Trina Scott - Vice Chair

Trina Govan Scott is a senior executive, board leader, and strategic advisor with experience spanning enterprise audit, advisory consulting, human capital strategy, civic engagement, and organizational transformation. She began her career in audit at Henry Ford Health Systems and Schering-Plough, now Merck & Co., where she developed a strong foundation in internal controls, risk awareness, ethics, and disciplined execution. She later gained consulting experience at Ernst & Young, supporting pharmaceutical and medical device clients on complex business matters requiring analytical rigor, stakeholder alignment, and executive-level judgment. Trina is also a Certified Fraud Examiner, bringing a practical governance lens to ethics, misconduct risk, investigations, and organizational accountability.

Trina is the Founder and President of Cultural Communications LLC, a strategic consulting firm that supports mission-driven organizations, civic institutions, foundations, and community-centered initiatives. Through the firm, she advises organizations on strategy, board engagement, executive communications, stakeholder alignment, community impact, and capacity-building efforts designed to strengthen organizational effectiveness and advance meaningful outcomes.

Prior to founding Cultural Communications, Trina served as Chief Diversity Officer at Rock Ventures and as Vice President of Civic and Community Affairs. In these roles, she led strategies that strengthened organizational culture, advanced leadership accountability, and deepened community partnerships and stakeholder trust. Across her career, her work has focused on aligning people, strategy, governance, and community impact.

Trina serves as Chair of the Oakland University Board of Trustees and as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee, where she supports governance oversight related to financial stewardship, risk management, accountability, and the university’s long-term institutional priorities.

Her board service reflects her commitment to strengthening communities and advancing the work of youth-focused and mission-driven organizations. In addition to Oakland University, Trina serves on several boards aligned with her interests in leadership development, health, education, opportunity, and community impact, including Inforum Michigan, International Women’s Forum, the American Cancer Society – Michigan, and First Tee of Greater Detroit.

Trina’s connection to Oakland University is longstanding and personal. She is a former Oakland University student-athlete and remains passionate about sports, including golf. She is married to fellow Oakland University alumnus Dr. Samino Scott II, whom she met while attending Oakland. They have been married for 20 years and are the parents of two children and grandparents of four grandsons.

Terms

Date of Appointment: September 8, 2020

Date of Term Expiration: August 11, 2028