Media Center

CLEVELAND – May 18, 2021 – Oswald Companies has announced the election of Ann Harlan, Pat Perry and Rich Stovsky to its Board of Directors, which today includes expanded oversight of Unison Risk Advisors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ann, Pat and Rich onto our Board and we are very fortunate to have their leadership, energy, and experience,” said Robert Klonk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Oswald Companies. “We look forward to their contributions, as well as their insight from the global perspective, as Oswald continues to expand its footprint.”

Ann Harlan

Harlan is former Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for The J.M. Smucker Company (ticker: SJM), a Fortune 500 Company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Harlan joined The J.M. Smucker Company in 1999 as a member of the senior management team as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Until her retirement in 2011, Ann served on the Executive Strategy Counsel  and was instrumental in the development and implementation of corporate strategy.

In her role as General Counsel, Ann was also responsible for the legal affairs of the company, including the selection of outside counsel and other legal service providers. Prior to joining The J.M. Smucker Company, Ann was a partner with a large mid-west based law firm, where her practice focused on mergers and acquisitions.

Harlan also serves on the Board of Directors of The Gorman Rupp Company, a New York Stock Exchange Company, where she is Lead Director.  Harlan was on the Board of Directors for Eatem Foods Corporation, until its acquisition by ADM in 2015. She also served on the Advisory Board of The Gates Group Capital Partners from 2011 – 2019 and on the Board of Directors of FlavorX Corporation from 2018-2020.

Harlan is also a member of the Board of Directors of University Hospitals Health System, Inc. where she Chairs the Compensation Committee and sits  on the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee.

Most recently, Harlan has served as an independent director of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., a New York Stock Exchange Company.

Harlan served on the Visiting Committee of both The Case Western Reserve University and The Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She also served as the Co-Chair of the 2013 and the 2012 Women in Law and Leadership Conference at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

She was a founding member and Co-Chair of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of Women Corporate Directors and served on the Board of Advisors of Direct Women. She is a member of Leadership Cleveland Class of 2007.

In addition, Harlan is past Chair of the Board of The First Tee of Cleveland where she also chaired the Executive Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Harlan is a graduate of Skidmore College and Case Western Reserve University School of Law where she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers and the Society of the Benchers, where she currently serves as Chair.

Pat Perry

Perry is former Chairman and President of ERC where he is credited with leading the company’s turnaround in 1998 and guiding the organization to national expansion, resulting in 20 straight years of sustained profitability and growth.

He is the founder of the nationally acclaimed NorthCoast 99 program, an award that recognizes the best Northeast Ohio workplaces for top talent. In addition, Perry is the co-creator of ERChealth, a highly successful health insurance program for mid-size businesses in Ohio.

Perry was named Northeast Ohio’s “Best Boss” by Inside Business magazine. During his career, his leadership style was characterized as non-traditional and unconventional. He is an outspoken workplace equality advocate and promotes prioritizing employees and their families over profits.

Prior to ERC, he held a variety of human resource and leadership positions with KPMG, University Hospitals/ Mednet, and Spherion/AIM Executive. As a writer, Perry has published over 400 business, HR, and leadership articles. He is the HR and business columnist for Community Leader magazine and The News-Herald. Pat has authored two books: Re-Shape Re-Define Re-Imagine and, Business Lessons Learned Along the Way. Pat is also the host of the national Success Wave podcast.

He has served as a board member for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lake/Geauga SHRM, Leadership Lake County Alumni Association, and Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce. Perry has also chaired the Northeast Ohio Human Resource Conference (NOHRC). He is a graduate of the Leadership Lake County program and was recognized as Member of the Year by the Cleveland and Lake/Geauga SHRM chapters.

In November 2018, Perry was inducted into the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame and in 2021 named to the Cleveland 500, recognizing the region’s most influential leaders.

Perry received a BSBA from the University of Dayton and an MBA from Bowling Green State University. He earned his SPHR certification from the Society for Human Resource Management and served as an adjunct faculty member at Lakeland Community College, Cleveland State University, and Baldwin-Wallace University. Perry is a frequent motivational speaker and leadership facilitator.

Rich Stovsky

Stovsky was a Vice Chairman of PwC before retiring in June 2018, where he had provided practical tax and business advice for businesses and owners in a variety of industries for 35 years.

He also serves as a Director and Audit Committee Chair of Encore Capital Group (ECPG), is a Director of Olympic Steel (ZEUS), and is a member of the Boards of several privately held companies. In addition, Stovsky serves on several non-profit organization Boards of Directors/Trustees and Executive Committees including The Cleveland Orchestra, The 50 Club of Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Bluecoats of Cuyahoga County, and Cleveland Marshall College of Law, and is on the Board of University School.

Stovsky is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Cleveland Marshall College of Law. He is a Certified Public Accountant and attorney.

In addition to these outside appointments, Robert Cawley and Albert Counselman were also appointed by RCM&D and Unison Risk Advisors, with Klonk, Dave Jacobs, Marc Byrnes and Scott Sinder as returning Directors of the Board.

About Oswald Companies

Founded in 1893, Cleveland-based and employee-owned, Oswald is one of the nation’s largest independent insurance brokerage firms. As a proud Partner of Assurex Global, the world’s largest association of privately held insurance brokers, our risk management professionals service and support the needs of our clients worldwide. Learn more at www.OswaldCompanies.com.