Three arts and sciences alumni have been elected to serve five-year terms on the Ohio State Alumni Association’s board of directors, beginning September, 2012. A five-member nominating committee recommended the directors-elect after reviewing a large base of candidates.

Thomas Kolaja (chemistry and Russian), Marchelle Moore (English), and Janet Porter (biology) bring expertise in the areas of international business, finance, law, human resources, and health administration, along with a commitment to advancing the association in its mission to connect alumni, students, and friends in lifelong support of Ohio State and each other.

Thomas A. Kolaja ’90, ’90

Thomas Kolaja is managing director of Alvarez & Marsal in Warsaw, Poland, where he leads the firm’s restructuring and performance improvement practice for central Europe.

After winning a full academic scholarship to Ohio State, Kolaja earned dual degrees in chemistry and Russian. He attended the University of Warsaw as a Fulbright Scholar in 1990-91, then went on to earn master’s degrees in engineering and business administration from Northwestern University.

At Ohio State, Kolaja belonged to Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Dobro Slovo. He received several awards and scholarships, including the A.S. Pushkin Award for Academic Achievement and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy Undergraduate Award. He also was recognized for his leadership as a Lincoln Tower resident adviser.

Kolaja sits on the boards of the American School of Warsaw and the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland. In 2011, he was appointed to the U.S.-Poland Fulbright Commission. He previously was a member of Ohio State’s Honors and Scholars External Advisory Committee and the supervisory board of TRACE (Transparent Agents and Contracting Entities) International.

Kolaja and his wife, Lisa Fletcher Kolaja, whom he met at Ohio State, live in Warsaw.

Marchelle E. Moore ’95, ’98

Marchelle Moore, vice president of legal affairs and general counsel for the Central Ohio Transit Authority, realized a dream when she graduated from Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law after earning her undergraduate degree in English.

While at Ohio State, Moore participated in the Moritz College’s Oxford study abroad program. She was a student law school admissions recruiter and president of the Black Law Students Association. Moore received the Excellence in Academics Award from the university’s undergraduate program, as well as the Ohio State University Scholarship in Law. She continues to be involved with Ohio State by speaking to current and aspiring law students.

Moore sits on the boards of the Columbus Urban League, the John Mercer Langston Bar Association, and Neighborhood House. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority; a corporate coordinator for United Way of Central Ohio; a volunteer for the United Negro College Fund Walk-a-Thon; a mentor for the Women’s Leadership Council E3 Program; and an adviser to COTA’s Leaders of the Future Program.

The mother of two children, Moore lives in Columbus.

Janet E. Porter ’75, ’77

Janet Porter has made an impact in the field of health administration, most recently as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She previously was chief operating officer of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

Along with her undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology and health administration from Ohio State, Porter earned a master’s degree in business administration and a PhD from the University of Minnesota.

As a student, she volunteered at University Hospitals and belonged to Phi Beta Phi and the student chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Porter is active in the Health Services Management and Policy (HSMP) Alumni Society.

Porter recently co-authored the book Managing the Public Health Enterprise. She serves on boards for organizations including the Commission on Accreditation of Health Management Education, Ronald McDonald House, and United Way. She has held faculty appointments at Harvard, the University of Minnesota, the University of North Carolina, Simmons College, the University of Colorado, and Ohio State.

Porter was honored by the HSMP society with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Health Industry Leadership Award. In 2010, she received the Alumni Association’s Ralph Davenport Mershon Award for leadership and service to Ohio State.

Porter and her husband, Jim O’Sullivan, recently moved to Hilton Head, S.C.