Joey Popp, a 30-year broadcasting veteran, has been elected as the first chair of the Business Advisory Board for the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business at Catawba College.
Robert Van Geons, recently named executive director of the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission, is the new vice-chair. Serving as secretary will be Cecilia Stach, administrative assistant for the math department and Ketner School of Business at Catawba.
The Business Advisory Board was formed last year to advise the business faculty on issues affecting the Ketner School of Business. Forty persons serve on the board which meets twice per year.
"We are pleased that the board has selected strong leadership to serve Catawba College and the Ketner School of Business in particular," Phil Kirk, vice president for external relations and staff person for the board, said. "The board has already demonstrated its value to the college and we look forward to great things from the members in the future."
The Business Advisory Board was the sponsor for the inaugural Catawba College Business Hall of Fame event held last October and is now working on the first Distinguished CEO Lecture Series slated for this spring. The board's next meeting will be held on February 22.
Popp, a 1977 graduate of Catawba College, is the television host for WTVI's medical program, "HealthWise," and radio host for WFAE's "Weekend Edition" Saturday. He serves on the Mecklenburg County Bioethics Resource Group.
A graduate of Mooresville High School, he and wife Catherine live in the historic Elizabeth Community in Charlotte and operate the advertising and public relations firm, Marketing & Media Resources.
Until recently, Van Geons has served as the executive director of the Stanly County Economic Development Commission. He is a 1997 graduate of Catawba College and has served as a planner for Kannapolis and Spencer. He and his wife, Tara, a teacher in Stanly County, have also participated in several Piedmont Players productions.
Van Geons is a native of Waterbury, Conn. In Stanly County, he also managed the building inspections and planning and zoning for the Stanly County manager. His degree at Catawba was in political science with an emphasis in American government. He holds a master's degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he also is working toward his doctorate of philosophy in international development. He is vice chairman of the Economic Advisory Council for the Charlotte Regional Partnership.
Stach, a 2005 graduate of Catawba, worked in the library at Catawba prior to moving to the Ketner School of Business and math department. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in liberal studies at Wake Forest University. She has a son, Logan, age five.
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