Six community members have been named to the Tuscarawas County University Foundation at at Tuscarawas.
Jim Contini, Jim Demuth, Michael Ernest, Megan Floor, Elizabeth Stephenson and Stephenie Wilson were selected to fill positions on the Tuscarawas County University Foundation, which provides scholarships and supports academic programs and campus projects.
“We are truly honored to have these individuals join this vital board,” said Dr. Bradley A. Bielski, dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. “They each have had successful careers and bring recognized innovative leadership to the foundation.”
Jim Contini, of Dover, is a director of Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A., and currently serves as a member of the firm’s management committee. Contini is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law by the Ohio State Bar Association.
He engages in a number of community activities and community boards. Contini is a graduate of the University of Akron and Case Western Reserve University. He has been recognized by the Ohio Super Lawyers® and Best Lawyers in America® since 2009.
Jim Demuth, of New Philadelphia, is president of Tucson, Inc. He spent the past thirty-plus years working on many projects throughout Ohio and the local community helping to recognize the need for true environmental stewardship and sustainable strategies in the construction industry.
Demuth attended Ohio State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration and his Certified Public Accountant License. Following graduation from OSU, Demuth was a senior accountant for Arthur Anderson & Company in Houston, Texas, primarily in the Oil & Gas Industry.
Michael Ernest, of New Philadelphia, is the Tuscarawas County common pleas judge. He attended at Tuscarawas before completing his Bachelor of Science in journalism from . Ernest obtained his law degree from Cleveland State University.
Previously, Ernest worked as an assistant prosecutor in the City of New Philadelphia’s Prosecutor’s Office, Tuscarawas County Prosecutor’s Office and in the law office of Johnson, Urban and Range LLC. He has been an adjunct instructor at Kent State Tuscarawas and is the owner of The Quaker Cinema.
Megan Floor, of New Philadelphia, is a senior accountant at Novogradac and Co. where she has worked for the last seven years. She graduated from Capital University and began her career in public accounting in Columbus, prior to returning to the area.
Floor has supported various local organizations, including Toys for Tots, the Tuscarawas County Humane Society, the Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Auxiliary, Project Grinch Dust and the Tuscarawas County Clinic for the Working Uninsured, as well as national philanthropies—Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and ANAD.
Elizabeth Stephenson, of New Philadelphia, is the court administrator of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, General Trial Division. She has collaborated closely with the judges organizing and coordinating efforts to establish mediation and drug court programs. Stephenson has been active at the state level with the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Jury Task Force and is on the Rules of Superintendence Commission.
Locally, Stephenson participates in the Tuscarawas County Bar Association and several other community service groups. She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Ohio State University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Stephenie Wilson, of New Philadelphia, is the vice president of human resources at First Federal Community Bank in Dover. She is a graduate and holds a Master of Business Administration from Ashland University. Wilson has a SHRM-CP designation from the Society of Human Resource Management.
She is active in the community, participating in Tuscora Chapter SHRM, Indian Valley Foundation and the Tuscarawas County Community Foundation.
An emeritus status appointment to the Tuscarawas County University Foundation was also made.
“Recently, Doug Ross, president of the foundation board, appointed Roger Lile to honorary emeritus status,” added Bielski. “He served on the foundation board for 22 years—from 1998 to 2020, serving as president and vice president. He was also a member of the board of trustees for 41 years—from 1979 to 2020. We are truly honored he accepted this important designation.”
Current board members include: President Doug Ross, Romig Agency; Vice President Nicole Zesiger, First National Bank of Dennison; Secretary, Becky Mastin, Retired Business Owner; Michael Cochran, Attorney; Robert Espenschied, Retired Banker; Kevin Gray, Lauren International; Brian Hanner, ComDoc; Kiley Kendall, Edward Jones; Nicholas McMillen, Strasburg Savings Bank; Sally O'Donnell, Retired Banker; Joseph Sekely, Architect; Kurt Shelley, FabOhio; Barbara Singhaus, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio; and Robin Waltz, United Way of Tuscarawas County.