Member Profiles

A YSU alumna, Dr. Sergul A. Erzurum, who also is a surgeon and owner of the Center for Advanced Eye Surgery in Poland, Ohio, will serve a term that starts June 27, 2022, and runs through April 30, 2031. She replaces Atty. James E. “Ted” Roberts, whose term has expired. Co-founder of Sight for All United and the founder of Doctors for Sight, Dr. Erzurum earned a bachelor’s degree in Combined Science from YSU in 1984 and a doctorate in Medicine from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 1988. She did her ophthalmology residency at Northwestern University in Chicago and pediatric fellowship at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She is currently a full professor and master teacher at the Northeast Ohio Medical University and a clinical associate professor at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She also served as chair of the Division of Ophthalmology at Northside Hospital in Youngstown until 2018 and as vice chair of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, a national research group. She has a long list of research activities, more than 60 publications and presentations and extensive professional service, including a current member of the Ad Hoc Vision Advisory Board for the Ohio Department of Health. Among her recognitions and awards: National Philanthropy Day Award, Essilor Difference Maker Award, Advocate Award from Akron Children’s Hospital and the Dedicated Service Award from the United Way of the Mahoning Valley. 

Charles T. “Chuck” George is widely regarded as a visionary whose business leadership has helped guide new technology startups, academia and civic and charitable causes throughout the Mahoning Valley. 
Chuck grew up in Brookfield, Ohio, and graduated from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In 1981, he embarked on a career as a certified public accountant at Packer Thomas & Co., where he would serve as the youngest person appointed president of the firm. 
Today Chuck is the owner of Hapco Inc., based in Kent, the world’s largest independently owned extrusion supplier and provider of industrial heat tools. He has also helped to launch three startups related to additive manufacturing. He is the CFO of Big Metal Additive, a leading producer of large-scale additive manufacturing parts for customers in the space, aerospace, maritime, energy, and heavy equipment industries. Additionally, he is the CEO of Strangpresse, a company that specializes in manufacturing extrusion heads for the additive manufacturing industry. 
Chuck is the co-founder and managing partner at Sapientia Ventures LLC, a venture capital firm based in Warren that is invested in media markets, including Youngstown Publishing, Publisher of The Business Journal and It’s All About The Team Podcast with Jim Tressel, electronic waste recycling through the founding of GreenBoard IT, and commercial real estate development as the owner of The West Warren Commercial Business Park. 
Chuck sits on the board of Lake to River Economic Development, where he serves as chair. Since 2018, he has been a trustee and is currently chair of the board at Youngstown State University. He is also the treasurer for the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and serves on the boards of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and BRITE Energy Innovators, and Medici Museum of Art. In addition, he is a member of Senator Moreno’s Economic Council, representing the Youngstown-Eastern Ohio region. 
He previously served on the finance committee of Catholic Healthcare Partners (now Mercy Health Partners), was the finance committee chair of the Youngstown Symphony Society, and the chairman of the Board of Directors at Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology. He also served on the Board of Directors at Team NEO, as President of the Mahoning Valley Chapter of the Ohio Society of Public Accountants, President of the Howland Rotary Club, and President of the Youngstown Community School Board of Directors. 
Chuck has received several awards for his outstanding achievements. In 2018, he was named Entrepreneur of The Year and Business Professional of The Year by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and in 2023 named Business Professional of the Year by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. His commitment to philanthropy has also been recognized. He was awarded the Hunger Champion Award in 2021 by the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley. Chuck’s outstanding performance in the field of business has also earned him the Outstanding Alumnus Award for 2023, presented by the Williamson School of Business at Youngstown State University. In addition, Chuck was recognized with the Eagle Vision Award in 2022 by Sight For All United. 
His wife, Kathleen S. Padgitt, is a medical doctor. They have a son, Alex, who is a computer character animator at Spontaneous Studios, and a daughter, Leigh, who is a manager of eBooks at Harper Collins, both in New York City

Anita A. Hackstedde of Columbiana, Ohio, is president and chief executive officer of Salem Regional Medical Center. Hackstedde earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, from YSU in 1990 and a medical degree from Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1994. She was director of Student Health at YSU from 1998 to 2006. She was named president/CEO of Salem Regional Medical Center in December 2013, after serving as its vice president of Medical Affairs since 2006. Prior to her positions at SRMC, she was in clinical practice in Boardman, Ohio and served as Forum Health Western Reserve Care System’s director of Adolescent Medicine and assistant director of the Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program. Hackstedde has won many awards, including the Distinguished Community Faculty Teaching Award in Pediatrics at Tod Children’s, the Ross Laboratories Peer Award for Excellence in Pediatrics and the Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Award. She is a member of the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center Board and the Rotary Club of Salem. Hackstedde was originally appointed to the board to fill the unexpired term of James B. Greene of Canfield, who died in 2016. She was reappointed to a full nine-year term in 2021. The new term will expire April 2030.

