The Post breaks down the top officials and representatives in Athens and at Ohio University that each person should know.
If there are any officials Ohio University students need to know, it’s the ones creating the rules that govern students lives. From city legislatures to the administrators that keep the university running, The Post has compiled a list of the top people Bobcats should know of while they call Athens home.
Ohio University
Roderick McDavis
Ohio University President
2014-15 Salary: $465,000
Email: mcdavis@ohio.edu
Twitter: @OHIOPrezOffice
Roderick McDavis stepped into the position of OU’s president in 2004, but he’d been affiliated with OU for much longer.
McDavis was an undergraduate student at the university and received his bachelor’s degree in social sciences in secondary education from OU in 1970.
McDavis went on to earn his doctorate degree at the University of Toledo, and he was previously the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University before he became OU’s president, according to McDavis’s curriculum vitae.
McDavis’s office is in Cutler Hall on College Green, and his job is to lead the university and oversee its operations.
Up until March of this year, McDavis lived at 29 Park Place near the center of OU’s campus. However, after the discovery of bats which infested the house, McDavis and his wife were relocated to an off-campus residence, 31 Coventry Lane, through a lease-to-buy agreement made by the university. Currently, however, it doesn’t seem that McDavis will be living there for long, as Stephen Golding, a top OU financial administrator, announced April 13 that he will not recommend the Board of Trustees and the OU Foundation to purchase the new home.
Pam Benoit
Executive Vice President and Provost
2014-15 Salary: $287,466
Email: benoit@ohio.edu
Pam Benoit started working at Ohio University as its executive vice president and provost in 2009.
Benoit was previously a faculty member at Bowling Green State University and an administrator at the University of Missouri.
As executive vice president and provost, her job is to report to the president and oversee academic programs, university budget planning, and research. She also oversees OU’s vice presidents and provosts.
Benoit is currently the sole finalist for the position of chancellor at the University of Colorado Denver, and may be leaving Athens if she accepts the position.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="ce545946-058d-11e5-869c-c3be7e449570"}}
Ryan Lombardi
Vice President for Student Affairs
2014-15 Salary: $213,262
Email: lombardi@ohio.edu
Twitter: @OHIOVP
Ryan Lombardi was appointed Vice President for Student Affairs at OU in 2012. He started working at the university in 2008, serving as the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
Lombardi received a doctorate degree in higher education administration at the University of North Carolina in 2013.
Additionally, he leads the Division of Student Affairs and oversees student resources and services.
Jenny Hall-Jones
Dean of Students
2014-15 Salary: $134,583
Email: hallj1@ohio.edu
Twitter: @JennyHallJones
Jenny Hall-Jones is Ohio University's Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, and has spent her entire career at OU.
She received her undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees all at OU, and started working here as a Resident Assistant in her second year of college.
She has been serving as Dean of Students since 2013, where she administers the operation of Student Affairs departments such as the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility and the Career and Leadership Development Center.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="80825614-fd81-11e4-b530-3fe54e03f273"}}
Gabby Bacha
President of Student Senate
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Email: gb019611@ohio.edu
Twitter: @gabster_radster
Gabby Bacha was recently elected Student Senate President on April 16, and sworn into office April 22, at the last student senate meeting of the year.
Bacha ran for the SOS ticket in the election, which won all but four of the total 34 senate seats.
She was previously a South Green Senator for Student Senate, and will work alongside next year’s vice president, Jared Ohnsman, and treasurer, Hannah Clouser.
As president, Bacha receives a full-tuition scholarship.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="6d15f992-fdbc-11e4-b303-cbd58a298ed7"}}
Athens
Paul Wiehl
Athens Mayor
Salary: $78,130
Email: pwiehl@ci.athens.oh.us
Elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012, Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl only has a few months left in office before he steps down in 2016. But until then, Wiehl is still tasked with the role of running the city and serving as the city’s executive branch.
Wiehl, who was born in New York City, came to Athens after graduating from Marietta College. In Athens, he worked as a lab technician for OU.
Before becoming mayor, he served as an at-large member of Athens City Council for four years.
Chris Knisely
City Council President
Salary: $9,469.20
Email: cknisely@ci.athens.oh.us
Athens City Council, the city’s legislative branch, is responsible for many of the decisions that affect students. Chris Knisely serves at the helm of that body as Council President, leading the group’s weekly meetings.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="b882f144-fd78-11e4-af3d-bf6f6613cf29"}}
She has served in the role since January, and before that she served as an at-large councilwoman since 2008.
Knisely received her master's degree in public administration from OU in 1999.
Tom Pyle
Police Chief
Salary: $67,010
Email: tpyle@ci.athens.oh.us
The Athens Police Department, Ohio University Police Department and Sheriff’s Office all help to ensure the safety of students and citizens alike in Athens.
Tom Pyle has been the head of the Athens Police Department since 2011.
He began working as a patrol officer for APD in 1989, following in the footsteps of his father who worked at OUPD.
George McCarthy and Pat Lang
County Common Pleas Court Judges
Salaries: $121,350
Emails: gmccarthy@athensoh.org, plang@athensoh.org
If students find themselves in trouble during their time at Ohio University, odds are they’ll find themselves at the Athens Municipal Court, which handles minor misdemeanors. But if they find themselves in slightly more serious situations, they may have to appear before Judges George McCarthy or Pat Lang.
The Common Pleas Court Judges handle all criminal felony cases.
McCarthy graduated law school from Ohio Northern University in 1990 has served as a Common Pleas Judge since 2013.
Lang, formerly the City Law Director, graduated from OU in 1999 with a law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2003 and became a judge earlier this year. Lang also served on Athens City Council during his undergraduate years at OU.
Lisa Eliason
Law Director
Salary: 67,886
Email: leliason@ci.athens.oh.us
Lisa Eliason became the city’s first female law director in February after Pat Lang was inaugurated as Common Pleas Court Judge.
She not only provides legal counsel to city employees, but she also represents the city and its citizens as prosecutor in misdemeanor cases.
Eliason graduated from OU in 1976 and got her law degree from the University of Dayton in 1987.
@AlxMeyer
am095013@ohio.edu
@wtperkins
wp198712@ohio.edu
