YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – During its annual meeting Monday, the Youngstown State University Foundation Board of Trustees announced the appointment of several officers and new trustees.
Also during the meeting, Paul McFadden, foundation president, announced his intention to step away from his role effective Oct. 1, 2027.
Jude Nohra was appointed board chair, having previously served as vice chair for the past two years. Also appointed were Scott Schulick, vice chair; Ted Schmidt, treasurer; Martha Bushey, secretary; John Moliterno, assistant treasurer; and Rick Blase, assistant secretary.
The four new trustees are William A. Cafaro, Joe DeSalvo, Kathy Harley and Josh Prest, who will all serve three-year terms that began Monday.
Cafaro is co-president of the Cafaro Co. and chairman of the Cafaro Family Foundation. He graduated from YSU in 1992 and has a master’s degree in business administration from Duquesne University. The Cafaro family has donated more than $9 million to YSU and the YSU Foundation, making them members of the Penguin Pinnacle Notable Giving Society. The Cafaro family has a long-standing tradition of family members serving on the YSU Foundation Board: William M. Cafaro served from 1968-1995; Anthony M. Cafaro Sr. served from 1999-2022; and Capri Cafaro has been on the board since 2022. Both William M. and Anthony Sr. have been bestowed Trustee Emeritus status.
DeSalvo graduated from YSU in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He joined DeSalvo Construction in 1996, beginning his career in the field as a general laborer and then as an assistant estimator/project manager. He became an estimator/project manager in 1998 and was promoted to executive vice president in 2004. In 2013, he was named president of DeSalvo Construction. He is a member of the Howland Rotary and the Warren Education, Civic & Cultural Foundation. He also serves on several other boards.
Harley is the president of St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital and has more than 43 years of health care experience. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Penn State University and her master’s degree in business administration from YSU. She has worked with YSU’s Health & Human Services faculty to strategize opportunities for programs and student opportunities, including St. Elizabeth Health Center School for Nurse Anesthetists. She is also a member of several other boards and committees.
Prest is the founder and CEO of Prest Public Strategies and the executive director of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission. He graduated from YSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 2013. He is a member of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Government Affairs Council, the Greater Cleveland Partnership Government Affairs Council, the City Club of Cleveland and the Rotary Club of Youngstown. He is also a commissioner for the Ohio Commission on Eastern European Affairs and a member of several other boards.
McFadden has served as president of the YSU Foundation since 2012 and has held various development leadership positions with YSU and the foundation since 1992.
Originally hired by then athletic director Jim Tressel in 1992 as director of athletic development, McFadden served in that role until 1997, when he joined the university’s central development office as a development officer. In 2000, then YSU President David Sweet promoted him to chief development officer, overseeing all university fundraising activities.
During his tenure as president, McFadden has played a leadership role in six major fundraising campaigns, most recently the We See Tomorrow Campaign, led in partnership with Tressel, which surpassed its $125 million goal. In 2014, the university and the foundation entered into an agreement allowing the YSU Foundation to assume responsibility for all development activities on behalf of both organizations at no cost to the university, resulting in annual savings of more than $2.5 million.
Since 2012, the foundation’s assets have increased from $180 million to more than $410 million, and its annual allocation to the university increased from $5.5 million to 11.5 million. During that same period, the number of endowed scholarships has more than doubled, growing from 550 to 1,185.
“We have been fortunate to have Paul McFadden as our president for the past 14 years, and the board is immensely proud of the work and leadership he has provided to take the foundation to the next level,” said Nader Atway, immediate past chair.
The YSU Foundation board will conduct a comprehensive search for its next president.
“While we knew this day would ultimately come, we are saddened to accept Paul’s decision to step down, and we recognize all that he has accomplished over his 34-year career serving YSU and the foundation,” said Nohra, the newly appointed board chair. “We are appreciative of his ability and willingness to give us ample time to ensure a thorough search for Paul’s successor and a seamless leadership transition.”
Monday’s meeting opened with a special resolution that bestowed Trustee Emeriti status upon Tom Fleming and attorney Carl Nunziato. Fleming has served on the foundation’s board since 2005 and served as chair from 2012-2014. Nunziato has served since 2008 and was a driving force in the creation of YSU’s Carl A. Nunziato Veterans Resource Center.
Pictured at top: In back, from left, are Nader Atway, Joe DeSalvo, Josh Prest and Jude Nohra. In front, from left, are William A. Cafaro and Kathleen Harley.