Alumni officers set year's goals

The new president of the Alumni Association wants to get inactive alumni involved with Marshall, and he has four more new officers to help him with that goal.

The alumni association board of directors elected Jeffrey A. Porter as president during their spring meeting. Porter's term will last two years.

Porter is a native of Huntington and a 1977 graduate of Marshall with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is a certified public accountant and president of Porter and Associates.

Most recently, Porter was the first vice president of the Marshall University Alumni Association and has served on the board since 1994.

"I am excited about the opportunities for the association to grow just like the university has," Porter said.

Porter said some of his goals over the next two years include increasing active membership in the alumni association and creating more activities for alumni. Porter said that only 9-10 percent of Marshall alumni are active, and that percentage needs to be raised.

"We were looking for someone who is a leader and can increase alumni membership and participation and we felt Jeff could help us do that," said Sam Stanley, assistant vice president of alumni relations.

Working 60-65 hours a week as a self-employed CPA makes time a concern, but Porter said he will be able to serve effectively as president.

The elected officers chosen by the board will serve one-year terms. They are Martha Hill, a 1975 Marshall graduate from Charleston, first vice president; Selby Litton, a 1973 Marshall graduate from Huntington,second vice president; Debbie Lewis, a 1982 Marshall graduate from Huntington, treasurer, and Jack Blevins, a 1964 graduate from Huntington-secretary.

Outgoing president George Lambros, a 1977 graduate of Marshall, will continue on the board of directors as immediate past president.

New board members elected by active alumni to serve a three-year term, effective July 1, 2000, are Mike Graybeal, a 1974 Marshall graduate from Huntington; Olive Hager, a 1957 Marshall graduate from Hamlin, W.Va; Jim Conrad, a 1958 Marshall graduate from Sidney, Ohio; Jim Summers, a 1970 Marshall graduate from Atlanta and Anne Mullarky, a 1952 Marshall graduate from Huntington.

This is Mullarky's second term on the board, while Hager has served the past year as the College of Education's representative.