Dr. Tony Atwater, IUP president, and Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell have announced the state Senate's confirmation on July 16, 2009, of a Council of Trustees appointment and reappointment.
Jonathan B. Mack, of Indiana, was nominated as a new member of the Council of Trustees and the current Trustees chairman, David Osikowicz, of Punxsutawney, was nominated for reappointed by Rendell. Both will serve terms extending to January 2015. Osikowicz has served on the council since July 1997.
The Council of Trustees is responsible for financial oversight and ensuring compliance of university policies with state law. Its next regular meeting is in September.
Mack replaces Robert Hovanec, of Gibsonia, who served as a trustee since 1997 and whose term expired this year.
“The university is privileged to enjoy outstanding leadership by its Council of Trustees,” Atwater said. “The reappointment of Mr. David Osikowicz and the appointment of Mr. Jonathan Mack maintain the quality of advice and stewardship available to the IUP administration and the university at large. The university also is grateful for Mr. Hovanec's years of service and dedication as an IUP trustee.”
Mack has been an attorney and partner in the firm of Marcus & Mack, P.C., of Indiana since 1998. He served as an attorney and partner at Marcus, Olson & Mack, P.C., of Indiana from 1992 to 1998 and as an attorney with Holsinger, Clark, Armstrong & Supinka in 1991. He was an attorney and partner with Mack and Bonya from 1983 to 1989. He has been a local business owner and has owned and operated businesses in Boulder, Colo.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Spokane, Wash.
Mack received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toledo School of Law in 1983 and a bachelor's degree from Dickinson College in 1980 with majors in English and Spanish and a minor in geology. He is a 1976 graduate of Indiana Area Senior High School.
He holds memberships in the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Indiana County Bar Association. He is a past member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and was elected and served as president of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association from 2002 to 2003. He currently serves as a panel member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission.
Mack was a member of the Indiana Area School District Board of School Directors from 1999 to 2005, serving as president from 2003 to 2005. He currently serves as a board member of the Seeds of Faith Christian Academy, an elder of the First Assembly of God Church, and a board member of the Indiana Experiment. He has been a trustee for the J.S. Mack Foundation since 1985, serving as its president since 2006.
“It is an honor to be nominated and selected for service on the IUP Council of Trustees,” Mack said. “I am truly blessed to have this opportunity to serve the commonwealth, IUP and the greater Indiana community, which has been my lifelong home.
“Without question, the efforts of the current members of IUP's Council of Trustees have moved this university forward. I look forward to contributing in a significant way to IUP's ongoing growth and success.”
Mack and his wife, Kathleen, are the parents of two children, Connor and Katie.
Osikowicz, a native of Slickville, Westmoreland County, has been a resident of Punxsutawney since 1973.
He is the owner and chief executive officer of Original Fuels Inc., Valier Coal Yard, and Grange Lime and Stone, three Punxsutawney businesses involved in various aspects of the coal and aggregate market.
Osikowicz received a bachelor's degree in economics and marketing from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
Osikowicz was president of the Punxsutawney Area School Board from 1995 to 1997. He is a member of the Saints Cosmas and Damian Catholic Church, the Punxsutawney Elks and Eagles lodges, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Punxsutawney Country Club, and the Punxsutawney Sports Area Boosters Club. He is also a supporter of the Punxsutawney Theater Arts Guild, the Punxsutawney Community Concert Association, and the Boy Scouts of America.
Osikowicz has been involved in coaching in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Little League and the VFW Teener League, for which he was a member of the board. He was also instrumental in establishing the Mahoning Shadow Trail and serves on the board of directors for the Punxsutawney chapter of Rails to Trails.
He and his wife, Deborah, are the parents of one daughter and two sons.