Presidential Inauguration

Gilda A. Barabino

President, Franklin W. Olin College

Gilda A. Barabino is the second president of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts. A chemical engineer by training, with broad interests in global health and interdisciplinary research and education, Barabino pioneered new engineering approaches to problems in medicine. Her research in sickle cell disease informed current technologies and the basis for novel therapies. She is a passionate advocate for health equity and leads national efforts to engage engineers in the development of solutions to health disparities. In recognition of her visionary leadership and outstanding professional achievement, Barabino has received many of the highest honors in academia. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering Society.

Barabino leads on a global stage as board chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest interdisciplinary scientific society. She is an internationally recognized thought leader and highly sought-after speaker and consultant on race/ethnicity and gender in science and engineering, with a particular focus on creating cultures and climates that support a sense of belonging. She has led a number of initiatives in these areas, including serving as the founder and executive director of the National Institute for Faculty Equity.

Prior to becoming president of Olin College, Barabino has held academic and administrative appointments at the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Northeastern University. Barabino received a B.S. from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Ph.D. from Rice University.

Angela Triplett

President of the Alumni Board

Angela Triplett is the associate director at The Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit that conducts federally funded research and development for national-security space programs. She has advanced in the corporation since starting in 2015 and currently manages a team that provides technical support to advise the U.S. Space Force in enhancing their capabilities through international partnerships. Her background is in nonlinear vibrations and her passions lie in alternative forms of energy. A physics major at Wooster, Triplett holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from University of Akron.  She has previously served on the alumni board and has been involved in Fighting Scots Career Connections and the Going True/LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. 

Gabe Tudor

Superintendent and CEO of Wooster City School District

Serving as superintendent and CEO of Wooster City School District since 2021, Gabe Tudor creates an environment conducive to student learning by utilizing resources and cultivating positive relationships. The district is the largest school system in the Tri-County (Ashland, Holmes, Wayne) area with nearly 4,000 students from Wooster’s economically diverse community. Tudor leads the development of instructional systems designed for high student achievement with a primary focus on improving instruction and enhancing student learning. Before coming to Wooster, he served as assistant superintendent of Wadsworth City Schools where he oversaw human resources, facilities, and school safety. He has also served as principal of Buckeye High School in Medina, assistant principal at Wadsworth High School, and Dean of students at Wadsworth Middle School. While at Wadsworth, he also helped coach tennis and basketball. He began his career as a social studies teacher at Jupiter Christian School in Florida. Tudor earned his bachelor’s degree in social studies education at Indiana Wesleyan University, his M.A. in educational administration at University of Akron, and superintendent licensure at Ashland University. He and his wife Rachel live in Wooster and have four children who all attend Wooster City Schools.

Rabbi Joan S. Friedman

Lincoln Professor of Religion and Professor and Chair of History

Rabbi Joan S. Friedman is the Lincoln Professor of Religion and professor and chair of History, at Wooster. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Jewish history from Columbia University, and was ordained as a reform rabbi by Hebrew Union College. She began teaching at Wooster in 2004. With an interdisciplinary focus on history and religious studies, Friedman’s research and teaching includes American Judaism, Jewish law, and American Jewish pop culture. She teaches a range of courses from Israel/Palestine: Histories in Conflict to The Hebrew Bible, among others. As chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Responsa Committee since 2019, she is the primary author of decisions in Jewish law that guide Reform Judaism in North America. Friedman is also associated with the Association for Jewish Studies, American Historical Association, Jewish Law Association, and the Women’s Rabbinic Network. She was the National Jewish Book Award Finalist for the publication of “Guidance, Not Governance”: Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof and Reform Responsa in 2013, a book about influential rabbi Solomon Bennett Freehof, who died in 1990. 

Rev. David A. Rice

Pastor & Head of Staff, First Presbyterian Church of Wooster; Wooster Trustee

The Reverend David A. Rice is pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Wooster and a member of the Wooster Board of Trustees. He grew up in Taiwan as a son of Presbyterian missionaries. Rice is a former professional opera singer, performing in regional opera houses and concert halls across the U.S. and at the opera house in Wuppertal, Germany, and as a guest artist in other German opera houses from 1989-96. He earned a bachelor’s in music and theater from North Park University in Chicago, and a Master of Music in voice performance from Northwestern University. After being called to ministry in the late 1990s, Rice earned a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary. From 2000-2014, he was pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church in Anniston, Alabama. He was named pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church of Wooster in April 2014.