A new member of Kent State’s Board of Trustees has been named by Gov. John Kasich. Shawn Riley was appointed on May 17, replacing Chairman Dennis Eckart, whose term ended earlier this month.

Riley’s position as a trustee will be effective until May 2025.

Riley is currently the president-elect of McDonald Hopkins—a nationwide business advisory and advocacy law firm with six office locations and 140 attorneys—as well as leader of the company’s Cleveland office. He joined the firm in 1995 and will take over as president this October, according to a May 20 university news release.

In addition to his executive role at McDonald Hopkins, Riley is a member of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s board of trustees and a board chairmen of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross. He also served as mayor of Gates Mills from 2011 to 2015.

Riley earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Kent State in 1983.

Further information and meeting times for the board can be found on their website:http://www.kent.edu/bot.

Contact Alex Delaney-Gesing at [email protected].