About Ohio State Mansfield

Mansfield Board

The Mansfield Board assists the Dean and Director in promoting campus priorities, maintaining key relationships with external constituencies, serving as an advocate for the campus and the university with the state legislature and state and local agencies, and ensuring effective coordination with the co-located technical board and with the Columbus campus through service on Columbus-based councils and committees. The Mansfield Board offers advice and guidance on the strategic plan, master campus plan, safety and security plans and on matters relating to the budget, capital projects, tuition and fee proposals and other issues.

The Ohio State University Mansfield Board includes one position for an Ohio State student. Student responsibilities can be found in the Office of Academic Affairs Policies & Procedures Handbook under Regional Campus Boards, Sections 1.0 - 1.7, pages 2 - 5, at https://oaa.osu.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/handbooks/policies-and-procedures/HB1-4.pdf

Meetings of the Mansfield Board
4:30 to 6:00 p.m. - Eisenhower Memorial Center Board Room

  • September 21, 2023
  • November 16, 2023
  • March 21, 2024
  • May 16, 2024

Alexus Barry was appointed as the 2024-25 Student Board Member on the Ohio State Mansfield Board. She works at Friendly House with underprivileged youth in its after-school program, is a Resident Advisor at Molyet Village Apartments, and was selected to serve as a Buckeye Ambassador at Ohio State Mansfield.  In all these experiences, she engages with students assisting them with transitioning to college life, succeeding academically, and representing this campus. She is a graduate of Ontario High School and is majoring in social work.

headshot of kelly blay

Kelly Blay (Vice-Chair) joined the Mansfield Board in 2017 after 25 years of highly successful sales and operations experience in the telecommunication industry. She received the BS in Finance from The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business and the MBA in Marketing from Bowling Green State University. She is currently a member of the faculty in the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Kelly is a Faculty Advisor for Pi Sigma Epsilon, and an active community leader with a substantial record of board and volunteer service. She is a past winner of The Ohio State University’s Pacesetter Award and Buckeye Leadership Award, Wooster’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Director Award, the Governor’s Ohio Reads Award, a recipient of the YWCA’s Tribute to Women in Industry Award, and more.

headshot of chris brown

Christopher Lake Brown Chris is the Deputy Law Director for his hometown, the City of Mansfield, Ohio. As a municipal government attorney, he sees a variety of state and local government law issues including §1983 claims, labor and employment disputes, public records law, zoning and planning, and real estate issues including transfers of city-owned land and foreclosures.

Chris is active in the ABA, Ohio State Bar Association, and his local bar association. He is currently Chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, a Past-Chair of the OSBA Young Lawyers Section, and Immediate Past-President of the Richland County Bar Association. He also serves in the ABA House of Delegates, the OSBA Board of Governors, and is active in the Ohio Municipal Attorneys Association. In 2016, he was awarded the ABA Section of State and Local Government Law’s Jefferson B. Fordham Up & Comer Award. Chris earned his B.A. in English from The Ohio State University and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

When he’s not practicing law, Chris can be found spending time reading and watching movies with his wife Rachel and their three dogs Bella, Birdee, and Carla. He also enjoys traveling and being outdoors running, hiking, and cycling. Chris is committed to public service and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Richland County, Ohio and the Richland County OSU Alumni Association Board.

Renda Cline, Secretary

Renda Cline (Chair) is currently the President of the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education. She earned the Bachelor of Science in Allied Healthcare Management from Franklin University and is a Recovery Manager at CareStar. Some of her previous work experience includes work at Kindred Hospital Central Ohio, and as an Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education at North Central State College. She has a heart for service as evidenced by being a Girl Scout leader, Boy Scout den mother, past member of the Tyger Booster Club, PTO President, and currently Leader of Women of Destiny in addition to other service commitments to her church.

