News

Bob Klonk

NEOMED Board of Trustees Elects Klonk as Chair

The NEOMED Board of Trustees welcomed Robert J. Klonk as its new chair during the University’s quarterly trustees meeting, Sept. 13, 2017.  Klonk is the CEO of the Oswald Companies—an insurance brokerage firm based in Cleveland. He has served on the board since December 2013 and as vice chair before being elected to his new position.

As an active and engaged trustee, Klonk’s leadership and experience, particularly in investments and health care, have played a key role in NEOMED’s continued efforts to provide a quality and affordable health care education to the University’s students.

“Northeast Ohio Medical University will benefit greatly by having Robert Klonk as the chair of the Board of Trustees,” said Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of NEOMED. “His expertise, knowledge of health care reform and success in business will assist in leading the University to new heights.”

Klonk has more than 30 years of benefits and risk management experience and is an 18-year veteran of Oswald Companies, one of the nation’s largest independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage firms based in Cleveland, Ohio.  Currently serving as chief executive officer, with previous roles as the company’s president and chief sales officer, Klonk has developed several national group purchasing programs and preferred risk pools that incorporate many innovative risk reduction strategies that consistently beat market trends and pricing.

Known for his thought leadership in the areas of employee benefits, insurance and health care reform, Klonk serves as a board member of Assurex Global, an exclusive Partnership of the most prominent independent agents and brokers in the world, and as a board member of the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB). In addition to Northeast Ohio Medical University, his commitment to the community is evident in his engagement on the boards of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Business Volunteers Unlimited and several other nonprofits with which he has held positions throughout his career.

As a mark of his success and visionary approach, in 2013, Klonk was recognized as one of the Top 100 “Insurance Industry Game Changers,” by Leader’s Edge Magazine and CIAB, honoring the most influential industry leaders of the past century.

The NEOMED Board of Trustees also elected a new vice chair, Paul R. Bishop, J.D., who serves as chairman and CEO of H-P Products, Inc., located in Louisville, Ohio.

About Oswald Companies

Founded in 1893, Cleveland-based and employee-owned, Oswald is one if the nation’s largest independent insurance brokerage firms. As a proud member of Assurex Global, the worlds’ largest association of privately held insurance brokers, our risk management team can service and support the needs of our clients worldwide. Learn more at www.OswaldCompanies.com.

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.