JoVon Coli Allied Health Scholarship

Thanks to a generous endowment from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, the Jo Von Coli Endowment will be awarded to students enrolled in any Allied Health program. Qualifications include: a minimum GPA of 2.0; enrolled full-time; preference given to resident of Buncombe or Madison counties.

This scholarship was named in honor of Dr. G. John and Vonda Coli. Dr. Coli enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1941, where he used his intellectual skills to conduct wartime chemical research for the Office of Naval Research in Washington, D.C., for which he received a Citation from the Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal. After the war, he went on to pursue graduate degrees, receiving an M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering. Coli began his professional career with Mobil Oil in Paulsboro, N.J.

He joined American Enka Co. in 1972 and became its president in 1979. In 1982, he was named president and chief executive officer of Akzo America Inc., a position he held until he retired in 1986. Upon his retirement he volunteered his time serving as president and chief operating officer for St. Joseph’s Health Service Corporation for almost 20 years. At the same time he made substantial financial contributions to the hospital, which were recognized by the naming of the 14-bed Coli Critical Center on the St. Joseph campus.