John Hill '76 and Ali Deatsch '13 elected to Elon Board of Trustees

John R. Hill ’76 of Severna Park, Md., and Ali Deatsch ’13 of Elmhurst, Ill., were recently elected to the Elon University Board of Trustees. They begin their service on the board this summer.

Hill is a founding principal, senior partner and CEO of Pinnacle Advisory Group Inc., a private wealth management firm in Columbia, Md. The firm manages more than $1 billion in client assets worldwide, and Hill has  been focused on strategic planning as well as introducing a new division responsible for providing comprehensive outsource services to emerging financial advisory firms.

Hill graduated from Elon with a degree in economics and business administration. He and his wife established the John R. Hill ’76 and Lesley W. Hill Endowed Fund for Engaged Learning in Business, which supports research or other on-campus study, international study or business-related internships. The couple has made gifts to the university in support of Elon’s greatest needs, the Phoenix Club and men’s tennis, and they are members of the Elon Society and the Order of the Oak, Elon’s planned giving society.

In addition to his financial support, Hill, a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, has been a strong advocate for the university as president of the Elon Alumni Board since 2009, and he has hosted several alumni events. The Hills have been actively engaged in many charitable organizations and their church for almost four decades.

Deatsch, a native of Elmhurst, Ill., outside of Chicago, was elected to a two-year term on the board as a youth trustee. In May, she received a bachelor’s degree in physics with minors in applied mathematics, astronomy and psychology. She is a member of Sigma Pi Sigma academic honor society and Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society.

While at Elon, Deatsch was a four-year starter and two-year co-captain for the varsity volleyball team. Deatsch was also the first Elon student-athlete Lumen Scholar for her research proposal, “Optimizing heating efficiency of magnetic microspheres for magnetic hyperthermia treatment of malignant tumors,” and she holds the Phoenix Division I career digs and single-season aces record.

The North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Research Program recognized Deatsch for her outstanding work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Active in the community, Deatsch served as a Habitat for Humanity leader and participated in Elon’s service-learning programs

Deatsch was awarded one of two Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate scholarships by the Southern Conference and is currently pursuing a doctorate in physics at the University of Notre Dame.