Brian K. Hicks was appointed to the board of trustees in 2004. He is president and CEO of Hicks Partners, LLC, a strategic business consulting firm providing public relations, government affairs, business and economic development services for corporate and nonprofit clients. Prior to forming Hicks Partners in 2003, Hicks served in a number of positions in state and federal government. He served as chief of staff for the Governor of Ohio, Ohio deputy secretary of state and as senior legislative assistant to a member of the United States House of Representatives. As chief of staff to the governor, Hicks was involved in all aspects of managing the state of Ohio for more than four years. He was responsible for significant policy and legislative issues including development of Ohio’s operating and capital budgets. Hicks has played key roles in a number of statewide candidate, judicial and issue campaigns. During the 2004 presidential election, Hicks was a regular political commentator for an Emmy award-winning show entitled “Campaign Perspectives” on the Columbus NBC affiliate. Hicks is a member of the board of directors of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the board of the Ohio Water Development Authority and the board of trustees of Marburn Academy. He is a 1987 graduate of The Ohio State University, where he served as president of the Undergraduate Student Government. Hicks resides in Dublin, Ohio, with his wife, Kathlene, and their two children, Hannah and Jacob.