Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed the Rev. Larry L. Macon Jr., J.D., to the Kent State University Board of Trustees. Macon will serve through May 16, 2027, fulfilling the unexpired term of Johnathan Holifield. Holifield resigned his position as a trustee in late 2022 due to an out-of-state relocation.
Macon is a pastor, leader, author, business executive, motivational speaker and recording artist. He currently serves as senior pastor and bishop of Mt. Zion Church in Oakwood Village, Ohio, serving a congregation with more than 6,000 members.
“I am proud to be of service to the state of Ohio and this great university for such a time as this,” Macon said.
Previously, Macon served as vice chair of the Board of Trustees for Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. He also served as chair of the presidential search committee, playing an instrumental part in selecting Central State’s ninth president.
As a former co-host of WKYC-TV’s “Live on Lakeside” show, Macon highlighted people in the community who were doing great things for others and promoted small business owners in the Greater Cleveland area. He also has held positions with the Bedford City School District, Cleveland State University, Valencia College, the University of Central Florida, the U.S. Congress and Allstate Insurance.
Macon has devoted his life to helping others through teaching at conferences, writing books and coaching individuals who seek his counsel. His philanthropic efforts include organizing the Haitian relief efforts and Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts for Mt. Zion Church in the 2000s. During the pandemic, Macon was a strategic partner with the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging in Cleveland, where he helped organize a program that fed more than 750,000 meals to seniors who were unable to leave their homes.
Macon earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Central Florida, a master’s degree in theological studies from Liberty University and a Juris Doctor from Florida A&M University College of Law. He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Kent State’s Board of Trustees currently consists of 14 members, nine of whom are voting members appointed by the governor of the state of Ohio, with the advice and consent of the state Senate, to nine-year terms of office. Two student trustees, one undergraduate and one graduate, are appointed by the governor to two-year terms of office. The Board currently has three national trustees, who serve three-year terms, as additional non-voting members appointed by the Board of Trustees.
For more information about Kent State’s Board of Trustees, visit www.kent.edu/bot.
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Top Photo Caption:
The Rev. Larry L. Macon Jr., J.D., has been appointed to the Kent State University Board of Trustees by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. (Photo credit: Rami Daud)
Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595