Newly elected Board members include Dennis Lerner (secretary), Sueann Walz (chair-elect) and Gary Trimarco (chair).

The Ferris Foundation of Ferris State University has elected local residents Gary Trimarco, Sueann Walz and Dennis Lerner to leadership positions. Trimarco will serve as chair, Walz as chair-elect and Lerner was re-elected to service as secretary.

Trimarco is president of Gary Trimarco Automotive in Big Rapids. He has almost three decades of experience in the retail automobile industry and has been a General Motors franchisee since June 2000. Trimarco and his wife, Lynn, recently established the Gary Trimarco Automotive Scholarship at Ferris, with General Motors providing a matching scholarship for students accepted in a Ferris Automotive program. They also are members of the University's Old Main donor society.

Walz is assistant vice president and manager for Independent Bank of Big Rapids, where she has been employed for more than 30 years. She is a past recipient of the Mecosta County Chamber Business Person of the Year Award. Last year she and her husband, Kenneth, established the Sueann and Kenneth Walz Hockey Scholarship Endowment Fund at Ferris. The Walzes also are members of Ferris' Founder's Club donor society.

Lerner is president of Lerner, Csernai and Fath Financial Group, Inc., of Big Rapids. In addition to his long-standing work with the Ferris Foundation, Lerner has been active with the Mecosta County Area Community Foundation and the Big Rapids Industrial Development Corporation. He is a past recipient of Ferris' Distinguished Alumnus Award and is a member of the University's Presidents Club donor society. He is a 1970 graduate from the College of Business.

The Ferris Foundation supports the mission and goals of Ferris. In that effort, the Foundation works to manage and increase the privately funded resources of the University, the endowment funds of which have grown to more than $26 million. This growth helps make the goal of higher education possible for some of Ferris' current and future students.

"All three of our newly appointed Ferris Foundation officials have long and distinguished histories of service to both the University and the Big Rapids communities," said Richard Duffett, Foundation interim executive director. "Their dedication provides opportunities for many young people to realize their dreams."