The president of the Wright State Board of Trustees was publicly reprimanded by the Ohio Ethics Commission. This occurred following an ongoing investigation regarding the hiring of his son, David Bridges. Michael Bridges admitted to emailing his son’s resume to several administrators and helping in the setup of interviews with Wright State Research Institute Director Dennis Andersh. After being interviewed in late 2015, a new position was created for the trustee’s son. Bridges was voted board chairman in 2015 where he later voted on the approval of David’s hiring.
Evidence showed Bridges potentially broke state laws while aiding in the hiring process for his son. The Ethics Commission cited probability in the emails exchanged with David’s resume and helping to schedule interviews.
The settlement agreement from the Ethics Commission states Bridges, “to not participate in any employment matters related to his son or any other family member employed by Wright State University.” At this time the commission has not prosecuted Bridges, however, charges could be brought if the agreement is violated.
According to the Ohio Ethics Commission, Bridges is cooperating with their investigation, and so far there is, “no evidence that Bridges used the authority of his public position to secure the hire of his son.”
Michael Bridges graduated from Wright State in 1981 and started his own company, Peerless Technology Corporation, in 2000. Appointed in 2012 by Governor John Kasich, Bridge’s was serving a nine year term for the board. His son, David Bridges, is also a Wright State graduate and has a B.S. in Management Information Systems and a MS in information systems along with multiple certificates in technical security. David works as an advanced engineering lead for Wright State’s research institute.
Information has not been released on whether or not David will continue working for the university. According to the letter sent to fellow trustees, Michael stated he apologized for, “bringing this negative attention to the university that I love and respect.”
