Ohio Regents Chancellor Petro to Retire i
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jim Petro, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, plans to retire from public service with a tentative date of Feb. 1. Petro has served served as the state's auditor (1995–2003) and attorney general (2003-2007).
In 28 years as an elected official, he has served as a state representative, Cuyahoga County commissioner and Rocky River City councilman and law director.
Petro was appointed Regents chancellor in March 2011 by Gov. John Kasich and leads the University System of Ohio, one of the largest systems of public higher education in the nation. “He’s helped change a system that needed changing and has been a committed advocate for Ohioans of all ages who want to learn, upgrade their skills and make their futures brighter,” Kasich said. “I appreciate Jim's work to help our administration bring valuable improvements to the way Ohioans prepare for careers after they leave high school.”
Under Petro’s leadership, the Board of Regents accomplished several key objectives, including:
- Expanded ability for commercialization at universities.
- Development of strategies for increasing the number of residents with post-high school degrees and workforce credentials, such as convening the Complete College Ohio Task Force.
- Creation of OH-TECH, the Ohio Technology Consortium.
- Creation of a high-speed, statewide broadband pipeline designed to carry data at 100Gbps.
- Improving P-20 collaboration efforts by overseeing the move of the Ohio Board of Regents’ office from the Rhodes Tower to the Ohio Department of Education Building, 25 S. Front St. The move is expected to be completed by Dec. 31.
Petro earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1973 after receiving a baccalaureate in history at Denison University in 1970.
The Ohio Board of Regents is the state agency that coordinates higher education in Ohio.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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