John Comerford
President, Otterbein University
Dr. John Comerford is president of Otterbein University and a vocal advocate for access, affordability, and innovation in higher education. Under his leadership, Otterbein established a scholarship that covers full tuition for Ohio students from families with financial need; set up a fund to invest in crowdsourced ideas from the University community that would immediately grow enrollment or revenue; and created a four-year career and professional preparation curriculum guided by trained advisors and mentors so Otterbein graduates are workforce-ready. Comerford also serves as president of the Coalition for the Common Good, a higher education system of private, independent nonprofit colleges and universities founded by Otterbein and Antioch Universities to improve equity in education through expanding graduate programs, workforce development, and degree completion. He is a board member of the Columbus Council on World Affairs, Delaware County Finance Authority, Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators, Inc., Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Ohio, and Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.