Meet the National Inventors Hall of Fame Leadership Team
Michael J. Oister, CEO
Since joining the National Inventors Hall of Fame® in 2004, Michael J. Oister has worked to expand our mission of recognizing and inspiring innovation in America. Mike, who holds more than 20 U.S. patents, first joined the National Inventors Hall of Fame as president of the Invent Now Kids subsidiary and was appointed chief operating officer of the National Inventors Hall of Fame parent company in 2009. In 2013, he accepted the role of CEO.
Since joining the National Inventors Hall of Fame® in 2004, Michael J. Oister has worked to expand our mission of recognizing and inspiring innovation in America. Mike, who holds more than 20 U.S. patents, first joined the National Inventors Hall of Fame as president of the Invent Now Kids subsidiary and was appointed chief operating officer of the National Inventors Hall of Fame parent company in 2009. In 2013, he accepted the role of CEO.
Since becoming CEO, Mike has overseen a 324% increase in students served annually with over 392,000 students participating in the organization’s education programs in 2023. This growth also corresponds with a 131% increase in school district partnerships and 166% increase in annual revenue. Additionally, the National Inventors Hall of Fame organization’s assets have increased by 273%, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum has doubled in square footage and exhibit space. The organization has benefited from the implementation of a high-service, user-friendly delivery and training business model exemplified by a 157% increase in teachers trained nationally each year, for education outreach programs in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. His demonstrated success of building strong partnerships, implementing new programs and cultivating sustainable businesses are a perfect fit for the National Inventors Hall of Fame’s needs as it grows and expands its businesses and mission.
Prior to joining the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Mike successfully built Classic Sport Companies from a startup to a $20 million-plus manufacturer of sporting goods, supplying team dealers throughout the country while building partnerships with prominent retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, Target, Sam’s Club, and Toys "R" Us. During Mike’s time as president and founder of the company, Classic Sport more than doubled its revenue each year between 1994 and 2000 and was named one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest-growing private companies in the United States in 1999 (No. 86) and 2000 (No. 31). The company was known industrywide as a leader in innovation.
Mike graduated from Colorado State University and now resides in Jackson Township, Ohio, with his wife Melinda and their four children: Sari, Marni, Charlie and Jeffrey. He is active with many of his children’s interests and activities through coaching and volunteering.
Board of Directors
Jean Bailey, Ph.D.
Director and Graduate Professor,
Center for Drug Abuse Research,
Howard University
Patrick Bravo
Executive Director, Summit County Land Bank
Renee DuBord Brown
Director, Intellectual Property, LinkedIn Corp.
Wesley Brown
CEO of Wesbro Communications LLC
Communications Lead for Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company
Deborah Cohn
Senior Director of Government Relations for the International Trademark Association (INTA) (retired)
Moussa Coulibaly
Vice President Omni-Channel Pricing Strategy and Execution,
Dick’s Sporting Goods (retired)
Edward W. Gray Jr.
NIHF Selection Board Ambassador
Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP
Monica Jones (Non-voting)
Vice President
Chief Operating Officer, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inc.
James Kraus
Assistant Secretary
Partner, Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs LLC
Sandra K. Nowak
Chief IP Counsel & Vice President, Solventum
Michael J. Oister (Non-voting)
President
CEO, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inc.
Hannah Paulin (Non-voting)
Secretary
Chief Strategic Officer, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inc.
Richard W. Pogue
Senior Advisor, Jones Day
Steve Sasson
Product Development Manager, Eastman Kodak (retired)
2011 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee – Digital Camera
Joseph Schuman
Director, Government Affairs, Qualcomm (retired)
Taylor Smith (Non-voting)
Treasurer
Executive Vice President, Finance, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inc.
Frank Steininger
Assistant Treasurer
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Civeo Corporation (retired)
Gary Sterling
Vice Chairman
Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Dick’s Clothing and Sporting Goods (retired)
Retail Consultant
Chen Wang
Co-Founder & CEO, Steelike, Inc.
Thomas Wolf
Chairman
Chief Financial Officer, InstaKey Security Systems (retired)
Jon Wood
Director of Waldron Center of Entrepreneurship and Family Business, Harding University