Nicholas Gesouras

Nicholas Gesouras joined the Mansfield Board on July 1, 2018. A long-time area resident, he is the Senior Vice President of Trust Services at Mechanics Bank. Active in the community, he currently chairs the Richland County Board of Development Disabilities and the Mansfield-Richland Area Education Foundation, and serves on the boards of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center, and several more organizations. He holds the BSBA in Marketing and International Business and the MBA in Finance from Bowling Green State University, completing his education at the Graduate Trust School, at Northwestern University. A Certified Financial Services Counselor, he has also taught at Midwest Trust Schools.

headshot of michele gorman

Michele S. Gorman is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education earned entirely at Ohio State Mansfield. Married with two children, she is co-founder of the Richland School of Academic Arts and currently serves as the school’s Principal. She explains, “I believe our greatest asset in our society is our children. I have dedicated my life to making sure that all children have the opportunity to receive an education filled with rigor, surrounded by the beauty of the arts, and taught by loving educators.” These values are strongly evident in her years of professional experience not only with the Richland School of Academic Arts but also with the Richland Academy and Discovery School. Her extensive community service includes serving on the Boards of the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program, the Children’s Theatre Foundation, Richland Academy, Pioneer Performing Arts Academy, and the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum. One of her personal accomplishments is earning her private pilot’s license in 2009.

Amy Goyal headshot

Amy Goyal joined the Mansfield Board on July 1, 2023 after relocating back to Richland County with her family. Prior to relocating, Amy served as Assistant Vice President in the Office of Government Affairs at The Ohio State University where she represented the university before state legislative and state executive branch officials and managed events, projects, and programs involving external stakeholders. In the community, Amy served on the Board of Trustees for Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) and provided mentoring, advocacy, and fundraising support for women in leadership programming at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Amy received both her undergraduate and graduate degree from The Ohio State University.

Col. Kenneth Kmetz is the Deputy Wing Commander at the Air National Guard’s newly commissioned 179th Cyberspace Wing. His extensive 179th career (formerly as an Airlift Wing) includes leadership roles in the Support Group, Services Flight, Security Forces Squadron, Force Support Squadron, and Maintenance Group. He also served as the Maintenance Group Commander the 121st Air Refueling Wing in Columbus, OH. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with the B.A. in Psychology from The Ohio State University, holds the Associate of Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force, and attended the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base for Senior Development Education.

 Professional affiliations include the National Guard Association of the United States, the Ohio National Guard Association, AMVETS Life Member, Air Force Associate Life Member, and Board member of the Friends of the 179th which supports Family Readiness activities.

 He is the recipient of five Meritorious Service Medals, the last issued by the President of the United States by Executive Order, and is a recipient of The Ohio State University – Mansfield Alumni Hall of Fame Award.

 Married with two children, he and his wife reside in Ontario, OH.

Zoi Romanchuk, small business owner of PR Machine Works and Slick Automated Solutions, Inc., is serving her second three-year term on The Ohio State University Mansfield Board. She and husband, Mark, are long-time residents of this area. She holds the BA and MA in Slavic Languages and Literature from UCLA and has previous work experience as an International Admissions Officer at USC and as Senior Russian translator with the US Department of Defense. She is extremely active in workforce development activities on the local, state, and national levels. Just a few of her service commitments include being a member of the Ohio Manufacturer's Association, the Mansfield Military Affairs Group, Vice Chair of the Regional Manufacturing Coalition, national board member of Women in Manufacturing, and as past national Chair of the National OneVoice Manufacturing Government Affairs Committee. She is the past winner of the TWIN Award, and the Chamber Extraordinary Leadership Award, and is the 2020 ATHENA Leadership Award winner.

Marcella Smith is the Chief Administrative Officer at Ohio Mutual Insurance Group in Bucyrus, Ohio where she serves on the Senior Executive team and leads the Human Resources, Continuous Improvement, and Project Management teams.  She graduated from the Ohio State Mansfield campus with the B.S. in Early and Middle Childhood Education and also holds the MBA in Executive Management from Ashland University.  

Her community involvement includes serving on the boards of The Ohio State University Center for Operational Excellence (Columbus) and the Renaissance Performing Arts Association (Mansfield), and as an advisory Board Member for the Richland County Foundation’s Connection Fund, the Ohio Education and Workforce Development, and Ohio Insuring Ohio Futures boards in Columbus.

She is a recipient of the YWCA’s Tribute to Women in Industry Award and past awardee of The Ohio State University Mansfield’s 2021 Alumni Hall of Fame Award.  Married with two children, she and her husband reside in Ontario, OH.