UC Foundation Board of Trustees Elects 5 New Members

CINCINNATI – May 23, 2016 – The University of Cincinnati Foundation Board of Trustees has elected five new trustees to its 65-member board, including Cincinnati native James Orr and UC alumni Laurence Jones III, Bus ’00; Ruth Keefe, Ed ’81; Russell Myers, Jr., Bus ’82; and Troy Neat, Bus ’91. The new trustees have diverse backgrounds in finance, marketing, education, risk management and more.

“Our newest trustees are all distinguished and recognized leaders with decades of experience in a variety of disciplines,” said UC Foundation President Rodney Grabowski. “The Foundation is also fortunate to be adding expertise in alumni relations and engagement as we continue to enhance the experience of UC’s more than 285,000 alumni living around the world.”

Orr is CEO of James F. Orr LLC, a consulting company he founded in 2008. He also serves on the boards of Ohio National Financial Services, Cincinnati Business Committee, Management Executives Society, Becton Dickinson and Company and the UC Neuroscience Institute. Previously, he was chairman of the board and CEO of Convergys Corporation, serving from 1996 to 1998 and 2001 to 2007, respectively. Orr also served in several executive positions at Cincinnati Bell and its subsidiaries from 1989 to 1998 and in several executive positions at Procter & Gamble Co. from 1967 to 1988. He also has held leadership positions with American International Group Inc., the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Foundation for Family Service.

Jones is a graduate of UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business and currently serves as president of RiskVersity, a provider of risk management, risk mitigation and insurance services. He also is active with Legacy Investment Funds and Stay Focused Consulting. Previously, he was a director within the tax consulting practice at Brixey & Meyer and a tax consultant with Ernst & Young. A former ex-officio member of the UC Foundation Board of Trustees, Jones is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Governors (Immediate Past President), the Advisory Board for the Department of Accounting at the Lindner College of Business, Cancer Support Community and the Southwest Ohio Regional Workforce Investment boards. He also serves as the chair of the Fairfield City Schools Equity Leadership Team.

Keefe, a graduate of UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, is president and CEO of BlueSky Creative, Inc., a private marketing company specializing in traditional marketing and design projects. She is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Governors and Loyal Bearcat Society and has been active with the LCOH High Hopes Guild. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Spectrum Marketing and was employed with Downtown Cincinnati Inc. A founding member of SULA-St. Ursula Academy, Keefe also is a member of the USO of Central and Southern Ohio and past president of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Board.

Myers, executive vice president of JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle), is a 1982 graduate of the Lindner College of Business with a degree in finance, and holds a master’s degree in marketing and management from Northwestern University. He currently serves on the UC Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. Previously, he served as president of the UC Alumni Association Board of Governors, as an ex-officio member of the UC Foundation Board of Trustees and on the BEARE Board of Executive Advisors. He is the former president of Cincinnati Capital Partners, which merged with Jones Lang LaSalle in 2010. He also worked for Tipton Associates and The Staubach Company. In 2015, he received the Midwest Real Estate News Hall of Fame award, and in 2008 was awarded the NAIOP Broker of the Year. Previously, he served as a board member of the Clermont County Chamber of Commerce and UC REEAC.

Neat is lead relationship manager for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He recently was elected vice chair of the UC Foundation Board, and is president of the UC Alumni Association. In 1991, he earned two bachelor’s degrees in finance and marketing from the Lindner College of Business. Today, he serves as a member of the Blue Ash Dean’s Advisory Board and Lindner College of Business Dean’s Business Advisory Council. In 2008, Barron’s named him one of the Top 100 Financial Advisors in America. Neat also is a certified financial planner, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.