(December 7, 2006) Nelsonville, Ohio – Ronald Strickmaker of Athens County has been elected as the new chair for the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s Board of Trustees.
Strickmaker is the Executive vice president, secretary and director of Kerr Companies, a group of wholesale beverage distributorships servicing thirty counties in Ohio with warehouse locations in Athens, Chillicothe and Lorain.
He follows previous chair Marianne Campbell of Gallia County, former executive vice president of the Holzer Foundation for Tri-State Health Care. Strickmaker will serve as chair through 2008.
“I’m a child of upper Appalachia, Tuscarawas County, and my decision to remain in Appalachian Ohio is very important to me,” Strickmaker said. “We all live in a very special place and it’s our responsibility to give back to our communities.”
Strickmaker is past chairman of the National Beer Wholesalers of America, has chaired its Membership Services and Political Action committees and has served on the organization’s education, public affairs, government affairs, planning and management committees. A member of the Wholesale Beer & Wine Associations of Ohio, Ron has held numerous leadership positions, including director, secretary, treasurer, PAC chairman, and president. Strickmaker also serves as director of Ohioans for Responsible Drinking.
“An important goal of mine is to find partnerships in our region to grow our good work. We need to create reasons to encourage our young people to remain in Appalachian Ohio,” he said.
Ron has been involved in various community activities, including the Special Olympics, the Athens Visiting Nurses Association, Athens Rotary, Order of Symporsiarchs and the Athens Chamber of Commerce.
The foundation board also elected and re-elected several other positions at the Nov. 30 board meeting, which took place at the Ohio University Inn in Athens, Ohio. All board officers serve two-year terms.
Jennifer Simon of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce was named as the board’s new vice president; Maribeth Wright, CPA and Partner of Rea & Associates in Cambridge, Ohio, retains her position as secretary; and Robert “Mick” McLaughlin, associate dean at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College, will serve another term as the board’s treasurer.