Dick Celeste (1960, History) heads Ohio’s coronavirus testing task force

Exeter alumnus and former Ohio governor Dick Celeste (1960, History) will lead Ohio’s coronavirus testing task force with Bob Taft, another former governor. They will be helping the incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine make available more coronavirus testing.

In a recent interview, Celeste described the crisis as “essentially an all hands on deck time.” “[Taft and I]’re going to do all we can to help,” he said. DeWine expressed his confidence in the former governor, saying that Celeste and Taft “know how to get things done and make things happen.” Meanwhile, Howard Wilkinson of WVXU described them as the right appointments for the job, “two solid public servants who can simply focus on doing what is right.”

A former director of the Peace Corps, Celeste served as Ohio’s 64th governor from 1983 to 1991. He is an Honorary Fellow of the College.