Bob McEwen appointed to SSCC Board of Trustees
The Highland County Press
Governor John Kasich's office has announced that Bob McEwen of Cincinnati (Hamilton County) has been appointed to the Southern State Community College Board of Trustees for a term beginning Oct. 1, 2014 and ending May 11, 2018.
A native of Hillsboro and graduate of Hillsboro High School, McEwen represented Ohio's Sixth District in the United States House of Representatives for six terms (1981-1993), where he served in roles including Chairman of the Environmental Affairs Task Force of the United States delegation to the European Parliament and as Special Presidential Envoy for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
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As a congressman, McEwen was elected to the Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Committee on Rules.
McEwen has also worked as a senior adviser at Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald, a leading national law firm with offices in Cincinnati and Washington D.C., and currently serves as a member of Congressional leadership team.
McEwen was first elected to Congress in 1980, succeeding Rep. Bill Harsha in the Sixth District of Ohio, which then consisted of Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette, Highland, Pickaway, Pike, Scioto, and Ross counties plus portions of Clermont, Vinton and Warren counties.
In 1992, the old Sixth District was re-drawn after Ohio's loss of two House seats. Thus, McEwen faced a contentious primary with fellow Republican Clarence Miller of the neighboring 10th District.
After a heated primary, McEwen prevailed, only to lose in the 1992 general election to Democrat Ted Strickland, who later served as governor of Ohio. McEwen faced ethical charges of bouncing checks on his House bank account during the campaign.
The next year, in 1993, McEwen lost to Rob Portman in a special election to fill the seat of Congressman Bill Gradison of Ohio's Second Congressional District.
In 2005, McEwen was unsuccessful in seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in the Second District special election to replace Portman, who accepted the position of U.S. trade representative under President Bush.
McEwen finished second to the winner in the general election, former Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, who later lost to current Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Cincinnati.
Last week, Rob Nichols, press secretary for Gov. Kasich, told The Highland County Press that the governor's office is working with SSCC Board Chair Doug Boedeker, President Kevin Boys and Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor John Carey "for names and ideas of who to talk to."
"Far more importantly than just shoehorning a person into the position, we want to make sure it's the right person," Nichols said.
This week, Chancellor Carey told The Highland County Press that the “vetting process” is very important in the appointment of college trustees.
It was not immediately clear which of Southern State’s five counties (Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette or Highland) McEwen will represent.
At the SSCC Board of Trustees' February 2008 meeting, the board voted, 9-0, to approve the number of trustees for Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette and Highland counties through 2021.
For more information, go to http://www.sscc.edu/about/assets/boardminutes/2008/february.pdf.
According to SSCC President Boys, the appointment of McEwen “wasn't our thought.
“But Governor Kasich is one to shake things up! With the growing federal role in higher education, Mr. McEwen's background, expertise, and relationships with policy makers will be a great value-add to the SSCC board. I spoke with him briefly today and he spoke fondly of his previous involvement in helping our Hillsboro campus become a reality. He seems genuinely excited about the appointment."
McEwen and his wife, Liz, reside in Anderson Township in Cincinnati. They have four children.