Bill and Mary Skeeles Baseball Scholarship

The Bill and Mary Skeeles Baseball Scholarship was established in October 2021 through a generous gift by Bill and Mary Skeeles. The scholarship will support students who are members of The University of Akron Baseball program.

During his college days at The University of Akron, Bill Skeeles ’77 was a member of the baseball program. Those experiences helped shape his ability to work with a team and become a leader. Those life lessons provided a strong foundation for Bill, as he and his wife Mary became successful entrepreneurs, founding PointeNorth Insurance Group in 1996.

Born in Steubenville and raised in Richmond, Ohio, Bill started playing baseball at a young age and was coached by his father. His passion for the sport of baseball grew, leading him to The University of Akron where he could pursue his education and play the sport he loved.

Bill is Principal, CEO and President of Pointe North Insurance Group. He leads and sets the organization’s strategic course and guides efforts to grow and support the Independent Agency system through mergers and acquisitions. PointeNorth is one of the largest insurance agencies in the southeast with
local ownership, approaching $500,000,000 in annual premiums and serving over 50,000 businesses and households.

Bill earned a B.S. in economics from The University of Akron in 1977. After relocating to Atlanta in the late 1970s, Bill received his Jurist Doctorate from The Woodrow Wilson School of Law and became an Independent Agent and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).

Bill has served in the leadership of and remains active in a number of civic and industry related organizations, including the Atlanta Jaycees and Kiwanis Club, Atlanta Country Club, Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, Secure Risk, the Big I and PIA and serves on a number of insurance carrier advisory councils.

Mary is Principal and COO at PointeNorth Insurance Group, focused on operations, transition, and culture management. Prior to joining the firm, Mary served in a number of operational leadership roles for several Fortune 500 companies and new ventures.

A native of Indiana, Mary attended Indiana University and the University of Evansville.

Active in a number of community and civic organizations, she and Bill enjoy fishing, hiking, travel, and golf. They are also the proud parents of Katie, a graduate of Birmingham Southern College and member of the women’s golf team. The couple resides in Marietta, Ga.

Bill and Mary have been donors to The University of Akron since 1980, including a gift to install artificial turf and build new grandstands at the baseball facility, thus establishing Skeeles Field, which has been the home of Akron Zips Baseball since 2020. By creating this scholarship, Bill and Mary look to continue their support of the baseball program and its student-athletes.

The Bill and Mary Skeeles Baseball Scholarship must be awarded to members of the baseball team at The University of Akron, with no more than three recipients in an academic year. First consideration will be given to student-athletes who attended a high school in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. If a student-athlete from an Ohio Valley Athletic Conference school is not available for the scholarship, the Athletics Director, or their designee, along with the head baseball coach may select other recipients. It is also preferred student-athletes are in good academic standing.