The Warren P. Williamson, Jr. College of Business Administration (WCBA) at Youngstown State University announces the recipients of 2009 WCBA Outstanding Alumnus Awards: John A DePizzo, Jr. (Jack), '71, Outstanding Business Alumnus; John Finizio, Jr., '85, Outstanding MBA Alumnus; Ted F. Uehlinger, '99, Outstanding Recent Alumnus; and Richard J. Schiraldi, Outstanding Service Award. The recipients will be honored at the 14^th Annual WCBA Alumni Banquet at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2009 in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center

The Outstanding Business Alumnus Award will be presented to John A. DePizzo, Jr. (Jack), '71, president/CEO of JAD Enterprises in Youngstown. DePizzo is in the process of
completing acquisition of his 31^st nursing and/or assisted living facility representing some 2,400 beds and 2,500 employees. Twenty–nine of the facilities are located in Ohio, and several in the tri–county area. In the past decade DePizzo has specialized in the acquisition and turn–around of troubled or neglected nursing facilities. He has completed over $100 million of acquisition and development projects including several apartment buildings and other commercial projects in the Mahoning Valley. He began acquiring primarily nursing facilities and other commercial properties in 1982.

Prior to JAD Enterprises, DePizzo started medical equipment and supply company that sold primarily to elderly care facilities. He also started an accounting and data processing service bureau specializing in skilled and intermediate care facilities. DePizzo's business career and his interest in the long term care industry began while he was a student at YSU, as a full–time Medicare auditor at Blue Cross of Eastern Ohio in Youngstown, where he audited all hospitals, nursing facilities and home health agencies in eight Ohio counties. From there he took a position with a small nursing home chain where he was hired to organize and run their central office. Additionally, he designed and implemented a comprehensive and sophisticated software system that automated and integrated all bookkeeping and accounting transactions for single or multi nursing facility groups.

DePizzo is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and nursing home administrator. He is also a licensed and instrument–rated pilot. He is a member of the President's Council at Youngstown State University. DePizzo has continued to support the campus with significant donations to the REC Center and the new Williamson College of Business Administration building and the annual JAD Scholarship Endowment Fund.

DePizzo graduated from Ursuline High School before getting his college education from Youngstown State University. He was a founding member of the Sigma Pi social fraternity and a member of Alpha Tau Gamma honorary accounting fraternity.

John Finizio, Jr., '85, president of St. Joseph Health Center in Warren will be recognized as Outstanding MBA Alumnus. He oversees operations and leadership of the 219–licensed bed, acute care teaching hospital with a staff of 351 physicians and 1,133 full– and part–time employees. John also received his BSBA degree from Youngstown State University.

John serves on the boards of the Better Business Bureau, Leadership Mahoning Valley, Humility of Mary Health Residential Services, Turning Point Counseling Services, and the Red Cross of Trumbull County.

John is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Healthcare Financial Management Association, American Cancer Society Golf committee, YMCA, Trumbull 100, Our Lady of Holy Rosary Parish Council, and the Knights of Columbus in Poland.

Ted F. Uehlinger, '99, assistant chief accountant for the Office of Chief Accountant at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., will be named the WCBA Outstanding Recent Alumnus. He has played a key role in the ongoing development of validation and review procedures for filings to the Commission under the new interactive data rules. Uehlinger also participated in the rule making of the new interactive data rules by providing guidance on accounting and registrant matters. For his work at the Commission, Uehlinger was awarded the Chairman's Capital Markets award in 2008.

Prior to the SEC, Uehlinger was employed in the national office at Ernst & Young. During his time in the national office, he was assigned to the national audit group working on audit methodology for the firm and was one of firmÕs members on the Center for Audit Quality.

Earlier in his career Uehlinger worked as an independent consultant in Cleveland advising on issues related to Sarbanes Oxley and at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Cleveland where he performed assurance services for multi national clients in diversified industries which included manufacturing, retail, capital venture funds, and telecommunications. Uehlinger got his start in the accounting profession by interning with the Ohio State Auditor Office in Youngstown.

Uehlinger has served as a college speaker for the annual Accounting Student Practitioner Day and continues to come back to campus to speak to business classes, student organizations, and faculty. He has also spoken to many professional organizations including the American Accounting Association, CFA, and AICPA. Uehlinger graduated from Boardman High School before getting his college education from Youngstown State University.

Rick Schiraldi is a Partner at Cohen & Company, a regional CPA firm in the top 100 firms nationally with offices in Ohio and affiliated offices in Florida. His primary practice focus is advising closely–held businesses. As Director of Strategic Development for the firm, his responsibilities include coordination of firm–wide strategic development initiatives, non–traditional business lines and value–added acquisitions/mergers, in a manner consistent with the firm's client service model and mission. This includes Cohen Capital Advisors, Cohen HR Services, CFO Services and Sequoia Financial Group. This follows 21 years as Director of Tax Operations in the Youngstown office.

As a Board Member of United Community Financial Corp., and Home Savings and Loan Company of Youngstown Rick chairs the Audit Committee. After graduating from Youngstown State University, he received a law degree from the University of Akron. He is a member of the American and Ohio Bar Associations, the American Institute of CPAs, Beta Alpha Psi, and the Ohio Society of CPAs.

Also quite active in his community, Rick serves on the Boards of the Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corporation, Youngstown Business Incubator, University Housing Corporation at Youngstown State University, and is a trustee for the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education. He was a founding member of the

Mahoning Valley funding source for the National Foundation of Fighting Blindness as well as the Crandall House Parent Resource Center & Toy Library, and a former Board Member of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, the Youngstown Symphony Society, and the Youngstown Playhouse. He sits on the Board of Advisors of the Williamson College of Business Administration at YSU and has chaired various task forces of U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan.

Sponsorships from area businesses toward the banquet support scholarships for business students. Sponsorship companies as of September 30, include Briarfield Health Care Centers, Cohen & Company; and National City Bank, now a part of PNC; Anness, Gerlach & Williams, CPAs; The Cafaro Foundation; The DeBartolo Corporation; Home Savings Charitable Foundation; Packer Thomas; The Vindicator; Cope Farm Equipment; Farmers Trust Company, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank; Sherman Creative Promotions, Inc.; and the Youngstown Business Incubator.

To make reservations for the WCBA alumni banquet or to receive additional information, please contact Christine Shelton, coordinator of external relations of the Williamson College of Business Administration at 330–941–3068 or e–mail cgshelton@ysu.edu.

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