New Trustees Elected
10/08/2025
Bluffton University looks forward to the insight and leadership the board of trustees will continue to provide with the addition of these three new members.
Bluffton University elects three new members to board of trustees
Bluffton University has elected three alumni to its board of trustees: Pete Suter, Malissa Takacs and Matt McQuown.
Pete Suter ’94, MAOM ’02
Suter, of Bluffton and Pandora, Ohio, is a two-time Bluffton graduate. He earned a
bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration in 1994 and a master’s
degree in organizational management in 2002. He later completed a doctorate in business
administration in marketing at Anderson University in 2008 and is pursuing a law degree
at the University of Toledo.
Suter taught business and finance courses at Bluffton for 14 years and served as director of annual fund and planned giving. He is owner of the Shannon Theatre and CEO of Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Co., which he co-founded in Bluffton. He has served on the boards of Pandora Bancshares Inc., Mennonite Mutual Insurance Co., Camp Friedenswald and the Bluffton Soccer Club.
Malissa Takacs ’01
Takacs, a 2001 Bluffton graduate in social work and communication, has more than 20
years of experience in admissions counseling and educational leadership. She holds
a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Virginia, a master’s
in social work from Case Western Reserve University and a certificate in college counseling
from UCLA.
She has worked in international schools in Singapore and Switzerland, U.S.-based therapeutic programs and Bluffton’s Office of Admissions. Takacs currently serves as a senior application reviewer for Northeastern University, where she evaluates more than 1,200 applications each year. She co-created the International ACAC Mentor Year Program and has received the NACAC Rising Star Award (2022) and the International ACAC Panetha Nychis Ott Member of the Year Award (2024). She also provides pro bono advising and professional development to counseling professionals around the world.
Matt McQuown ’90, MBA ’06
McQuown, a Bluffton graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business and communication
and an MBA, is vice president of supply chain at Newmar Corporation. He brings more
than 20 years of executive leadership in operations and supply chain management.
His career includes leadership roles at REV Recreation Group, Stolle Machinery and The Peerless Group, where he consistently delivered measurable results. McQuown has negotiated multimillion-dollar supplier agreements, streamlined manufacturing processes and implemented lean practices that cut lead times and improved efficiency. Known for his collaborative, servant-leader style, McQuown has led teams through major organizational changes while strengthening partnerships across industries.
The board also elected a new chair, vice chair and secretary. Greg Wannemacher ’77 will serve as chair; Heather (Bachman ’99) Reichenbach will serve as vice chair, and Annette (Althaus ’89) Heslep will serve as secretary. Azra Nakicevic ’98 will continue to serve as treasurer.
Bluffton University looks forward to the insight and leadership the board of trustees will continue to provide with the addition of these three new members.