CSU welcomes eight new Foundation trustees, Foundation Properties executive director

October 29, 2021

The CSU Foundation Board of Trustees recently welcomed eight new trustees, along with a new executive director for the CSU Foundation Properties. The board is comprised of community leaders who advocate for and support the mission of CSU.

Jason C. “Jay” Alexander is the current CEO and president of Alexander Electric Company, based in Columbus. He graduated from CSU’s Turner College of Business in 2001 and has since earnestly supported CSU. Alexander is a Shannon Society member in recognition of creating endowments that enhance and support excellence at Columbus State. Alexander established the Jay and Kellie Alexander Scholarship Endowment to support undergraduate students in the Turner College of Business.

E. David Hart Jr. is the president of Mountville Mills, a global manufacturer of matting based in LaGrange. He graduated from the College of Letters and Sciences in 1977 and has consistently supported CSU as a Shannon Society member, through the Hart Family Scholarship Endowment, and as a President’s Society member.

Dian Naman is a former Foundation trustee and the current administrator of Chattahoochee Plastic Surgery. She serves on the Honors College Advisory Board and has donated at the Tower Society level for the past five years.

W. Allen Pettis is the executive vice president and chief customer officer at TSYS Issuer Solutions, a Global Payments company. He graduated from the Turner College of Business in 1992, has donated at the Tower Society level for 22 years and has also been a consistent supporter of the Honors College.

Gwendolyn H. “Gwen” Ruff is the senior vice president in the division of employee services and corporate relations at Columbus Water Works. Ruff graduated from CSU with a MSA in Public Administration in 1988. She is also an Alumni Association board member and has been in the CSU Lifetime Giving category since 2013.

John A. Shinkle is the senior vice president and branch manager at Stifel Financial Corp. in Columbus. He has consistently supported CSU Athletics for 34 years and is a member of the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Pam Siddall is the co-president at Advance Local, a national media group operating leading news and information companies in more than 20 cities. Siddall graduated from the Turner College of Business in 1991 and is a former Foundation trustee. She has donated annually for 17 years, supporting various projects on campus. Siddall was awarded the Alumni Association’s most prestigious award, the Thomas Y. Whitley Award, in 2014.

William H. “Will” White attended CSU from 1982 to 1985 and has been a managing member of Greystone Properties in Columbus for 35 years. White is a President’s Society member, consistently giving to CSU for over 26 years. 

The new trustees will serve through 2024.

Jim Akin is the new executive director of CSU Foundation Properties, Inc.—the charitable property arm that manages and maintains real estate holdings for Columbus State University’s benefit.

Akin’s nearly three decades in the financial sector began in 1983 as a management associate at Columbus Bank and Trust Company, where he continued to serve the Columbus area for 18 years. He later became a vice president and private wealth advisor at Synovus Bank and as a financial consultant and licensed insurance and annuity agent at Synovus Securities, Inc., prior to his retirement. In 1998, he received Synovus’ William B. Turner Humanitarian Award, and he currently serves as a board member and past treasurer of the Columbus Botanical Garden.

The CSU Foundation is a nonprofit corporation centered on university advancement. Through organized fundraising activities and funds management, the Foundation enhances the academic vision and priorities of Columbus State University by supporting educational excellence and the expansion of educational opportunities. The funds raised are used toward the continuation or creation of scholarships, programs and activities in support of CSU.