News Releases

Owens Community College Names 4 Senior Leaders

Front Row: Tasha Hussain Black, Dr. Dione D. Somerville and Kelle Pack
Back Row: Brad Wood and Dr. Blake Renner

Owens Community College has hired four senior leaders who will be responsible for continuing to ensure student success at the premier two-year college in northwest Ohio. The new employees are:

• Blake Renner, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
• Tasha Hussain Black, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications
• Brad Wood, Dean of the Findlay Campus
• Kelle Pack, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Owens Community College Foundation

“As we’ve worked to fill multiple leadership roles almost simultaneously, it’s been so exciting for me to see how these people will work together, and what we are going to be able to do as a team and as an institution as we move forward,” President Dr. Dione D. Somerville said. “We are bringing in people who have a proven ability to collaborate and a strong desire to build relationships within our organization and with the broader community. These individuals will integrate into our culture while aligning expectations from the ground up. They are here to build upon and expand on our past successes.”

Dr. Blake Renner

Vice President, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

A higher education leader, educator and researcher, Dr. Renner has focused his efforts on eliminating barriers and creating equitable learning environments to enable students to realize their academic potential. For the past 11 years at Franklin University, he has worked on expanding services and providing direct support for students both within and outside the classroom. As the Dean of Students, his primary responsibilities included student affairs, enrollment management, policy and procedure development and student retention efforts.

His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Malone University, a master’s degree in Counseling from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in Secondary Education from West Virginia University, and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership Studies from West Virginia University.

Tasha Hussain Black

Executive Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications

A high performing and innovating marketing executive with extensive connections to the community, Hussain Black possesses more than 25 years of marketing and communication experience. She spent 10 years as Vice President of Marketing at the Andersons, Inc., where she was a member of the executive leadership team responsible for $1 billion in revenue, 100 locations and 1,000 employees. She also served in marketing and sales leadership roles at the United Way of Greater Toledo and Image Group.

A member of the board of directors at the Islamic Food Bank of Toledo and WGTE Public Media, Hussain Black has a bachelor’s degree in English from Bowling Green State University and an MBA from the University of Toledo. She is an adjunct professor in the BGSU College of Business.

Brad Wood

Dean, Findlay Campus

Wood previously served as Chair of the Owens Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program in the Owens School of Nursing and Health Professions, where he worked the past seven years. He was a member of the Owens Findlay Task Force that was charged with making data-informed recommendations about academic programming changes on the campus, which included the successful implementation of the PTA program in Fall 2022.

A community college graduate, Wood earned his associate degree in PTA from St. Petersburg College. He graduated from Nova Southeastern University with his bachelor’s in Health Science and master’s in Teaching and Learning. He serves on the State of Ohio Physical Therapy Association advisory board and is national commissioner for CAPTE Commission of Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education and president of the Northwest Ohio Clinical Coordinator Consortium.

Kelle Pack

Vice President, Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Owens Community College Foundation

As a seasoned professional supporting strategic missions, Pack served as the President of McLaren St. Luke’s Foundation in Maumee since 2016.  Pack began her career in philanthropy with the University of Toledo in 1992 and held multiple positions with the University of Toledo, the Toledo Area Humane Society and St. Luke’s Hospital. She graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelor’s degree in Communication.

She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Maumee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Maumee Chamber of Commerce. Other past board and committee experience include Healthy Lucas County, Connecting Kids to Meals, Anthony Wayne Education Foundation and the Toledo Area Planned Giving Council.

Owens Community College has served Northwest Ohio since 1965 as an accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher education with an open-access admission policy. With a commitment to providing small classes, personal attention and unmatched affordability, Owens serves the diverse academic needs of credit and non-credit students offering more than 70 academic programs, seamless transfer opportunities and short-term training with an emphasis on closing the workforce skills gap. For more information, please visit www.owens.edu.