For fiscal year 2022, Trustee Scholar Circle giving status is indicated by (*), and Trustee Scholar Benefactor giving status is indicated by (**).
Executive Committee
The UMKC Trustees Executive Committee is elected from among the current trustees. They manage the business and property of the Board of Trustees in the interim between meetings of the full board.
Debby Ballard
Board Chair
Founder and President
The Ballard Connection
Paul Holewinski*
Treasurer and Vice Chair, Asset Management Committee CEO
CEO Dickinson Financial Corp
Doranne Hudson
Secretary and Vice Chair, Strategy and Planning
Retired, Hallmark Cards
Reachel Beichley
Vice President of Human Resources and General Counsel
MRIGlobal
Jennie Clarke
Alumni Trustee
Retired
American Century Investments
Dick Flanigan*
Retired
Cerner Corporation
Cameron Garrison
Managing Partner
Lathrop GPM
Dave Harrison
President
VanTrust Real Estate
Leigh Anne Taylor Knight
Executive Director and COO
DeBruce Foundation
Charlie Shields
President and CEO
University Health
Scott Smith*
Retired, HNTB
Kyle Vena
Vice President, Community Impact
Kansas City Royals Baseball Club
Donna Ward
Senior Vice President
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Regular, Alumni, Community and Special Trustees
The University of Missouri–Kansas City Board of Trustees is comprised of 60 regular, four Alumni, nine Community and three Special Trustees. Honorary and Emeriti members are annually elected at the discretion of the board.
C. Mauli Agrawal
Community Trustee
Chancellor
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kevin Barb
Alumni Trustee
Ammonia Product Line Manager
N-7, LLC
Seth Berry
Community Trustee
UMKC Pharmacy Foundation
Jonathan Baum
Managing Partner
Baum Capital Partners
Steven Bernstein
CEO and President
Bernstein Rein Advertising, Inc.
Scott Bethune
Community Trustee
UMKC School of Law Foundation
Phil Bixby
CEO, President and Chairman
Kansas City Life
Tom Bloch
Co-Founder
University Academy
Lifetime Giving Endowed Scholar Benefactor
Leslie Boe
Community Trustee
UMKC Women’s Council
Scott Boswell
President – West Division
The Commerce Trust Company
David Brain
CEO
Enfinite Capital
Ramin Cherafat
CEO
McCownGordon Construction
Mun Choi
Special Trustee
President
UM System
Dianne Cleaver
Retired
Urban Neighborhood Initiative
Keith Copaken
Principal
Copaken Brooks
Stephen Doyal
Retired, Hallmark Cards
Tim Dunn
Chairman of the Board
JE Dunn Construction
Anne Westlake Elsberry
Warren Erdman
Executive Vice President
Administration and Corporate Affairs
KC Southern
Melinda Estes
President and Chief Executive Officer
Saint Luke’s Health System
Wesley Fields
Office Managing Partner
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Gary Forsee
Retired
Sprint Nextel
Scott Francis
Owner
Francor, LLC
Todd P. Graves
Special Trustee
District 6 Curator
Marilyn Hebenstreit **
Community Trustee
Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology
Gabe Hernandez*
Alumni Trustee
Vice President
Burns & McDonnell
Heather Humphrey
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Evergy, Inc.
Richard Johnson
Founder and President
KC Pharma, LLC
David Kenner
Professor
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Jay Kim
CEO
DataLocker Inc.
Jeffery L. Layman
Special Trustee
District 7 Curator
Donald Maxwell
Attorney-at-law
Donald E Maxwell, LLC
Madeleine McDonough
Chair and Partner
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Rachel Merlo
Government and Community Affairs Manager
Google Fiber
JoZach Miller
Community Trustee
Friends of the Conservatory
Allison Murdock
Deputy Managing Partner
Stinson LLP
Troy Nash
Managing Director/Principal
Newmark Zimmer
Dana Patterson Nelson
Assistant Director of Special Education
KCK Public Schools
David Oliver
Partner
Berkowitz Oliver LLP
Patti Phillips
CEO
Women Leaders in College Sports
Emmet Pierson, Jr.
President and CEO
Community Builders of Kansas City
John Readey, III
Senior Counsel
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Jerry Reece
Community Trustee
Chairman Emeritus
ReeceNichols Real Estate
Nick Rodgers
Community Trustee
Rinehart Foundation
Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado
Scientific Director, Investigator
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
James Sangster
Vice Chairman
UMB Bank
Jennifer Schnack
Vice President, Human Resources
T-Mobile
Dred D. Scott
President
Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
Suzanne Shank
Retired
Senior Vice President
General Electric
Joseph Spalitto
Community Trustee
UMKC Alumni Association
Anne St. Peter
Founder
Global Prairie
Kent Sunderland
President and Trustee
Sunderland Foundation
Lisa Weixelman
Senior Partner
Polsinelli, PC
Robin R. Wenneker
Special Trustee
District 3 Curator
Michael Williams
Special Trustee
KC Area Curator
Michelle Wimes
Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer
Children’s Mercy Hospital
Michael Woods
Senior Vice President
Business Operations & Strategy
Lockton Companies
Victor Zhang
Chief Investment Officer
Senior Vice President
American Century Investments
Emeriti and Honorary Trustees
Malcolm Aslin
Emeritus
Alan Atterbury
Emeritus
President
Midland Properties, Inc.
Lifetime Giving Endowed Scholar Benefactor
William (Bert) Bates
Emeritus
Of Counsel
Lathrop GPM
The Hon. Theodore Beckett
Emeritus
Angela Bennett
Honorary
Bert Berkley
Emeritus
Chairman of the Board
Tension Corporation
Barrett Brady
Emeritus
John Callison
Emeritus
Vice President—Investments
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc
Newton Campbell
Honorary
Executive in Residence
University of Missouri‐Kansas City
Paul DeBruce
Emeritus
DeBruce Companies
William French
Honorary
Lifetime Giving Endowed Scholar Benefactor
Ollie Gates
Emeritus
Owner and Founder Gates BBQ
Greg Graves
Emeritus
Former Chairman/CEO
Burns & McDonnell
Pat McLarney
Emeritus
Attorney
McLarney Law Firm
Thomas Hyde
Emeritus
Leo E. Morton
Emeritus
President and COO
Robert Peterson
Emeritus
Jim Polsinelli
Emeritus
Retired Shareholder
Polsinelli, PC
John Sherman**
Emeritus
MLP Holdings LLC
Betsey Solberg
Emerita
Executive Consultant
Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.
Charles Sosland
Emeritus
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sosland Companies, Inc.
Neil Sosland
Emeritus
Executive Editor—Markets
Sosland Publishing Company
Stephen Talge
Emeritus
Tom Turner*
Emeritus
Joel Voran
Emeritus
Senior Counsel
Lathrop GPM
Don Wagner
Emeritus
General Partner
Wagner Investments LP
Lifetime Giving Endowed Scholar Benefactor
Robert West
Emeritus
Meet a Trustees Board Member
Tom Bloch
Co-Founder
University Academy
Lifetime Giving Endowed Scholar Benefactor
The board is made up of an outstanding group of individuals who bring diverse backgrounds and experience to UMKC, and the board provides a valuable link between the campus and community. The one common thread is that everyone has a great interest and enthusiasm for UMKC.
