Fulton County Ohio Media

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On Friday afternoon in the Swanton High School Media Center, a luncheon was held for the induction of Benjamin Lang and Abby (Kolodziejczyk) Wolfrum into the Swanton Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2025.  Mr. Christopher Lake, Superintendent of Swanton Local Schools, welcomed the inductees, their family members and all other guests and read a list of their qualifying accomplishments.

The Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame was developed to recognize and honor Swanton Local School graduates or alumni (individuals who attended a Swanton School at some time) who have achieved significant success in their chosen career fields, and to provide outstanding role models for the students of the Swanton Local School District.

Benjamin Lang is a 1994 graduate of Swanton High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with high honors, from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 2003, where he served as student body president.

Ben is a corporate partner at the global law firm Jones Day, based in its Tokyo office. His interest in Japan began with a homestay experience in sixth grade and continued through Japanese language while studies at Swanton High School and the University of Toledo while still in high school. While attending the University of Cincinnati, Ben completed two formative co-op experiences — one in environmental remediation consulting and another as a research intern in a polymer laboratory near Kyoto, Japan –ultimately leading him to pursue a legal career focused on international work.

After graduating from law school, Ben began his career in New York City before relocating to Tokyo in 2005, where he became a partner in 2013. His practice focuses on the life sciences industry, facilitating cross-border mergers, acquisitions, licensing agreements and other transactions that support the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Ben is highly ranked internationally by Chambers and IFLR and works with clients in both English and Japanese.

In addition to his professional work, Ben maintains an active pro bono profit organizations in Japan, the United – practice, supporting non-profit organizations in Japan, the United States, and Northwest Ohio. He remains deeply connected to Swanton, providing ongoing support to the Swanton Local Schools Foundation, Swanton Band Boosters, and the Swanton Public Library.

 Ben lives in central Tokyo with his wife, Aki, and their five daughters. He also serves as a trustee of the American School in Japan, and his family looks forward each year to returning to Swanton for the Swanton Corn Festival.

Abby (Kolodziejczyk) Wolfrum is a 2002 graduate of Swanton High School. During her time at Swanton, she was active in soccer, band, choir, show choir, basketball cheerleading, student council, and high school musicals — having first appeared on stage as Gretel in the Sound of Music in second grade.

Abby earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology/Chemistry from Defiance College in 2006, where she continued her involvement in soccer, theatre, choir, ecology club, dance team, and served as a Student Ambassador. She later returned to Defiance College, working nearly a decade in enrollment management as an admissions and financial aid counselor, and ultimately as Assistant Registrar, while earning her Master of Arts in Education in 2014. During this time, she served on both cheerleading and multiple campus committees and advised ambassador programs.

Her professional experience also includes serving as Director of Finance at K. Kern Painting, LLC, and as a caregiver at Kaitlyn’s Cottage, a respite care facility for individuals with developmental disabilities.

In 2021, Abby became the Executive Director of the United Way of Defiance County, where she leads fundraising efforts, builds community partnerships, and oversees programs supporting local families, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Backpack Buddies, Kindertgarten Camp, and the new Defiance RIDES transportation initiative.

Abby is a recipient of the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce’s 4 Under 40 Award Under, a graduate of Leadership Defiance County and an active member of both the Defiance and Hicksville Rotary Clubs. She also volunteers with Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine, Christian youth retreats, and medical mission trips to Mexico. Abby and her husband, Jonathan, live in Defiance with their five children and enjoy supporting their many school and sporting activities.

Later in the evening, during halftime of the Swanton/Archbold boys basketball game, Benjamin and Abbey were introduced to the crowd and had their bios read to the audience.

Click on the link above to access photos from the ceremony. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and an be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Benjamin Lang and Abby (Kolodziejczyk) Wolfrum