Staff report
MOREHEAD — Cincinnati attorney John C. Merchant was elected Thursday as the first African-American chairman of the Morehead State University Board of Regents.
“John is an outstanding choice and we look forward to his leadership of our governing board,” said MSU President Wayne D. Andrews. “He is a proud alumnus of the institution and has gained valuable insight during his seven years of service as a Regent.”
Merchant has been vice chairman for the past year and was reappointed last year to his second six-year term on the board. He succeeds Sylvia Lovely of Lexington as chairman.
“I appreciate the opportunity that the members of the board have given me,” said Merchant. “I graduated from MSU in 1979 and to come back and be in this position is very gratifying. I know it is going to be a very tough job given the budget the commonwealth is facing.”
A native of Lexington, Merchant is a partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Peck, Shaffer and Williams. He is a graduate of Morehead State and the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Prior to joining the Cincinnati firm, Merchant served in several positions in the executive branch of state government. He is a past president of the MSU Alumni Association.
He is a board member of the New Cities Foundation of the Kentucky League of Cities and a trustee of the Ohio State Bar Foundation.
Dr. John O’Cull of Vanceburg was elected vice chairman. A Morehead State graduate, he was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2004. Carol Johnson, assistant to the president, was re-elected board secretary while Mike Walters, vice president for administration and fiscal services, was reappointed treasurer.
