While Deb came to Otterbein from the “foothills of Pennsylvania” and Mark from Cleveland, they both chose Otterbein because of their church backgrounds.
“Our church and faith are very important to us. That’s why we both ended up here, and why we have always given back … and Otterbein has been one of our loves for sure,” Deb said.
While Deb had to study harder than Mark, she said they both learned the value of hard work, respect for others, and commitment at Otterbein. “Mark always said you grew as a whole person here.”
Deb said it was by chance that Mark landed on Otterbein’s Board of Trustees. After graduation, he launched a career that would include 25 years at Nationwide, culminating in his position as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), which he held from 2009-2021. It was Mark’s boss at Nationwide, Joseph Gasper, who asked Mark to take over his seat on Otterbein’s board. Mark served on the board for 21 years, with eight of those as chair.
The Threshers have supported many initiatives at Otterbein over the years, establishing the Deborah and Mark Thresher Family Scholarship for music education majors and the Mark and Deborah Thresher Fellowship to support experiential learning opportunities; supporting numerous building and renovation projects; and making annual gifts to the Otterbein Fund.
However, Deb said their commitment of time to their alma mater has been the most meaningful to them. “The two of us have always had the mentality that if we’re going to commit to something, we’re going to try to leave it a little better than when we got there.”
Chelsea Thresher Ross ’05 followed in her parents’ footsteps, graduating from their alma mater. Reflecting on her father’s impact, Chelsea shared, “Dad became so successful with only a bachelor’s degree and he attributed that success to the lessons he learned at Otterbein that went beyond accounting. Later in life he wanted to give back to the institution that grounded him and gave him the skills to be successful — he wanted that to be the same story for the students that came after him.”