Ron Friend of Leesburg named chair of Great Oaks Board of Directors

Ron Friend, board member of Fairfield Local Schools, was named chair of the Great Oaks Career Campuses Board of Directors at the district’s January meeting.

Friend, who has served on the Great Oaks board since 1998, is the first Great Oaks chair from Highland County.

Friend has long been an advocate of career-technical education. He has traveled to both Columbus and Washington to speak with legislators and to be involved in state and national policy decisions, and frequently speaks with parents and students about career education. As a farmer serving on the local vocational agriculture advisory committee, he has helped to support opportunities in agriculture.

His passion for community service began decades ago, starting when he was elected president of Ohio’s Future Farmers of America in 1968. He helped to establish Friendly View Apartments, a non-profit corporation, to develop housing for low-income seniors. He is Chief Financial Officer of the Wilmington Yearly Meeting.

Friend is also a nominee for 2015 Outstanding Board Member by the Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education.