Trine University’s Board of Trustees has elected officers to lead the board for the
next two years.
The trustees voted to retain Dr. Rick L. James as chair. James, a 1977 Trine business
administration graduate and chairman and co-founder of Metal Technologies Inc. (MTI),
has served as board chair since 2012 and has been a member of the board since 2010.
While he has led the board, Trine University has seen extensive growth in its enrollment,
academic programs and facilities. James and his wife, Dr. Vicki L. James, have provided
generous financial support for many Trine building projects as well as student scholarships.
“It’s an honor to lead this group of professionals who are dedicated to providing
quality to education to northeast Indiana and beyond through Trine University,” said
James. “I’m proud of the work and contributions of our entire trustee board and excited
to see what we will accomplish in the days ahead.”
Keith E. Busse, co-founder of Steel Dynamics Inc., was elected vice chair. A member
of Trine's Board of Trustees since 2003, Busse chairs the Campus Planning Committee.
On Trine's campus, the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Athletic and Recreation Center
is named in his honor, and his company’s foundation provided substantial support for
the new Steel Dynamics Inc. Center for Engineering and Computing.
Lynn A. Brooks, a 1975 Trine University graduate, was elected board Treasurer. Brooks
retired as president and chief executive officer of Rieke Packaging Systems in Auburn.
He has served on the Trine University Board of Trustees since 2007 and is chairman
of the audit/finance/investment committee.
Elizabeth Rooney, a member of Trine’s Board of Trustees since 2014, was elected secretary.
Rooney is vertical marketing lead for Google and represents the third generation of
her family to serve on Trine’s board.
Her grandfather, Dante Fabiani, was a 1938 Tri-State College graduate who went on
to become president of the Crane Company. He was a member of the Board of Trustees
from 1967 to 1985, serving as chair for several years.
Dante’s son Jim, founder and CEO of Fabiani & Co., a Washington DC-based government
affairs and strategy consulting firm, has been a board member since 2001.
Rooney currently serves as vice chair of the board’s Enrollment and Marketing Committee
and as a member of the Alumni Engagement Committee.
“Trine University continues to be blessed with strong board leadership, providing
the vision that has propelled us to financial stability and record enrollment today,
and will continue to guide us well into the future,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D.,
Trine University president.
Dakota Carter, a junior mechanical engineering major at Trine, has received the David Laine scholarship from the North American Die Casting Association for two consecutive years.
Hayden Smith, left, and Kyle Stoller, both seniors majoring in mechanical engineering at Trine University, pour molten iron into carved pumpkins and other gourds leftover from Halloween in the university’s Foundry Lab on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Lou Ann Homan believes everything she has done in her life — teaching, writing, performing — has led to her current role as director of Trine University Theatre.