Retired Surgeon from Columbus Area Named YSU Trustee

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The newest member of the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees is a retired cardiac thoracic surgeon who lives in Delaware County.

Dr. Charles R. Bush was appointed Aug. 28 by Gov. John R. Kasich. He will serve through April 30, 2024.

According to Kasich’s office, Bush lives in Powell, outside Columbus. He also has a home in Florida, The Business Journal has learned. Bush replaces Sudershan Garg, whose term expired.

Attempts to reach Bush by phone were not successful.

Late Tuesday YSU issued a news release announcing the appointment. Said Bush in a prepared statement, “I am honored to be named to this important post at my alma mater and am looking forward to a very enlightening and rewarding experience..

Bush received his undergraduate degree in biology from YSU in 1971. He grew up on the city’s South Side, YSU noted, and graduated from the former Woodrow Wilson High School in 1966..

Bush graduated in 1974 from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. YSU’s announcement noted he “practiced in Columbus for 28 years, performing more than 10,000 open heart operations and starting four open heart programs in Ohio, retiring in 2008 … He has been recognized multiple times as a Top Doctor by Columbus Monthly and also has been honored as Top Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon by the Columbus Dispatch.

Trustees contacted by The Business Journal declined comment.

The selection of a trustee who does not live in the Mahoning Valley is highly unusual, perhaps unprecedented, according to observers who contacted The Business Journal to express their reservations about the new trustee’s knowledge and involvement in the YSU community.

But other observers say appointing a person who lives out of town could be good for YSU, especially considering Bush graduated from the university.

The YSU trustees meet frequently, often in day-long meetings and sometimes at quick notice. Only those actually present at public meetings can vote, according to Ohio law, nor can his attendance by conference call be counted toward a quorum.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.