta for a portion of his tenure. He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel after 26 years of service and helped establish two information technology-related businesses before serving as chief information officer of a global manufacturer of highly engineered electronic components for the transportation industry in northeast Ohio, according to his Congressional bio.
“I continue to be honored and humbled to serve the men and women of Eastern Ohio in Congress, and if I determine this opportunity to lead YSU is a good fit, I’ll have a very difficult decision to make,” he said in his emailed statement. “In the meantime, my focus will remain on representing Eastern Ohio in the U.S. House.”
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
[ad_2]
Source link