Committed to preserving and advancing the mission of Wittenberg, the University's Board of Directors has named three new alumni members to its ranks. Joyce Gates DeVito, class of 1983, Charles Giffin, class of 2000, and Michael Summers, class of 1976, each began their three-year terms on July 1, 2023.
鈥淭he addition of Joyce, Charlie, and Mike ensures that our Board of Directors continues to have the expertise, critical thinking, alumni insight, and servant leadership reflective of our educational experience,鈥� said Wittenberg President Michael L. Frandsen. 鈥淎long with our Board Chair Bill Edwards, I welcome our newest members and look forward to their full participation, energy, and engagement in advancing our shared vision.鈥�
An Ohio native, DeVito pursued business administration at Wittenberg. A distinguished philanthropist and volunteer, DeVito has consistently served others, including in her son鈥檚 primary and secondary schools, with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Minnesota, the Lutheran Church of Hope in Iowa, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Minnesota, and as president of the Tennis Booster Program at Canandaigua High School in New York. Most recently, she volunteered with Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes in New York, and she has represented Wittenberg at college fairs in her area. Additionally, DeVito, who played softball at Wittenberg and was captain of the team, has a background in mortgage banking, as well as in research with Corporate Management Advisers. She and husband Michael now reside in Dublin, Ohio. Their son, John DeVito, followed in his mother鈥檚 footsteps in attending Wittenberg. He recently graduated with the class of 2023 and is pursuing a graduate degree in higher education while supporting students as a new success advisor in the University鈥檚 COMPASS: Sweet Success Center.
Giffin currently serves as managing director and head of the public finance group at J.P. Morgan in New York. In this capacity, Giffin oversees debt issuance and lending for state/local municipalities and non-profits, including healthcare and higher education. He also oversees trading and financing of municipal bonds for investor clients. A double major in economics and management at Wittenberg, the Youngstown, Ohio native went on to earn his M.B.A. from New York University with a concentration in finance. Giffin, who previously served on Wittenberg's Alumni Association Board, currently resides in Cos Cob, Connecticut, with wife Blake Giffin and their two boys. As a student at Wittenberg, Giffin served as president of Student Senate, was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, participated in Senior Circle, and was inducted into the Mortar Board honorary.
Summers, from Lakewood, Ohio, earned his B.A. in business and political science at Wittenberg, followed by his M.B.A. in marketing, policy, and finance from Northwestern University鈥檚 Kellogg School of Management. Owner of the Summers Rubber Company for 32 years, Summers served as mayor of Lakewood for nine years and is currently on the board of First Federal Lakewood, a $3 billion community bank. Additionally, he is a senior fellow at the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and is associated with Tiger Properties, LLC. From 1999-2003, Summers chaired Ohio鈥檚 Workforce Policy Board, a position he was appointed to by then Ohio Governor Bob Taft. He and wife Wendy Summers have three grown children: Amy Summers Millstone, Edward Summers, and Barbara Summers. During his time at Wittenberg, Summers was the president of the Student Government Association, a three-year letterwinner and co-captain of the track team, and a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary Society. He was also president of Wittenberg鈥檚 Alumni Association Board from 1994-95 and earned the Professional Achievement Award (formerly Distinguished Alumni Award) in 2001. A member of Lakewood Congregational Church UCC, he is a past member of the Lakewood School Board and Lakewood City Council.
