Wright State University Foundation welcomes new trustees

The Wright State University Foundation has appointed six new trustees to its board, effective July 1, 2023.

“We are honored to welcome these outstanding business and community leaders from the Dayton region and beyond,” said Scott Rash, president and CEO of the Wright State University Foundation. “We appreciate their willingness to volunteer their time and talents to the Wright State University Foundation Board of Trustees. They will provide outstanding service to the foundation, the university and our students.”

Michael Clark ’88

Michael Clark is the chief executive officer of Electro Rent, the leading global provider of test and measurement equipment rental solutions and services.

Clark graduated from Wright State in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Dave Dirksen ’88

Dave Dirksen is the managing partner at Flagel Huber Flagel, a CPA firm that provides traditional audit, tax and accounting services along with business valuation, litigation support, fraud examination and strategic consulting.

Dirksen graduated from Wright State in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and finance.

Janet Heppard ’81

Janet Heppard serves as a family law judge in Texas. She graduated from the University of Houston with a joint J.D./MBA degree. Prior to law school, Heppard worked as a geophysicist for Amoco Production Company.

She graduated from Wright State in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in geological sciences.

Vercie Lark ’86

Vercie Lark is a portfolio partner for Naples Technology Venture’s Prosperity Fund and recently served as a U.S. presidential appointee and Great Plains regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. In 2018, Lark retired from DST Financial Services after successfully growing the business from $650 million to almost $1 billion in annual revenue. He is the author of “Make It Rain: Increase Your Wealth and Financial Security.”

Lark graduated from Wright State in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Peter Julian ’71

Peter Julian is a residential investment property expert and president of Pathfinder Realty, Inc.

An avid supporter of Wright State Raider basketball, Julian graduated from Wright State in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in finance administration.

Natasha Sandella

Natasha Sandella is a graduate student pursuing her MBA in Wright State University’s Raj Soin College of Business. She is the student director of the ONEIL Center and an executive board member and president emeritus of the Wright State Entrepreneurship Club. She will be one of two Wright State students serving on the Wright State Foundation Board of Trustees.

For the next two years, the Wright State University Foundation Board of Trustees will be led by Linda Black-Kurek, who will serve as chair. A 1978 graduate of Wright State, Black-Kurek is president of Liberty Nursing Centers. She owns and operates three Liberty Nursing Centers in Ohio.

Linda Black-Kurek ’78

“I am honored to serve as chair of the Wright State University Foundation Board of Trustees,” said Black-Kurek. “Our goal is to provide assistance to the students and the university to further their success. As we continue to maximize the investment returns on our endowment, we are also developing alternative sources of revenue to further support the university and its students.”

With the arrival of the new trustees comes the departure of Andrea Kunk, president of Peerless Technologies, who has served on the foundation board since 2012, including two years as chair from 2019 to 2021.

Kunk will begin serving as an emeritus trustee, along with Jerry Sutton, a 1972 Wright State graduate.

“We are incredibly grateful to Andrea for her outstanding contributions over the years,” said Rash. “Andrea has a tremendous passion for Wright State and our students. Even though Andrea will no longer be on the foundation board, she will continue to support our students as an emeritus trustee and serve as an ambassador for our great university.”