Oakland University Appoints New Board of Trustees Leadership

Oakland University in Rochester Hills has appointed a nonprofit executive as chair of its Board of Trustees and the CEO of a building company and a consulting firm as its vice chair.
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Tonya Allen and Bobby Schostak
Tonya Allen (left) is the new chair of the Oakland University Board of Trustees and Robert (Bobby) Schostak (right) is the new vice chair. / Photos courtesy of Oakland University

Oakland University in Rochester Hills has appointed a nonprofit executive as chair of its Board of Trustees and the CEO of a building company and a consulting firm as its vice chair.

At its meeting on Aug. 3, the OU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Tonya Allen, CEO of the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation, as chair.

The board also named Robert (Bobby) Schostak, as vice chair. Schostak is president and CEO of the Templar Baker Group, a multi-disciplined consulting firm in Birmingham and Lansing, and is co-CEO of Schostak Brothers & Co. in Livonia

Allen, who has served as the board’s vice chair for the last two years, succeeds W. David Tull as chair.

“Dave Tull has provided excellent, steady leadership, and is the consummate professional,” says Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, president of OU. “His passion for Oakland University, profound understanding of the financial landscape, along with his entrepreneurial approach have been instrumental in our growth and success during his tenure on the board, including his extremely positive impact as chair.”

Allen, who has been honored by several local and national publications and was one of the first Detroiters to receive the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, was appointed to the board in September 2016. She is the leader of the Skillman Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of Detroit children by helping to create pathways to high school graduation, college, successful careers, and fulfilling lives.

She also serves on the boards of the Council of Foundations, Council of Michigan Foundations, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and Campaign for Black Male Achievement.

“Oakland University is a jewel of our region and state,” Allen says. “I look forward to ensuring its brilliance and growing its impact for our students, faculty, staff, community, and economy during these unprecedented times.”

Schostak was appointed to OU’s Board of Trustees in December 2015. In addition to being CEO of the Templar Baker Group and Schostak Brothers & Co., a leading commercial real estate business in Michigan that operates properties in 24 states, Schostak also is a partner with Compuware co-founder Pete Karmanos’ Birmingham-based MadDog Technologies, a developer and funder of cloud-based solutions.

In addition, he serves of OU’s College of Arts and Sciences advisory board and the President’s Campaign Council. He is a past member of the OU Foundation Board and received the Distinguished Alumni Spirit Award in 2007.

“It was always my hope that I would be in a position to contribute in a deeper way and help guide the university to its next stage of growth,” Schostak says. “It is truly an honor to be in that position today and to work with the great leadership team led by President Pescovitz and my fellow trustees.”