Wittenberg recently welcomed four new members to its Alumni Association Board. Committed to serving as a liaison for the University by engaging and connecting the alumni body for the purpose of supporting Wittenberg’s mission and values, the Alumni Association Board works to encourage alumni engagement in the life of the institution.
Joining the Alumni Board this year are Jordan Crow, class of 2016; Chad Downing, class of 2013; Moses Mbeseha, class of 2013; and Jeff Orner, class of 1979.
A four-year member of the women's track team at Wittenberg, Crow interned with the Integrated Media Corps, guided tours for student-athletes, served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and was a Tau Pi Phi Business Honor Society inductee. While a student, she immersed herself in the Springfield community, including emceeing for the local baseball team, the Champion City Kings. She also started working at Speedway LLC in Enon after graduation as a corporate recruiter. There she developed strong relationships with Wittenberg’s Communication And Business Leadership Experience (C.A.B.L.E) program, which included taking participants on a tour of the Speedway corporate office and opening doors for internships and post-graduate roles with the company.
A program manager for talent and people initiatives at the American Cancer Society, Crow now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and their dog, Stark. Her role at the American Cancer Society is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, so as to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
Downing, a native of Wapakoneta, Ohio, received a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in East Asian Studies and geography. Residing in Columbus, Ohio, where he enjoys spending time with family and friends, working in his pottery studio, playing on an amateur soccer team, and staying active with outdoor activities, Downing is a partner in the family-owned and operated community and economic development consulting firm, Downing Community Advisors (DCA). After graduating from Wittenberg, he had the opportunity to join forces with his father to create a consulting firm to work with small-to-medium-sized communities in Ohio facing housing, community, and economic development challenges from the Great Recession. In doing so, Downing followed in the footsteps of his family to work in roles to serve the communities in which he lives and works, carrying out the motto of his alma mater, ‘Having Light We Pass It On To Others.” Since forming DCA, Downing has worked across Ohio with a focus on Western Ohio and an emphasis on working with land banks and community improvement corporations.
Hailing from State College, Pennsylvania, by way of Buea, Cameroon, Mbeseha is a community organizer with a passion for social policy, economics, and sports. Earning his B.A. in both political science and Africana Studies at Wittenberg, Mbeseha went on to obtain a master's degree in business administration from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. As one who enjoys working with other community organizers to find solutions to ongoing problems, along with volunteering at different service areas in his community, Mbeseha is co-founder of the Springfield, Ohio-based The Conscious Connect Inc. with fellow alum Karlos Marshall, class of 2013, both of whom were named Alumni of the Year in 2020.
Established in 2015, The Conscious Connect seeks to end “urban book deserts” or areas with diminished access to children’s reading materials, as well as fight to end illiteracy by providing children in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods with access to free books through 70 national literacy access points, such as barbershops, hair salons, and “Little Libraries.” In his free time, Mbeseha, who was named to the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, is often involved in recreational sports or working with local political leaders through his demonstrated skills in project & business management, marketing, fundraising, strategic planning, and community organizing.
Orner, of Arlington, Virginia, earned a B.A. in political science from Wittenberg followed by an M.S. in business-government relations from The American University in Washington, D.C. During his 35-year career with the federal government, Orner held a series of senior executive service positions leading teams supporting military and homeland security operations. Currently retired, Orner enjoys splitting his time between Arlington and West Palm Beach, Florida, spending time with family, and kayaking.
Before retiring, Orner most recently served as the chief readiness support officer of The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he managed the support, transportation, and facilities needed by DHS agencies. He previously led all engineering and logistics programs for the U.S. Coast Guard as the assistant deputy commandant for engineering and logistics. Earlier in his career, he was the executive director of the Naval Supply Systems Command, managing world-wide supply chain operations and leading a workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. Orner began his government career at the Naval Sea Systems Command, ultimately serving as the assistant deputy commander for fleet logistics, and leading the team that supported shipbuilding, repair, and operations. A transformational leader, Orner received numerous commendations, most significantly being recognized by two U.S. presidents with the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award and the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award.
