Appointed: January 2005 by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Term Expiration Dec. 31, 2012
Ronald Snead of Greenville, Sales and Marketing Consultant, was appointed to an eight-year term and succeeds attorney and Ferris alumnus Bruce Parsons of Rockford, immediate past chair who completed his 14th year on the Board in December.
Snead, a 1971 Ferris Biology graduate, recently joined Dixien, a supplier of metal stampings and plastic molded parts to the automotive industry, as its vice president of corporate relations. He has spent most of his professional career in Michigan working as a manager or consultant for Smith Industries, General Dynamics, AM General, Maybee Associates, Trumark Inc., Thomas Madison Inc. and Vibrations Controls Technologies.
"I am excited about the opportunity to serve Ferris in this capacity and to support President Eisler's direction for the University. My tenure on the Board will be a tribute to Delbert Long of Big Rapids, who was on the Board when I was a student and was a mentor to me," said Snead.
At the state level, Snead has been involved in the Girl Scouts of Michigan Trails Board and the Michigan State NAACP and served on a governor-appointed panel which selected 16 draft boards in West Michigan.
The recipient of Ferris' Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1995, Snead has served on the Ferris Foundation Board of Directors and currently serves on the Jim Crow Museum Board. He also has served on several University search committees and been involved with work related to the University's role and mission and minority merit scholarships.
While at Ferris, Snead was active in several social and academic fraternities, served as president of the NAACP chapter and vice president of the All-College Student Government and was named to Who's Who Among Students.
Snead and his wife Deloris, a Remus native, have two sons, Ronald Jr. and Jon, and six grandchildren.
Ronald Snead was a 1971 Biology graduate of Ferris State College. He attended Ferris at a time of great racial unrest. While at Ferris, Snead captured some of the turmoil of the period through scrapbooks of news clippings. These two scrapbooks were loaned to Ferris State University and scanned to create an electronic version that will help current students and staff to understand that period of our history. The scrapbooks also contain material about Snead's involvement with student government. available here
Contact Information:
Karen Huisman,
Secretary to the Board and
Admin Assistant to the President
1201 S. State St.
CSS 301F
Big Rapids, MI 49307
(231) 591-2505
