The search committee for Kent State’s new president was announced today, five months after President Lester Lefton announced his retirement effective July 1, 2014.

The committee includes both campus and community members, some of whom are Kent State alumni. Two Kent State students — one graduate and one undergraduate — are also on the committee.

The committee members are:

• Richard Marsh, ’73, chair, Board of Trustees

• Michael Allen, ’10, executive chair, Graduate Student Senate; Ph.D. candidate, geography

• Richard Coe, ’77, president and chief executive officer, Portage Community Bank

• Dennis Eckart, vice chair, Presidential Search Committee; vice chair, Board of Trustees; principal, North Shore Associates

• Paul Farrell, Ph.D., chair, Faculty Senate; professor of computer science

• Rev. Ronald Fowler, ’59, special assistant to the president, community engagement; chair, Diversity Advisory Board

• Lee Fox-Cardamone, Ph.D., associate professor, psychology, Stark Campus; executive committee, Faculty Senate

• Thomas Janson, D.M.A., professor and coordinator of graduate studies, music; past chair and member, Faculty Senate

• Joel Nielsen, director of intercollegiate athletics

• Amish Patel, executive director, Undergraduate Student Government; communications studies major

• Susan Roxburgh, Ph.D., associate professor, sociology; member, Faculty Senate

• David Ruller, city manager, City of Kent

• Maria Schneider, ’86, president, Alumni Association National Board of Directors; alumni board representative, Foundation Board of Directors; managing consultant-premier segment, institutional relationships, TIAA-CREF

• Deborah Spake, Ph.D., dean, College of Business Administration

• Susan Stocker, ’84, Ph.D. ’07, dean, Kent State University at Ashtabula; interim dean, College of Nursing

• Jerry Sue Thornton, Ph.D., president emeritus, Cuyahoga Community College

The committee will be aided in by Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, an executive search firm. Storbeck/Pimentek was selected from nine firms.

Those wanting more information can visit www.kent.edu/presidentialsearch. The web page also contains an online survey for community members to participate.

Open forums will be held for the presidential search, the first of which will be at 3 p.m. Aug. 20 in the Kiva. An open forum for regional campuses will be held at 1 p.m. the same day. Nominations can be sent to [email protected].

Contact Rebecca Reis at [email protected].