Gary Miller, former president of the University of Akron
Gary Miller became president of the University of Akron in 2019. Originally hired for a four-year term, his contract was extended in 2021 until 2027. The 18th president of the university, he was previously chancellor of the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Miller is credited with stabilizing the university after a period of tumult that included five presidents — just one with the interim label — in five years.
R.J. Nemer, new president of the University of Akron
R.J. Nemer was named the 19th president of the University of Akron in May after two years as the dean of the business school. A law school and undergraduate alumnus of the university, Nemer has said his time at Akron enabled him to launch a business career that included founding a golf management and marketing agency. Nemer sold the firm to William Morris Endeavor/IMG and worked as the Global Leader of the IMG Golf brand after the sale. He was later the chief marketing officer for MAI Capital Management.
Lewis Adkins Jr., chair of the University of Akron’s Board of Trustees
The chair of the University of Akron’s Board of Trustees, Lewis Adkins Jr., is a partner at the Akron law firm Roetzel & Andress. He earned his law degree at the university and has been a member of the board since 2017.
Adkins previously chaired the board of the Akron Urban League. His term on the university’s Board of Trustees expires in 2025.
Christine Amer Mayer, vice chair of the University of Akron’s Board of Trustees
Christine Amer Mayer, the vice chair of the University of Akron’s Board of Trustees, has been a member of the board since 2021. She is president of the GAR Foundation, which focuses on making educational and economic development grants.
Mayer is an Akron native and a lawyer. She also serves as a trustee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is a former board chair of United Way of Summit and Medina counties. Mayer’s term on the Board of Trustees expires in 2028.
Michael Saxon, member of the University of Akron’s Board of Trustees
Michael Saxon joined the Board of Trustees of the University of Akron in 2022. The retired acting vice chairman of AmTrust Financial, Saxon earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Akron.
He was previously president of AmTrust’s U.S. commercial lines, the company’s largest business segment, and global chief operating officer for AmTrust. Saxon’s term ends in 2031.
John Wiencek, University of Akron’s executive vice president and provost
The executive vice president and provost of the University of Akron, John Wiencek came to the school in 2020. He was previously provost and executive vice president at the University of Idaho. He’s a chemical and biochemical engineer by training and has also served as a professor and dean, among other roles. Wiencek is the most senior administrator at the university and reports to the president.
His responsibilities include bolstering the university’s research, sharpening enrollment strategy and recruiting and developing the academic leadership team.
Wiencek is a Walsh Jesuit High School graduate and grew up near the Portage Lakes.
Toni Bisconti, president of the University of Akron’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors
Toni Bisconti is the head of the faculty union at the University of Akron. She is also a psychology professor at the school. As a professor, Bisconti teaches courses on topics that include diversity, hate and sexuality. Her research interests include ageism, minority stress in older adults and experiences of discrimination.
Faculty members voted to make the American Association of University Professors their collective bargaining representative in 2003. Bisconti’s term as president began in 2023 and ends in 2025.
Editor’s note: Roetzel & Andress is a legal representative of Signal Akron. The GAR Foundation is a Signal Akron supporter.