Ohio University Alumni Association Board of Directors welcomes four new members

The Ohio University Alumni Association (OUAA) is pleased to announce the election of four new members of its Board of Directors.

The newest members of the OUAA Board of Directors are:

• Mary Ellen (Hardies) Smalley, BSJ ’01,
• Branden G. Smith, BSC ’83
• Frank Straub, BBA ’95
• Dr. Mike Wells, BS ’88, DO ’93 

“We're excited to welcome these incredible Bobcats to the Ohio University Alumni Association Board of Directors. They bring a wide range of experience to the Board, along with their love for Ohio University and how we serve our students as one of the best value public universities in the nation,” said Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MSC ’99, associate vice president of alumni relations and executive director of the OUAA.

As the official organization representing Bobcats from across the world, the Ohio University Alumni Association aims to connect, inform, and serve the University's alumni and friends in support of the University's mission and vision. Comprising 26 OHIO graduates from across OHIO’s colleges, decades of graduation, and geographic locations, the OUAA Board of Directors represents the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the more than 290,000 Bobcats worldwide.

“The Board of Directors is made up alumni who are dedicated to supporting Ohio University and our alumni around the world. They share their time, knowledge, and experience to benefit Ohio University while they also serve as inspirational examples to today’s students through their career success, leadership, community impact, and personal achievements,” Bowie said. “We are so proud to welcome our newest members, and we're grateful to them for their dedication to Ohio University and our students.”

Meet the new Board members

Mary Ellen (Hardies) Smalley

Mary Ellen (Hardies) Smalley, BSJ ’01, is the director of Brand and Cause Awareness at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. She loves her role with the Foundation, where she has worked for nearly 10 years and finds the mission of forever families for children in foster care to be fulfilling.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Smalley was the director of marketing and communications at Delta Gamma Fraternity (Anchors Aweigh!) and a news producer at stations across the U.S. She has won numerous awards for her work including the Associated Press Producer of the Year Award three times and the Associated Press Best Documentary Award. In addition, Smalley served as the executive producer at WXII when the team won an Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news/continuing coverage.

Smalley credits the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and her work on The Post with helping her to refine her storytelling skills and allowing her to make a seamless career pivot. While at Ohio University she was also a member of Phi Mu Fraternity, and as an alumna served as the group’s volunteer national alumnae communications director for four years. 

Smalley lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Jerod and tuxedo cat Mr. Brian Williams. She has two stepsons, both of whom have autism and teach her something every single day. She is the proud aunt to eight nieces and nephews, all of whom she is lobbying to choose OHIO as their college pick.

Branden G. Smith 

Branden G. Smith is a consultant focusing on Business Development and Partnerships Strategy in AI Applications: Digital Content Licensing and Distribution. 

Previously, Smith held business development, partnerships, and consulting roles in content licensing, syndication, and distribution in digital media and tech sectors with NPR Distribution, Encyclopedia Britannica, NewsHour Productions (PBS NewsHour), Red Clay Digital LLC, Online News Association, Alcatel-Lucent, The Weather Channel Interactive, and Viacom (MTV Networks and Showtime Networks).

After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications (Radio-Television Broadcast Management and Administration) from Ohio University in 1983, Smith began his career in New York at The Wall Street Journal as an advertising sales representative.

An engaged and committed member of the Ohio University Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN), Smith has held leadership positions including Vice President- Washington DC Affiliate (2020-2022), and EBN National Board Committee Chair-Alumni Board Service and Awards Committee (2021-2025). In addition to his Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University, Smith received his MBA from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Mike Wells

Born in Akron and raised in Wadsworth, Ohio, Dr. Mike Wells is a Board-certified Internal Medicine physician.  A proud Bobcat, Wells received his Bachelor of Science in Zoology in 1988. As a student, Wells was very active on campus and was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity, where he held various leadership positions. Wells went on to earn his Doctor of Osteopathy degree in 1993 from OHIO’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed a traditional rotating internship and then an Internal Medicine residency at Summa Health Systems, Akron, Ohio. While there, he received several leadership awards and served as House Staff president. 

As an attending physician at Summa, Wells received several outstanding teaching awards. Most of his practicing career has been with the Pioneer Physicians Network, where he served on the board for many years. Early in his practice, he served as the team physician for Green High School for 10 years. 

Continuing to support his fraternity, he is the president of the Ohio University-Delta Upsilon Housing corporation and is leading an effort to re-establish a chapter on campus.  In addition, he attends most OHIO football games, including last year’s MAC championship win.

In 2021, he initiated a project to create a legacy memorial for a fallen fellow fraternity brother and former Ohio University trustee, Gary Nakamoto. This culminated in the installation and dedication of the Bobcat Benches outside of Baker Center in 2024. 

He is married to Ann Maria and has three children, two of whom are also OHIO graduates: Michael (BS in Music Production and Recording Industry in 2023, Scripps College of Communication), Alexandra (BS in HTC Astrophysics 2024, with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics), and Sophia, his youngest, who is attending Ohio State University, studying Political Science.

Frank Straub

Frank Straub graduated from Ohio University’s College of Business in 1995. He previously served on the board of the College of Business Society of Alumni and Friends and continues to serve on the college’s Executive Advisory Board, which he joined in 2016. 

Straub has been highly engaged with Ohio University through mentoring, in-person and video presentations to student groups and classrooms, hosting student trips in Chicago, providing internship opportunities, and supporting various College of Business and Athletic Department initiatives. Straub enjoys getting back to campus for Homecoming as well as attending Ohio University sporting events. In 2024, he was honored to receive the R. Budd and Janet Kelsey Werner Executive Service Award. 

Straub is in his 16th year as the Chief Financial Officer at Golub Capital, a private credit manager in the middle market direct lending business. During his time at Golub Capital, they have experienced organic growth from $3.5 billion to over $75 billion of capital under management. 

Straub met his wife Jennifer (’94) while at Ohio University and their son Patrick also graduated from OHIO’s College of Business in 2024 and played on the OHIO baseball team. Their daughter, Julia, is studying engineering at Colorado State University. Frank and Jen reside in Naperville, IL.