Molly Seals, Capri Cafaro appointed to YSU Board of Trustees

Gov. John R. Kasich had made the following appointments to the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees:

·      Molly S. Seals of Canfield, for a term ending April 30, 2024.

·      Capri S. Cafaro of Hubbard, for a term ending June 30, 2026.

Seals replaces Charles Bush, who resigned from the board, while Cafaro replaces Carole Weimer, whose term has expired.

Earlier this month, Kasich appointed Lexi Rager of Bristolville to a two-year term as a student trustee. The board consists of nine members, plus two student members, all appointed by the governor.

Seals is system vice president of Human Resources Program Delivery at Mercy Health Youngstown. She joined Mercy Health in 1999 and served in various roles, including Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Humility of Mary Health Partners; Divisional Vice President of Human Resources for Eastern Division and then for Northeast Division. A member of the first Leadership Academy of Mercy Health, Seals contributed to a number of strategic initiatives at a system level, including Mercy Health’s first Strategic Diversity Plan, first Magnet site recognition in the system and state of Ohio, Mercy Health’s first system-wide RN Retention Initiative, and Mercy College’s first satellite campus. Seals is a member of the board of directors of the Swanston Foundation, Youngstown Area Development Corp. and the Area 17 Workforce Investment Policy Board. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from the University of the State of New York, a master of Business Administration from Bowling Green State University and an Applied Business degree from YSU.

Cafaro served 10 years as a state senator, including as minority leader from 2009 to 2012. She is an executive in residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs in Washington D.C. As a state senator, Cafaro received numerous awards, including Legislator of the Year for the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses, the Ohio Speech and Hearing Association, the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Ohio Am Vets, the Ohio Soy/Corn/Wheat Association and the Ohio Public Children Services Association. She taught a course on U.S. social welfare policy in the graduate Social Work program at YSU. She also previously worked with several nonprofit agencies focusing on the needs of older adults, including the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and Global Action on Aging. Cafaro holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Stanford University, a master’s degree in International Studies from Georgetown University and a master’s of Social Work from Ohio State University.