Eight new and returning members bring strong business and education backgrounds to Board of Trustees

GREENVILLE, Pa.—The Thiel College Board of Trustees recently added eight new members. The Board of Trustees adopts rules, regulations and policies governing Thiel College. Board members serve three-year terms and can serve up to three successive terms.

New and returning members:

• John Barr ’70, of Pittsford N.Y., is a partner of Blue Lake Associates, LTD—a business research and marketing consulting firm. Barr graduated from Thiel College in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. He was fundraising chair for the United States Olympic Committee Northeast Region. Barr was named 2013 Executive of the Year by the Rochester Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Barr is a returning member. He served the board previously from 2013-2016.
• Ed Bartko ’72, H’16, of Daniel Island S.C., graduated from Thiel College in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and was awarded an honorary degree from Thiel in 2016. Bartko was a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and retired in 2002. He is an independent board member for LOGIX Communications headquartered in Houston, Texas. He was a Trustee from 1994-2003 and from 2007-2013.
• Jane Bittcher ’80, of Pittsburgh, is vice president of development and president of Lutheran SeniorLife Foundation. Bittcher graduated from Thiel College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. She spent 32 years in the banking industry and financial services industry before taking her current role in 2016.
• Dominic Dionisio ’72, of Erie Pa., is a 1972 graduate of Thiel College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and accounting. After 28 years with General Electric, he became the chief financial officer at Bliley Electronics, a manufacturer of precision frequency control products and its subsidiary Sunburst Electronics, an electronic contract manufacturer, and remained there until his retirement in the fall of 2017.
• Chip Dufala ’92, of Naperville, Ill., graduated from Thiel College in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics, and from the Harvard University Advanced Management Program in 2015. He joined Kemper Corp. in July 2016 as president of the property and casualty division. He was a Trustee from 2010-2016.
• Alan Fager, Ed.D. ’69, of York Pa., spent his professional life in education. He graduated from Thiel College in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and received his master’s degree at Shippensburg State University in 1974 and a doctoral degree from Temple University. He is a retired superintendent from the Fox Chapel School District and taught at California University of Pennsylvania. He was a Trustee from 2007-2016.
• Mark Marmo ’93, of Harmony, Pa., is a 1993 graduate of Thiel College with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and accounting. He is president and chief executive officer for Deep Well Systems, an oil field service company in Zelienople, Pa.
• Matt Saur, J.D. ’11, of New York, N.Y., graduated from Thiel College in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in international business and business administration. He is a corporate associate at the law firm of King & Spalding in New York City. Saur has formed—along with his brother and fellow Thiel alumnus, David ’11—the Saur Brothers Scholarship at Thiel.

The College also expresses its gratitude to outgoing Board of Trustees members Lewis Carbone ’71, Ronald Owen ’71, John Frangakis and Catherine Mott for their service and commitment to the Board of Trustees.

Related Link

• About the Board of Trustees

Related Story

• New Wilmington health care executive newest member of Thiel College Board of Trustees (February 6, 2017)

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About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.