Four Local Executives Elected to TechColumbus Board of Directors

TechColumbus announced today that its Board of Directors has elected four local executives as new members.David Blom, President and Chief Executive Officer, OhioHealth; Geoff Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Ohio State University; Harry Hallowell, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Nationwide; and Patricia Morrison, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Cardinal Health, assumed their new board roles Dec. 10.

Chatas and Hallowell replace outgoing Board members, E. Gordon Gee, President, The Ohio State University, and Mike Keller, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Nationwide.  Gee served on the Board since his return to OSU three years ago, and Keller has served five years. Blom and Morrison become the 16th and 17th members of the TechColumbus Board.

“David Blom, Geoff Chatas, Harry Hallowell and Patricia Morrison bring tremendous knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and new perspective to the TechColumbus Board,” said Steve Allen, TechColumbus Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “We look forward to their participation as we continue to build a world-class tech economy in Central Ohio.”

Allen added, “We are also grateful for the outstanding leadership, service and dedication that E. Gordon Gee and Mike Keller have provided during their tenure as board members. They both have been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission, and we look forward to building on their success.”

David Blom, President & Chief Executive Officer, OhioHealth
Blom heads OhioHealth, a not-for-profit, faith-based, health system in Columbus, Ohio, that covers a regional network extending across 40 counties in Ohio. He joined the OhioHealth family of hospitals and health services in 1983 and since then has held management positions and was instrumental in the development and growth of the OhioHealth system. He is currently serving on Columbus' Downtown Development Corporation, the Columbus Partnership, Compete Columbus, the Dominion Homes and the local World Presidents' Organization Board of Directors and is chairman of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Blom holds a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and received his master's degree in healthcare administration from The George Washington University.

Geoff Chatas, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, The Ohio State University   
Chatas manages and oversees The Ohio State University’s $4.5 billion budget, leading a team of some 350 people, including those who manage the business functions of Ohio State. Prior to assuming this position in February 2010, Chatas was Managing Director of the Infrastructure Investments Fund at JP Morgan Asset Management and has taught finance classes to MBA students at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business in an adjunct capacity. Chatas has also served as Chief Financial Officer for Progress Energy, Inc. and Senior Vice President for Finance and Treasurer for AEP, Inc. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from INSEAD in France; a master´s in history from Oxford University and a bachelor´s degree from Georgetown University.

Harry Hallowell, Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Nationwide
Hallowell leads Nationwide Investments and is responsible for investing assets in the Nationwide general account, the Nationwide retirement plan and third party client investment accounts. He is also responsible for Nationwide Advantage Mortgage Company. Prior to his role as Chief Information Officer, which he assumed in January 2010, Hallowell served as Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Nationwide for four years, and led the portfolio risk management function for Nationwide Investments upon joining the company in 2003.  Harry has also held leadership positions at the former Bank One Corporation. Harry is a member of the Homeless Families Foundation and the Mid-Ohio Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Board of Directors.  He earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University.

Patricia Morrison, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Cardinal Health
Morrison is responsible for Cardinal Health, Inc.’s, a $99 billion healthcare services company, enterprise-wide information technology infrastructure and any enhancements in support of the company’s strategic business needs. She was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Motorola, Inc., Chief Information Officer of Office Depot, Inc., and held senior-level information technology positions with General Electric Co., PepsiCo, Inc., The Procter & Gamble Co. and The Quaker Oats Co. Morrison currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. and the Columbus Museum of Art.  Morrison earned a bachelor’s degree in both mathematics and statistics and in secondary education from Miami University.

TechColumbus Board Members:
Steve Allen
CEO
Nationwide Children’s Hospital

David Bianconi
Founder & CEO
Progressive Medical, Inc.

David Blom
President and Chief Executive Officer
OhioHealth

Ted Celeste
President
Celeste & Associates

Geoff Chatas
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
The Ohio State University

John Cullivan
Managing Director
Business Strategy Associates

Rhonda DeMuth
Chair & CEO
TDCI, Inc.

Harry Hallowell
Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer
Nationwide

Bob Irwin
President & CEO
Sterling Commerce

Jay Jordan
CEO
OCLC

Robert Massie
President
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)

Patricia Morrison
Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Cardinal Health, Inc.

Michael Petrecca
Managing Partner
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP

Ray Shealy
President & COO
HealthSpot

Dwight Smith
Founder, President & CEO
Sophisticated Systems, Inc.

Blake Thompson
Vice President Institutional Affairs
Battelle Memorial Institute

Caroline Whitacre, PhD
VP for Research
The Ohio State University

About TechColumbus

TechColumbus is a nonprofit organization that focuses on technology-based economic development in the 15 counties of central Ohio. TechColumbus accomplishes this by:

• Providing professional development and technology business assistance to both large and small companies that rely on technology for business success
• Managing a 62,000 square foot technology business incubator that has been recognized as one of the best in the country
• Managing TechStart, the Central Ohio Entrepreneurial Signature Program, with a mission to create, finance and launch new tech companies in central Ohio
• Assisting in the development of facilities for tech companies
• Working with state and local organizations to attract new tech companies to the region

For more information about TechColumbus visit www.techcolumbus.org