Walden W O'Dell

Walden W. O'Dell, of Columbus, Ohio, was appointed by Governor Taft in 2003. He is former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Diebold, Incorporated, a leading global provider of integrated financial self-service delivery systems, security and services. Prior to joining Diebold, O’Dell held a series of high-level positions with Emerson Electric Co. He most recently served as president of Emerson’s Ridge Tool division in Elyria, Ohio, while also serving as group vice president of The Tool Group of Emerson. During his 33-year career at Emerson, he ran operations on five continents including the manufacturing, distribution and sales of a variety of electronic equipment and service businesses. He has had experience in places as diverse as China, Malaysia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He was president of the Liebert Corporation, a subsidiary of Emerson in Columbus, Ohio, where he led the transformation of the company from a $400 million domestic hardware producer to a $1.1 billion global leader in network computers and telecom support equipment and services. O’Dell serves on the board of directors of the Columbus Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) and is a member of the board of trustees of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC). He formerly served on the boards of Lennox International Inc. of Richardson, Texas, and the United Way of Greater Stark County, and is a past member of the Ohio Business Roundtable and a past national trustee of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is a member of The Ohio State University Advocates and is a lifetime associate alumni of The Ohio State University. He is committed to excellence in education and is an active supporter of the University. A native of St. Louis, O’Dell earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from St. Louis University, where he finished first in his class in his senior year. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from St. Louis University with a 4.0 GPA, before earning another master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University, where he finished in the top 10 percent of his class and majored in finance and international business. Mr. O’Dell’s wife, Patricia, graduated from St. Louis University with a bachelor of arts in Sociology. She is on the board of Opera Columbus. Both Mr. and Mrs. O’Dell are actively involved in several Ohio charitable organizations. The O’Dell’s have four children and four grandchildren.