For fiscal year 2024, 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
Doranne Hudson
Chair-Elect and Chair, Strategy & Planning
Retired, Hallmark Cards
Paul Holewinski*
Treasurer and Vice Chair, Asset Management Committee
CEO Dickinson Financial Corp
Gabe Hernandez
Alumni Trustee
Secretary
Vice President
Burns & McDonnell
Reachel Beichley
Vice Chair, Engagement Committee
Practice Group Director, Traditional Labor Law
Littler
Jennie Clarke
Alumni Trustee
Vice Chair, Development Committee
Retired, American Century Investments
Cameron Garrison
Vice Chair, Governance Committee
Managing Partner
Lathrop GPM
Dave Harrison*
Strategic Real Estate Planning Task Force Chair
President
VanTrust Real Estate
Leigh Anne Taylor Knight
Vice Chair, Brand Enhancement Committee
Executive Director and COO
DeBruce Foundation
Suzanne Shank
Vice Chair, Trustees’ Scholars Committee
Retired, General Electric
Charlie Shields
Vice Chair, Advocacy Committee
President and CEO
University Health
Kyle Vena
New Paradigm for Company Connections Task Force Chair
Vice President of New Campus Development
American Royal Association
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
Scott Aripoli
Community Trustee
UMKC School of Law Foundation
Kevin Barb
Alumni Trustee
Chief Commercial Officer
Mountain View Clean Energy
Jonathan Baum
Managing Partner
Baum Capital Partners
Stephanie Becker
Chief Legal Officer/General Counsel
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
Steven Bernstein
CEO and President
Bernstein Rein Advertising, Inc.
Phil Bixby**
CEO, President and Chairman
Kansas City Life
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
Ayca Cil
Community Trustee
President
Friends of the Conservatory
Dianne Cleaver
Retired
Urban Neighborhood Initiative
Ian Colrain
President and CEO
MRI Global
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 Advisor Strategic Projects
CPKC
Wesley Fields
Office Managing Partner
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Dick Flanigan*
Retired
Cerner Corporation
Gary Forsee
Retired
Sprint Nextel
Scott Francis
Owner
Francor, LLC
Dan Fromm
President
Barkley
Todd P. Graves
Special Trustee
District 6 Curator
Brad Hampton
Chief Executive Officer
Helzberg Diamonds
Marilyn Hebenstreit *
Community Trustee
Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology
Heather Humphrey
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Evergy, Inc.
Kim Kass
Community Trustee
Assistant Vice President
Commerce Trust Company
David Kenner
Professor
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Molly Kerr
Community Trustee
SVP, Private Wealth Market Executive
BOK Financial
Christine Kemper
Founding Board Chair
Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy and Foundation
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
Head of Government & Community Affairs
Central Region | Orange County
Google Fiber
Allison Murdock
Deputy Managing Partner
Stinson LLP
Keith Perkins
Community Trustee
President
Pharmacy Foundation
Emmet Pierson, Jr.
President and CEO
Community Builders of Kansas City
Jeanette Prenger
Founder and CEO
ECCO Select
Julie Quirin
President
Saint Luke’s Health System
Jeron Ravin
President & CEO
Swope Health
Jerry Reece
Chairman Emeritus
ReeceNichols Real Estate
Nick Rodgers
Community Trustee
Rinehart Foundation
Angie Salmon
Senior Vice President, Managing Director
CBIZ, Inc.
Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado
Scientific Director, Investigator
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Jennifer Schnack
Vice President, Human Resources
T-Mobile
Dred D. Scott
President
Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
Jeff Simon
Office Managing Partner
Husch Blackwell LLP
Scott Smith
Retired
HNTB
Anne St. Peter
Founder
Global Prairie
Donna Ward
Senior Vice President
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Carolyn Watley
Vice President of Community Engagement
CBIZ, Inc.
Lisa Weixelman
Retired
Polsinelli, PC
Robin R. Wenneker
Special Trustee
Board Chair
At-Large 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
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