Office of the President

Dr. Melissa J. Baumann is Ohio Northern University’s 12th president. Since becoming president in July 2022, shortly after the conclusion of the University’s sesquicentennial celebration that focused on furthering its legacy of success, she has committed to supporting ONU’s mission and vision by strengthening its strategic plan and branding to enhance the institution’s already illustrious programs and to realign other programming with current and future workforce needs.

From 2017 to 2021, President Baumann was provost and chief academic officer at Xavier University, a private Jesuit Catholic university, where she was responsible for overseeing the academic colleges and departments such as student affairs, Title IX, information technology, campus housing, academic planning, and community inter-faith initiatives. Under her direction, Xavier saw great success, such as the expansion of its nursing program in 2019 and strategic budgeting and planning operations enhancement. She also held the rank of professor in Xavier’s Department of Physics.

President Baumann has more than 30 years of higher education experience. She began her faculty career at Michigan State University where she taught materials science and engineering and focused on research on biomaterials and tissue engineering. She began her administrative career as the associate dean for the MSU Honors College. Prior to her work at Xavier, she was an assistant provost and head of the Honors College at Auburn University and a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department from 2013 to 2017.

Throughout her career, President Baumann has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. She has served her profession on numerous editorial boards, as a reviewer for research journals in her field, and has been a frequently invited presenter on her research activities, student achievement and success, and promoting women in the STEM disciplines. She actively works to promote the integration of teaching and research into the undergraduate experience and is the recipient of multiple teaching and mentoring awards.

A Mansfield, Ohio native, President Baumann, who is Ohio Northern University’s first female president, was also a first-generation college student and is a first-generation American. She earned a Ph.D. and a Master of Science degree in materials science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering at Michigan Technological University.

President Baumann’s administrative goals have focused on balancing academic innovation, student success, and access with budgetary realities and shifts in the landscape of higher education. Her proactive approaches at Ohio Northern are intended to bolster the University’s position as an innovative, service-oriented school where students can gain the tools to realize their dreams and exceed their goals, and families see a strong return on their investment in a college education.

Juliet K. Hurtig serves as ONU's chief academic officer and as an executive leader with the president and vice president for financial affairs in the University’s budget development and strategic planning. In addition to all academic programs, Hurtig oversees the University libraries, the registrar, information technology, institutional research, grants and sponsored research, multiple support centers, and University accreditation. She also assists the president in working closely with the Board of Trustees and her cabinet. Hurtig joined the faculty of Ohio Northern University’s College of Engineering in 2000 and became assistant dean for admissions and advising in 2003. She was appointed to the Office of Academic Affairs in 2009, and has held numerous responsibilities in the office since. Hurtig earned her Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Ohio Northern University, and her Master of Science and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University.  A licensed professional engineer in the state of Ohio, her research interests focus mainly on education pedagogy and nonlinear system identification. Hurtig currently serves as a volunteer with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, and is active in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Jason Broge, vice president for financial affairs, was appointed to his position in July 2020. He has held financial management and leadership positions in colleges and universities that vary in size and control. Prior to coming to ONU, Broge was vice president of business services and the CFO of Kirtland Community College in Grayling, Mich., a position he held from 2010-20. Prior to his work at Kirtland, he held financial positions at Eastern Michigan University, Lourdes University and Adrian College. In his roles at those institutions, Broge provided leadership for budgeting, operations, human resources, capital projects, borrowing and credit issues, auxiliary services, and master planning. Broge has a BS in business administration with an accounting major from Central Michigan University and an MA in organizational leadership from Siena Heights University, and he also is a certified public accountant (CPA).

William Eilola has been vice president for enrollment management at Ohio Northern University since April 2015. Prior to joining Ohio Northern University, he served as vice president for enrollment services at Lake Superior State University  and dean of enrollment services at Gannon University. He also spent 12 years in the Grand Valley State University admissions office and two years in private industry at Ford Motor Company. Eilola received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Michigan Technological University and his Master of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University.

Lisa Lang has been Vice President and General Counsel at Ohio Northern University since November 2022. Prior to joining Ohio Northern University, she served as the General Counsel for Kentucky State University (KSU). Prior to coming to KSU, she first worked in private practice specializing in insurance defense for a law firm in Louisville. In 2008, Lang transitioned into the public sector to work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the Office of the Attorney General as an Assistant Attorney General and then for the Kentucky Department of Education serving in various in-house roles beginning in 2011 until 2017 when she became KSU’s General Counsel. Lang earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Eastern Illinois University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. 

Ye "Solar" Hong serves as the inaugural Chief Belonging, Inclusion and Diversity Officer to bring expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion to all functional areas and units of the University, with the purpose of motivating the ONU campus community to move toward the shared vision of fostering and enhancing the best experiences for students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. 

Hong has acquired multiple years of progressive experience working in DEI areas in higher education. Her work has largely included developing and implementing DEI programs, training and assessments for the campus community. Hong has a great passion for and experience in serving marginalized, underrepresented and underserved students, including but not limited to BIPOC and international students, LGBTQ+ students, non-traditional and first-generation students, etc. In addition to multicultural areas, Hong also has solid experiences in intercollegiate athletics, campus recreation, advising, instructional technology, brand marketing and other functional areas in higher education. 

