The members of the College of Sciences and Health Professions Visiting Committee serve as links between the University and public and private constituencies by providing continuing counsel to the Board of Trustees and the President of the University. For more information on Visiting Committees or to access the Visiting Committee handbook, please see the Board of Trustees webpage.

The following are the Visiting Committee Members for the College of Sciences and Health Professions.

Robert Baxter leads strategic planning, alliances, business incubation and administrative operation as Vice President of BioEnterprise. Prior to joining BioEnterprise, Mr. Baxter was the Chief Operation Officer for Edison BioTechnology Center, now BioOhio, the State's bioscience advocacy and commercialization organization. Bob Baxter has spent more than 30 years in the private sector. Most recently, he was a co-Founder and Vice Presient of Ricerca, Inc., a 200 person contract R&D company in Lake County supporting the commerilization of new drugs, biomedical devices and other life science targeted products. Mr. Baxter has served as Campaign Chairman and past President of the Lake County United Way, and is a past President of the Lake Hospital Systems Foundation. He received a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Detroit.

Dr. Peter A. Burke serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for STERIS Corporation. He joined the Company in March 2001. Dr. Burke is responsible for STERIS’s research, development, and regulatory functions.  He works closely with the Company’s marketing, sales, manufacturing, and support functions to facilitate new applications of current technologies, leads the development of new technologies from conception to commercialization, and monitors and assures compliance with applicable regulatory requirements for the Company’s products.  Dr. Burke also serves as a key member of the Executive Management team, and helps to assure that the Company’s technological capabilities support and enhances STERIS’s growth objectives.  Dr. Burke holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Rutgers University; a Master of Science in Microbiology from Seton Hall University; and Masters and Doctorate of Philosophy Degrees in Microbiology/Biochemistry from St. John’s University. He also is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists, a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and a member of Sigma Xi. Dr Burke has authored over 25 patents and 30 publications in chemical, microbiological, biochemical, and dermatological sciences.

Matt Carroll has been the Director of the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health since 2002. Matt began his professional career as an attorney with Baker & Hostetler and began his government and non-profit service by joining Cleveland’s Department of Law, continuing in management positions with ParkWorks, and the Cuyahoga County Department of Human Services. At the latter position, Matt was a Senior Manager for Cuyahoga Health & Nutrition. Matt received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Brown University and law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Matt has volunteered for a variety of Cleveland nonprofit organizations, including having served as president of the boards of the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland and Merrick House.

Lloyd Matthew Cook, M.D. is currently Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine, and a physician at the Church Square Family Health Care Center of Saint Vincent Charity Hospital. He received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Elmira College,k from which he graduateed with Honors. He received his M.D. degree in 1983 from the State university of New York Health Science Center at Syravuse. While there, he served as a teaching assistant in Human Anatomy, and was involved with the Upstate Medical and Paramedical Association. He is a Diplomate in Internal Medicine from the National Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Cook has worked in a number of settings in Cleveland, many of them focused on serving inner city and disadvantaged populations. He has been a preceptor for the Case Western Reserve Medical School and a teaching attending physician in the highly successful internal medicine residency program at St. Vincent Charity Hospital. He has also assistted with educational grant programs a Cleveland State University focused on enhancing student knowledge and information about health disparities.

William M. Denihan has served as the CEO of the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board and will be appointed CEO of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board effective July 1, 2009. Mr. Denihan has 35 years of government experience as a change agent and problem solver serving in the State, County and local governments at the highest executive levels. In State Government he served as the Directors of the Ohio Department of Highway Safety, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the State Employment Relations Board and special advisor on nuclear power for Governor Celeste. In County Government he served as Executive Director for the Department of Children and Family Services, Director of Human Resources for Cuyahoga County and Director of the County Recorder’s office. At the City of Cleveland he served as the Director of Public Service, Director of Public Safety, Chief of Police on two different occasions. Currently he serves as senior advisor on Mayor Jackson’s Operation Efficiency Task Force. Mr. Denihan is a graduate of Cleveland State University, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998. He received the Cleveland State Alumni Association’s Civic Achievement Award in 1998; received the Dean’s Distinguished Award in 1999; and Pi Alpha Alpha Award, Cleveland State Chapter, and serves as a member of the Cleveland Leadership Academy, the College of Urban Affairs Visiting Committee, Strategic Planning Committee for the CSU Dean’s Office of Graduate Affairs, and the College of Science Visiting Committee.

Thomas E. Hopkins has been Senior Vice President - Human Resources for the Sherwin-Williams Company since 1997. He joined the Sherwin-Williams Company, Stores Division, in 1981 as an intern in the Training Department. He was Director of Training from 1982 to 1985 during which time he helped create and implement the Management Trainee Program, Sales Rep Training and a number of other field based training systems. He was promoted to the position of Division VP-Human Resources in 1986 for the South Central Division in Dallas, Texas where he had responsibility for recruiting, training, employee relations and management planning and succession issues. He was appointed Vice-President of HR for the Paint Stores Group in 1990. Mr. Hopkins is involved with several Cleveland based organizations and agencies. He is a member of (i)Cleveland, the Commission on Economic Partnership and Inclusion and a Trustee for the Vocational Guidance Services. In addition, Mr. Hopkins is active with the National Association of Manufacturers and supports the Coatings Care initiative with the National Painting & Coatings Association. He has a particular interest in Minority Business development and supports Sherwin-Williams' efforts in Supplier Diversity throughout the Northeast Ohio region. Mr. Hopkins graduated from Malone College in 1978 (magna cum laude), earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He holds a Master's Degree from Cleveland State University (1982) where he studied Organizational Psychology. Tom, his wife Marsha, and three children reside in the Chagrin Falls area. His hobbies include golf, biking, fishing, music and reading.

Daniel Laskowski is a Cleveland State graduate and is Senior Principal Research Engineer for the Respiratory Institute and the Department of Pathobiology at the Cleveland Clinic. He is the author or the co-author of numerous medical and technical papers. He is also a partner in Breath-Tech and CEO of Physiologic Measurement Systems L.L.C.

Steven M. Lake, Director of Upward Bound Math/Science at Cuyahoga Community College, provides low-income and potential first generation college students from Cleveland with the skills and motivation necessary to enroll in and graduate from college.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications (‘01) and a Master of Education degree in Adult Learning and Development (‘03) from Cleveland State University.  He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University.

John G. Nestor joined Kirtland Capital Partners in March 1986.  He is chairman and senior managing partner of this private investment firm. John is a member of the advisory board of Kirtland Capital Partners and serves as chairman of SmartSource Computer and Audio Visual Rentals.  He is also an Essex Rental Corp. board member. Prior to joining Kirtland Capital, John worked for 16 years for Continental Illinois Bank of Chicago.  For eight years he focused on lending to small businesses in the Chicago area.  In 1977, he was transferred to Philadelphia where he was involved in commercial lending and in 1979 he moved to Cleveland to manage Continental’s Cleveland office.

John Vitullo is presently the CEO and co-founder of Omega Laboratories in Mogadore, OH, one of the six hair drug testing laboratories in the world. He previously worked in biomedical research at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, The Veterans Administration Hospital in Wade Park, and Case Western Reserve University. He has authored or co-authored several publications in forensic and medical journals. He also founded and was President of Tri-State Laboratories, a forensic laboratory in eastern Ohio providing evidence analysis for over 30 law enforcement agencies. Dr. Vitullo is active in the community and is in demand as a speaker educating high school students about the dangers and consequences of drug abuse. Dr. Vitullo holds a Masters Degree from Youngstown State University and a Ph.D. in Regulatory Biology from Cleveland State University.