For Immediate Release: November 10, 2006
Contact Person: Chad P. Wick, Chairman of the Board, 513 929-1101                      

Dr. Reginald A. Wilkinson Named President and CEO of OCAN

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Board of Directors of the Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) has elected Dr. Reginald A. Wilkinson President and CEO of OCAN.  He will assume the position December 18, 2006.

In electing Dr. Wilkinson, Chad P. Wick, OCAN board chairman, stated how fortunate OCAN was to attract an individual of Dr. Wilkinson’s standing and experience.  Wick said, “The OCAN Board believes there could have been no better individual than Reggie Wilkinson to assume the role of President and CEO of OCAN.  He is held in the highest regard in our state and will have an immediate impact on the already important role OCAN is playing in closing our state’s education deficit.”  As part of this action, the OCAN board also cited the outstanding leadership of current Executive Director, Jennifer Blatz, who will be returning to play a key role at KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

Dr. Wilkinson is currently the Executive Director of the Business Alliance on Higher Education and the Economy.  Previously, he was appointed Director of The State of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) by former Governor Voinovich in February 1991 and re-appointed by Governor Taft in January 1999.   He served in that capacity until his retirement in April, 2006.

 Dr. Wilkinson is past President of the nation's oldest and largest corrections organization: American Correctional Association. He has authored numerous articles on a variety of correctional topics and has received many awards from a variety of organizations including, the National Governors' Association, the American Correctional Association, and others.

Dr. Wilkinson's academic background includes a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in higher education administration, both from The Ohio State University. He was also awarded a doctorate of education from the University of Cincinnati.

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The Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) was founded in 1999, by KnowledgeWorks Foundation, in collaboration with the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Business Roundtable.  OCAN works to establish college access programs across the state and is the first statewide coordinating body for college access programs in the nation. The goal of the organization is to help more Ohio students pursue postsecondary education through the work of local college access programs, which provide financial aid advising, last dollar grants, career guidance, and other services.  currently, 36 college access programs serve nearly 300 of Ohio’s 612 school districts, and 17 private/parochial schools in 46 counties touching nearly 200,000 students annually.