Springfield businessman Doug Pitt is the sixth person to become a member of Drury University's Board of Trustees in the last month.
Pitt is minority owner of ServiceWorld Computer Center Inc. - controlling interest was sold in 2008 to Miami Nation Enterprises - and he was the 2008 board chairman of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
Last spring, Pitt and his family donated $600,000 to Drury's O'Reilly Family Event Center, and the court there will be named for Pitt's father, William A. Pitt.
"When I attended basketball games at Drury as a child I never imagined that I would get to be involved in the university's future or in helping a new arena get off the ground," Pitt said in a Drury news release. "I'm happy to have witnessed Drury's history, and I'm honored and excited to be a partner in its future."
The six board openings resulted from former members' retirements, according to Drury spokesman Mark Miller.
The other five members, who joined the board in October, are:
• Bill Hart, who graduated from Drury in 1963 and is a partner in the Springfield office of law firm Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP. Hart's community involvement has included the Springfield Public Schools board, United Way of the Ozarks and the Springfield Business and Development Corp.
• Aaron Jones, who graduated from Drury in 1995, and is an attorney with Hulston, Jones & Marsh. Jones, who earned his Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution this year, also has served as a municipal prosecutor and judge.
• Kathy Wingo Daniel, who attended Drury 1966-69 and graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1970. She owned and directed a private school in Tulsa, Okla., for 15 years. She now lives in Boulder, Colo., where her community involvement includes Junior League and Boulder Community Hospital.
• Andi Solaiman, who graduated from Drury in 1984. Solaiman works for Salim Group, a diversified mix of companies with worldwide operations, including businesses in Australia, China and Africa.
• Lyle Reed, who graduated from Drury in 1970, is a returning Drury trustee. Reed is chairman of Nacogdoches, Texas-based Foretravel Inc., a manufacturer of luxury motorcoaches.
The board of trustees is Drury's governing body and comprises 40 members. Eight are elected by the alumni association and serve as alumni trustees, and the remainder are elected by the board as successor trustees for four-year terms with re-election eligibility.
"This group of six new Trustees adds breadth and depth to an already strong group of advisers and decision makers," said Drury President Todd Parnell in the release. "With a mixture of youth and experience, residents and out-of-towners, these six trustees will help Drury continue the positive growth it has enjoyed over the last several years."[[In-content Ad]]
