Porter ’05 Sits on Capital University Board
Andre Porter ’05 is one of the youngest members on the board of trustees at Capital University in Columbus. The position is one that Porter said he was surprised to receive and honored to accept.
“I am absolutely fortunate and blessed to be where I am today,” he said. “If opportunities exist for me to utilize my skills in order to make a positive contribution to the community, I take them because I believe that I have a responsibility to do so.”
Porter, currently an attorney at Schottenstein Zox & Dunn, graduated from Capital University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. During his time at Capital he was student body president and served on the presidential search committee. After graduation, he served on Capital’s alumni advisory board.
Porter believes that the combination of being an attorney and his previous involvement with the school is what earned him the nomination to join the board in 2007. “Any nonprofit board requires the skill sets of a diverse group of professionals in order to be successful, and there are certain roles that I am able to fulfill on Capital’s board because I am an attorney,” he said.
The decision to go to The Ohio State University for law school wasn’t a difficult one, he said. “I wanted to stay in Ohio, and I wanted to attend a school with a great academic reputation and that, combined with my undergraduate degree, would provide me with every opportunity for success upon graduation. With a degree already in hand from Capital, the obvious choice was Ohio State. Its law school continues to have a great academic reputation and provide graduates with vast opportunities for professional success.”
Porter said that he appreciates the three years he spent at Ohio State.
“Law school was definitely a challenging time,” he said. “It is a difficult transition coming from undergrad and going directly to law school. But having my law degree will allow me to do things with my life that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.”
And his civic involvement extends well beyond his work at Capital University.
Porter, a native of Alliance, Ohio, sits on the board of Kids Voting of Central Ohio. Kids Voting aims to increase political awareness to students before they graduate high school. The organization touches on issues such as voter education and civic participation.
He also sits on the Board of Zoning Appeals for the city of Gahanna as well as the city’s Community Improvement Corporation.
Porter has been an associate in the Columbus office of Schottenstein Zox & Dunn since 2005. He practices in the public law group and primarily focuses on utilities and energy market regulation as well as real estate tax; neither area Porter said he ever planned on pursuing.
“I had no idea that these areas would be my primary areas of practice,” he said. “The opportunity existed through the firm, and fortunately I have been able to continue to serve our clients in these areas. There was no real plan to end up here, but I am happy with what I am doing now.”
Porter represents both public and private clients in ensuring that they get the best possible rates, terms, and conditions for their electric, natural gas, and other utility services. He also represents school districts to make sure that real estate tax evaluations are fair and equitable.
Porter and his college sweetheart, Erica, live in Gahanna, just outside of Columbus.
