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Nationwide has announced the election of Jeffrey W. Zellers to the Board of Directors for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

Immediately prior to joining the Nationwide board, Zellers stepped down from his position as first vice president and district 9 trustee for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. As trustee he represented members from Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage and Stark counties. He was in his second one-year term as vice president and his third three-year term as trustee. He previously was OFBF’s treasurer.

A special election to fill Zellers’ OFBF trustee seat will be held May 29 in the district. Delegates from the four counties he represented will participate in the election and will be notified by mail of the time and location of the election.

Zellers is currently board chair and president of K.W. Zellers & Son, Inc., a seasonal packer-grower-shipper of Arrow brand fresh salad vegetables located in Hartville. He and his wife, Lisa, grow radishes, mixed lettuce and other salad vegetables and also produce greenhouse and bedding plants.

He has been a Farm Bureau member for 16 years and has held numerous leadership positions within the organization at the county, state and national level. Zellers has two children. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in agriculture.

He served on the board advisory committee to Unizan Bank Corp. prior to its merger with Huntington National Bank. He also was a board member of the Stark County Farm Bureau and the Stark County YMCA.

Nationwide also announced the election of M. Diane Koken to its board. Koken is the former commissioner of insurance for Pennsylvania. She also served as the elected president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners from 2004 to 2005. Prior to her service with the state, Koken served as vice president, general counsel and secretary of Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co.

"Diane and Jeffrey add valuable economic and financial experience to the Nationwide board," said Chairman Arden L. Shisler. "Their individual areas of expertise will add depth to an already outstanding board of directors and will help Nationwide address the increasingly complex issues of corporate governance and business development."

Nationwide, based in Columbus, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $158 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks No. 98 on the Fortune 100 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions and long-term savings plans.