Mark Ricks named to App State board of trustees

Moss Brennan, Reporter • 314 Views

July 28, 2018

Mark Ricks, App State class of 1989, spoke in front of student-athletes, fans, App State faculty and coaches at a ceremony in Holmes Convocation Center on Thursday, November 9, 2017. He was appointed to the App State board of trustees on July 27, 2018.

Mark Ricks was appointed to the Appalachian State University board of trustees on Friday night by the board of governors.

The board of governors appointed Ricks by a unanimous vote.

“I asked him, with the blessing of the chancellor, would he serve because not only has he been an extremely successful businessman but that means I’ll get, at Christmas, a M&M’s care package since he’s the head of security for Mars candies,” Philip Byers, board of governors member, said.

Ricks graduated from App State in 1989 with a degree in criminal justice. He was the former director of global protective operations for Mars, Inc. from 2005-2017, according to Appalachian Today.

On Nov. 9, 2017, Ricks announced he would be donating $10 million to the “A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence,” project with a goal to raise $60 million. The project funds help provide more essential resources for App State Athletics.

“All jokes aside, please pay attention. He had not been back to Boone, he sees a football game on and all of a sudden invests $10 million plus in the future of Appalachian State and each of you have that same opportunity in front of you every day,” Byers said.

Ricks also owns Double Wood Farms, a sanctuary for retired show horses, in Bluemont, Virginia.

Moss Brennan is a sophomore journalism major from Durham, North Carolina. You can follow him on Twitter at @mosbren

Story by: Moss Brennan

Photo by: Marie Freeman

Feature photo caption: Mark Ricks, App State class of 1989, spoke in front of student-athletes, fans, App State faculty and coaches at a ceremony in Holmes Convocation Center on Thursday, November 9, 2017. Ricks was appointed to the App State board of trustees on July 27, 2018.

App State board of trustees

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About the Contributor

Moss Brennan, Reporter

Moss Brennan (he/him) is a senior journalism major with a minor in political science and media studies. He has worked on The Appalachian since freshman year as the Enterprise Editor, News Editor and most recently as the Editor-in-Chief. The past two summers Moss has interned as a foreign desk reporter for The Washington Times and as a data/general reporter for The Virginian-Pilot. Moss is back at The Appalachian for the 2020 fall semester to help cover the 2020 election in Watauga County. Moss can be reached by email at brennanmp@appstate.edu. You can follow him on Twitter @mosbren.

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Mark Ricks named to App State board of trustees

The Appalachian