Four prominent community, regional and national business leaders have joined the Westminster College board of trustees. Each will serve a three-year term.
The new trustees are Jack Baumstark, '67 (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) from St. Louis, Missouri; Kathleen Mazzarella from St. Louis, Missouri; John Panettiere, '59 (Phi Delta Theta) from Eclectic, Alabama; and Rob Price Jr., '65 (Beta Theta Pi) from Lake Charles, Louisiana.
"These are all extremely accomplished business people, representing the highest quality professionals in their respective fields, who also possess a great love for higher education and Westminster in particular," Hal Oakley, chair of the board of trustees, said. "We are both delighted and honored to have their service on Westminster's board of trustees."
Baumstark is the former owner of Archway Sales Inc., a corporation that evolved from a business he started in 1968 and sold in 2014 to Nexeo Solutions for $125 million. He is still active with the company in a consulting role. He is an active supporter of the college's entrepreneurial studies program.
Mazzarella is chairman, president and chief executive officer at Graybar, an employee-owned, FORTUNE 500 distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products headquartered in St. Louis with annual revenues of $6.1 billion. Mazzarella is also the chairman of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.
Price is the president and CEO of Dunham Price Group LLC, a fourth-generation building and contracting firm with annual revenues of $150 million. He received the Westminster Alumni Achievement Award in 2003. He and his wife, Susan, established the Price Leadership Program at the college and the Price Family Annual Scholarship for students from Louisiana.
Panettiere is the president, CEO and chairman of the board of Simmons Outdoor Corporation and president and CEO of Panettiere Consulting Company LLC. Previously, he was president and CEO of Fiat-Allis; chairman, president and CEO of Grove Worldwide Company; and chairman and CEO of Blount International Inc. He received the Westminster Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, followed by an honorary degree in commercial science in 1995.
"I have known these outstanding leaders for some time now and am impressed with their strategic thinking and proven leadership," Westminster President Benjamin Ola. Akande said. "The addition of Jack, Kathy, John and Rob to our Board of Trustees is a tremendous addition to our already strong Board of Trustees. I look forward to their strong contributions and insights."
The Westminster board of trustees exercises the "ultimate institutional authority" in the management of the affairs of the college. Trustees give of their time, talent and resources to safeguard the traditions, assets and values of the college; ensure the college's strategic direction and mission are followed and its enhanced capacity to serve society is met; and provide oversight and guidance for the activities of the College.
The Westminster board of trustees consists of approximately 40 members and meets three times in the fall, winter and spring.