Merit President and CEO, Don Welch will serve as Chair of The Quilt Board of Directors for 2014.  Welch began a four-year term on The Quilt Executive Committee in 2012.  He assumed his new role on January 15, after serving one year as Vice Chair.

The Quilt is a national coalition of advanced regional networks for research and education (R&Es or RONs), representing 32 networks across the country.  The Quilt is in place to facilitate collaboration among regional networks, to advocate on their behalf, and to help regional networks leverage their collective experience and buying power.

Representatives from participating organizations comprise The Quilt Board of Directors.  Officers of The Quilt Executive Committee are elected from the Board of Directors after receiving nomination from their peers.  Welch served on the Board of Directors prior to joining the Executive Committee.

"I am proud to continue to serve this important organization. Being elected to the Chair of The Quilt shows the esteem that our fellow research and education networks have for Merit Network and our community in Michigan," Welch said.

"In my new role as Chair of The Quilt Board of Directors, I am excited at the opportunity to help other networks around the country, while at the same time ensuring that the needs of Merit and our community in Michigan are met from a national perspective," he added.

"The Quilt is very fortunate to not only have a tremendous breadth of talent among its members but also the strong commitment of individuals such as Don who are remarkable in their leadership contributions to the organization as well as to the enterprise of research and education networking. I am looking forward to working with Don this year in his capacity of chair for another highly productive and successful year for the organization," said Jen Leasure, president and CEO of The Quilt. 

Don Welch also serves on the Michigan 9-1-1 Committee, the Cyber Security Strategic Committee for the State of Michigan and as Chair of the Statenets CEO Round Table.  He also serves on Advisory Committees for Oakland University, Lawrence Tech and Eastern Michigan University.