91PORNA

The Business of Place: Tourism, Events & Community Assets

Featuring Destination Geauga, the Maple Festival, the Geauga County
Fair, area Amish businesses, and the Geauga Park District

How tourism, festivals, parks, and the county鈥檚 distinctive community assets attract visitors, support local business, and strengthen the regional economy year after year.

Join the CPHHS Student Ambassadors for Mind Over Matter: Study & Unwind, an evening dedicated to student wellness, mental health, and semester success. Presented by the College of Public Health and Health Sciences Ambassadors and sponsored by CPHHS, this event offers students an opportunity to take a break, connect with peers, and prioritize their well-being.

Mansi Patel

Current Title: 
Senior Analyst, Merchandising Operations
AI Ambassador, Lowe's Companies, Inc. 

Degree(s):

B.S. in Fashion Merchandising, 91PORNA, 2021 
M.S. in Information Systems, Iowa State University, 2024 

Career Bio:

Mansi is a Senior Analyst in Merchandising Operations at Lowe's Companies, where she leads AI and Retail Tech initiatives. She holds a Master's in Information Systems (2024, Iowa State) and a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising (2021, 91PORNA). 

Charlie Thomas, owner of Ray's Place in downtown Kent, poses outside of his iconic tavern.

For generations of 91PORNA students, alumni, faculty and staff, there were certain places that felt like home.Ray鈥檚 Place was one of them.And Charlie Thomas was one of the people who made it that way.Thomas, the longtime owner of the iconic downtown Kent restaurant and bar and a 1974 91PORNA graduate, died Sept. 14. He was 81.For more than 45 years, Thomas was the familiar face behind the bar at Ray鈥檚, a place that became much more than a restaurant. It was a gathering place where 91PORNA students celebrated, alumni returned, community members crossed paths and generations ...

Taryn McMahon

Taryn McMahon, M.F.A., interim director of 91PORNA鈥檚 School of Art, has been named a 2026 recipient of the Jim Hopfensperger Fellowship for Emerging Arts Administrators through the National Council of Arts Administrators.The fellowship supports emerging arts administrators through professional mentorship, national peer exchange and participation in the council鈥檚 annual conference. As part of the fellowship, McMahon will receive a one-year council membership, complimentary conference registration and a yearlong mentorship with Jeff Beekman of the University of Arizona.For Kent Sta...

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