Richard C. Fryda, of Columbiana, Ohio, is president and CEO of Compco Industries. Fryda will serve a term that runs through April 30, 2032. Beginning his career at Compco Industries in 1980, Fryda advanced to become chief operating officer in 2004 and took over his current role as president and CEO in 2007. Fryda is responsible for leading a team that increased annual sales from $12 million in 2004 to approximately $120 million in 2022.
Fryda is involved throughout the community, currently serving as a board member for Potential Development School for Autism, Counseling Center of Columbiana County and Youngstown State University’s Penguin Club, where he is currently serving as president. In the past, he has served as a board member with Salvation Army Mahoning County, United Way of Youngstown & Mahoning Valley, Mahoning County Workforce Development Board, Boardman Community Baseball, Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown and SOD Center of Salem Ohio. The appointment strengthens Fryda’s family ties to YSU. Together, Fryda and his wife Lisa Robinson have several children, several of whom have attended or are currently attending YSU.

Joseph J. Kerola is a third generation executive in the transportation industry and since 1996 the head of PI&I Motor Express, one of the nation’s largest flat-bed, metal hauling companies. Previous positions with PI&I include director of Operations, Sales, Insurance Negotiations and Purchasing, director of Central Dispatch, truck driver, tow motor operator and warehouse inventory control and general grounds maintenance. Kerola also helped start and foster a CDL program with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections for the reintegration of felonious offenders. He’s also worked with the military to provide career opportunities for service members returning to the private sector, resulting in PI&I becoming one of seven companies chosen to participate in a federal pilot program to aid under 21-year-old service members gain approval in interstate commerce. Among his previous and current board memberships: the Health and Welfare Fund Board of both Teams Local 377 and Teamsters Local 92, the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association, the Truckload Carrier Association, the Advisory Board of First National Bank’s Brookfield Office and the Penn State Shenango Advisory Board.

Laura Lyden of North Jackson, Ohio, sales and operations manager and corporate secretary of Lyden Oil Co., was named to the board in 2022. Her term runs through April 30, 2026. Lyden earned a bachelor’s degree in Combined Science and a master’s in Analytical Chemistry from YSU. She previously was manager of Environmental Technology for the YSU-Technology Development Corp., and manager of Environmental and Analytical Services for the YSU Center for Engineering Research and Technology. She then served three years as president of JLT Research Inc., and then seven years as Safety, Health and Environmental manager at True North Management LLC/The Lyden Co. In 2006, Lyden took her current position at Lyden Oil Co., responsible for the daily operations of the Youngstown division that includes 70 employees. Among her community activities: past vice president and community investment chair for the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way and past president and member of the Mahoning County Mental Health Board. The appointment continues the Lyden family’s long association with YSU, which began when Burke Lyden, the great uncle of Paul Lyden, Laura’s husband, founded The Jambar student newspaper at Youngstown College in 1931. Paul’s father, William G. Lyden Jr., played a major role in securing funds to build YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium in the early 1980s and, in 1988, received an honorary degree and delivered the commencement address at Spring graduation. Paul’s brother, Mark, was a member of the YSU Board of Trustees in the 1990s. In 2019, Paul and Laura and the Lyden Oil family were named Penguins of the Year. 

Michael Peterson- Managing Partner & President Global Investigations Cello HR; The Orsus Group, has been reappointed to the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees for a second term beginning June 27, 2025, and ending May 1, 2034. Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from YSU, played on the Penguin football team, and is now a YSU Board of Trustee member. Peterson also holds graduate honors from the Wharton Business School Executive Leadership Program. Peterson has nearly three decades of experience in security consulting, human resources and investigative services, including work as a court investigator, intensive probation supervisor and law enforcement officer. His investigative work in sexual harassment, fraud, corporate espionage, workplace violence, active shooter and ethics violations has taken him to 20 countries across six continents. His civic work includes service to the Department of Homeland Security, the executive board of the National Police Museum, Overseas Advisory Council and Chief Security Officer’s roundtable and a commissioner on the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission.

Atty. Allen L. Ryan of Niles is director of Corporate Affairs for Covelli Enterprises. He was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in Spring 2019 and will serve a nine-year term through April 2028. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from John Carroll University and a juris doctorate from Capital University Law School. At Covelli, he directs the human resources, recruitment and public relations/marketing departments, serves as in-house counsel and manages the company’s worker’s compensation program. He previously was a partner in Ryan and Associates law firm in Niles and an associate at the law firm of Harrington, Hoppe and Mitchell Ltd. in Warren. He is the former campaign manager for his brother, U.S. Rep Tim Ryan, is a member of the Ohio State and Trumbull County bar associations and is president of the board at John F. Kennedy Catholic Schools.