Hong has a BA in English for international finance from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China, and earned her Master of Business Administration, Master of Sports Administration and Ph.D. in higher education from Ohio University. Prior to coming to ONU, Hong served as director of diversity, equity and inclusion for both Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minn.

Shannon Spencer, vice president for university advancement, leads development, alumni relations, advancement services, and communications and marketing. Prior to joining ONU in July 2015, she served as assistant vice president for development, director of annual giving, interim director of stewardship and assistant director of annual giving at Bowling Green State University. Before advancement, she worked in academic affairs and student affairs, coordinating student services for the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan and serving as an advisor in the Career Center and program coordinator in the Office of Service-Learning at BGSU. She has taught undergraduate courses in career development, career implementation, and citizenship and community engagement. She holds a master’s degree in college student personnel and an undergraduate degree in English from BGSU.

Adriane Thompson-Bradshaw is vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Ohio Northern University. She joined Ohio Northern in August 1987 and, since that time, has served as director of programming, director of minority affairs, founding director of the Office of Multicultural Development, director of McIntosh Center, assistant dean of students and associate dean of students. She serves as advisor to the Student Senate, advisor/director of the ONU Gospel Ensemble and works with several other student organizations. Thompson-Bradshaw earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech/mass media from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., a Master of Arts in popular culture from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in American culture studies from Bowling Green State University.

Lynda Nyce, associate provost for academic affairs and director of student success, has primary areas of responsibility for retention and student-success planning, global/intercultural initiatives, and other initiatives within academic affairs. In 2019, Nyce was tasked with building the new Student Success Center. She came to Ohio Northern University in 2013 as director of global academic initiatives. Prior to joining ONU, she was professor of sociology, director of cross-cultural programs, and chair of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Bluffton University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Goshen College and her master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology at the University of Notre Dame.

Dave Kielmeyer, executive director of university communications and marketing, oversees the university’s branding, marketing and communications efforts. Kielmeyer joined ONU in 2023 after stints as the associate vice president of marketing and communications at Cleveland State University and as the chief marketing and communications officer at Bowling Green State University. Prior to his career in higher education, he was vice president of account services for FLS Marketing, a Toledo marketing and public relations firm, where he provided counsel on branding, advertising, marketing, and public relations to a broad range of corporate, nonprofit and civic clients.  Kielmeyer holds a master’s degree in communications and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from BGSU.

Stacey Lowery Bretz, dean of the Getty College of Arts & Sciences, is a passionate advocate for creating highly collaborative environments for student success. Before coming to ONU in 2023, she held numerous positions at Miami University, most recently as the inaugural executive fellow in the Office of the President and director of special projects in the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success. Bretz held the rank of University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Miami University and is internationally recognized for her expertise in developing student assessments. She is a prolific presenter and author of peer-reviewed articles. Bretz earned her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Chemistry from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. She completed post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley.

John C. Navin, dean of the Dicke College of Business Administration, was formerly dean of the School of Business at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). A native of Bowling Green, Ohio, Navin earned his BSBA in economics from Bowling Green State University and his MA and Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University. He joined SIUE in 1991, where he rose through the faculty ranks and served in several leadership positions, including undergraduate program director in economics and finance as well as chair of the Department of Economics and Finance.

John-David “J-D” Yoder, dean of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering, earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame. After being an entrepreneur and then working for a global company focused on automation and machining, he joined Ohio Northern in 2001. He has been heavily involved with ASEE (the American Society for Engineering Education) and KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network), and currently serves as chair of the Ohio Engineering Deans Council. He has served as a faculty fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and an invited professor at INRIA Rhone-Alpes, Monbonnot, France. Research interests include computer vision, mobile robotics, intelligent vehicles, entrepreneurship and engineering education. Yoder is credited as an inventor on 11 patents, has more than 50 publications, and has led grants totaling more than $5 million.

Charles H. Rose III, dean of the Pettit College of Law, served on active duty in the United States Army for 20 years prior to joining ONU, including time as an enlisted soldier, intelligence officer, and Judge Advocate. Upon his retirement he  joined the faculty at Stetson University College of Law where he led their nationally recognized Trial Advocacy Program, maintaining their no. 1 ranking in trial advocacy for 12 years. Rose is an expert in trial advocacy, evidence, persuasion theory, skills teaching pedagogy, criminal procedure, ethics and military law. He is a prolific author and lecturer in these fields and has presented to audiences worldwide.

Stuart Beatty, dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy, graduated with distinction from ONU’s Raabe College in 2003. Prior to becoming dean in 2023, he was professor of clinical pharmacy at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He was the first pharmacist to practice within the OSU General Internal Medicine clinics, where he developed pharmacy services, educated medical residents and student pharmacists, and trained pharmacy residents. Beatty’s expertise includes all aspects of ambulatory clinical and operational practice. He has been leading Ohio’s provider status implementation efforts in partnership with the Ohio Pharmacists Association and written publications and given numerous presentations on the importance of pharmacist-provided care aligning with clinical initiatives and value-based payment models.