Governor Kasich Appoints Zelman to NEOMED Board of Trustees

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has appointed Susan Zelman, Ph.D., former executive director, superintendent at the Ohio Department of Education to serve a nine-year appointment as a board trustee at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Her term began Dec. 3, 2018 and ends Sept. 21, 2027

Dr. Zelman, who retired from the Department of Education at the end of 2018, is also president of the Zelman Education Consulting Group. She recently served as senior vice president for education and children’s programming at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting where she developed policies and programs to integrate public service media into a national reform education agenda.

Prior to this position, she was the superintendent of Public Instruction in Ohio, Ohio Department of Education, for 10 years.  During her tenure, the state of Ohio improved from 29th among all states to fifth in the 2009 Education Week Quality Counts Report ― a result of Ohio students increasing their average scores on state tests as well as Ohio high school students outperforming national SAT and ACT averages. Ohio was also named a winner of the Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Prize for Excellence in International Education, citing its innovative programs that prepared Ohio students for the 21st century global market place.

Dr. Zelman also served as deputy commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and as the principal investigator for Partnerships Advancing Learning of Mathematics and Science (PALMS), National Science Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Education.

“We are fortunate to have such an esteemed educator join our board of trustees,” noted Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of NEOMED. “Susan Zelman’s state government and consulting experience will be invaluable as NEOMED continues to have a positive impact as a state university ― graduating health care professionals, expanding workforce development solutions and improving the health of Northeast Ohioans through cutting edge research and relevant commercialization activity.”

Dr. Zelman began her career as a high school teacher and held executive posts at the Missouri and Massachusetts Departments of Education. She chaired the Department of Education at Emmanuel College in Boston and held research appointments at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Columbia Teachers College.  She is the recipient of three honorary degrees and numerous award and grants. Dr. Zelman holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of Michigan and A.B. degree in history from Hunter College

About NEOMED

For more than 40 years, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) has worked in collaboration with its educational, clinical and research partners to successfully train health professionals and medical researchers who serve and impact the region and beyond. The University trains students in a team-based, interprofessional environment and offers Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees, in addition to master’s and doctoral degrees and research opportunities in other medical areas. www.neomed.edu.

###