Sterling Williams of Warren, Ohio, a distinguished business leader and dedicated community advocate was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in Spring 2024 and will serve a nine-year term through June 2033. Williams is the proud owner of the Sterling McCullough Williams Funeral Home, a family-owned business with a legacy of over 70 years of service to the Warren and Youngstown areas. In addition to his funeral home business, Williams manages multiple companies including Tax Master Accounting and Tax Services Inc., Twin Realty and Leasing LLC, and Steel Town LLC, among others. Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, Williams has deep roots in the local community. A graduate of The Rayen High School, where he excelled academically and athletically, Sterling went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Miami University in 1977. He furthered his education by obtaining an MBA from Kent State University in 1980. Throughout his career, Williams has demonstrated a deep commitment to community involvement and leadership. He has served on numerous boards including the Youngstown State University Penguins Club; The Western Reserve Port Authority; the Warren-Youngstown Economic Development Committee; Association of Ohio Commodores; The Medici Museum of Art; Community Foundation Hospice Trust of Trumbull County; Visiting Nurses Board of Northeastern, Ohio; and the Frank Bentley Scholarship Foundation. His dedication to service extends to organizations such as the Warren-Trumbull Urban League, Hillside Hospital and local chapters for United Way, Red Cross and the N.A.A.C.P (Trumbull County).

Jocelyne Kollay Linsalata was appointed as a national/global trustee in 2023. She is a two-time graduate of YSU and a Youngstown native. Linsalata earned her BA and MBA from YSU. A longtime member of the YSU Foundation Board of Trustees, Linsalata served the Foundation from 2007-2023. She served as Board Chair for 2017-2019 and she also served as chair of the Foundation’s “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign. Linsalata sits on the Advisory Council for the Williamson College of Business Administration and is a member of the President’s Council. A recipient of YSU’s Friend of the University Award and the Williamson College of Business Administration’s Outstanding Alumni Service Award, Linsalata has provided significant philanthropic support to YSU. Outside of YSU, Linsalata is active in the community. Currently, she is serving as a committee member on the Campaign for Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building and the Committee for Student Success at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and on the Social Concerns Committee at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Gates Mills, Ohio. In the past, she has also volunteered her time and talents in multiple capacities with University Hospitals, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and the Village of Gates Mills. In 2014, Linsalata was recognized by the Cleveland Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as an Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer. Linsalata's term runs unitl 2026.

Eric Spiegel, who serves as a national/global trustee, is the former president and chief executive of Siemens USA and was responsible for growing the U.S. business in the company’s largest market. With over $22 billion in sales including $5.5 billion exports and approximately 60,000 employees in the U.S., Siemens is a global leader in technology and services focusing on the areas of industrial electrification, automation and digitalization. Most recently, Spiegel has been operating as a Special Advisor for General Atlantic, a large, growth-oriented Private Equity Firm. He is also the Executive Chairman of the Board of EN Engineering (a General Atlantic Company), a leading engineering services firm serving the automation, utility and oil and gas industries. He joined Siemens in January 2010 after 25 years of global consulting experience at Booz Allen Hamilton in the Power, Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Water, Retail, Pharmaceuticals and Automotive markets. Spiegel holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and received his A.B. with Honors in Economics from Harvard University. He is a Director of Liberty Mutual Holding Company Inc., Dover Corporation and also the Chairman Emeritus of Ford's Theatre Society Board in Washington. He is a former member of the President’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee and the Commerce Department’s Investment Advisory Council.

Zane Perrico is a graduate of Canfield High School. At YSU, Perrico is a member of the YSU Sokolov Honors College, a Peer tutor in the Resch Academic Success Center, and a YSU Student Senator who served on the Academic Programs Committee, Academic Grievances Board and Calendar and Course Schedule Task Force. Perrico also serves as a student employee and is an undergraduate researcher in the Physics, Astronomy, Geology, and Environmental Science department in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. He is a member of the National Mathematics Honors Society (PME), Phi Kappa Phi, and the American Physical Society. He is also the president of the Society of Physics Students. Perrico, the son of two YSU alumni, replaced Julie Centofanti and will serve a two-year term as a student trustee.

Nadia Zarbaugh of Poland, Ohio has been appointed as a student member to the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees for a term ending May 1, 2027. At YSU, Zarbaugh, a Biological Sciences major, is a member of the YSU Sokolov Honors College and is in the BaccMed program. She is also a representative in the American Medical Women’s Association, American Medical Student’s Association and Sight for All United. An active member of her community, Zarbaugh volunteers at United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Akron Children’s Hospital’s Boardman Campus and Inspiring Service.