The Northern Kentucky Education Council has appointed nine new members to its board of directors. The move is intended to strengthen the council’s position as a catalyst for progress toward the region’s education goals.
The addition expands the board to 25 directors total. The experience of the new appointees brings added influence to the council; the appointments are effective immediately.
“The council has extended the scope of its work to serve as the ‘backbone’ organization for the alignment of strategic education initiatives for the region, birth to career,” said executive director Polly Lusk Page. “Having a cross section of strong leaders on the council enables us to ensure continued collective impact that improves and changes the outcomes for all of our children, youth and young adults in Northern Kentucky.”
The board also relies on the work of dozens of others through the council’s six Action Teams. Through collaboration, the education council aligns the work of more than 80 partners in the region.
“Our work is data-driven, progressive and goal-oriented. We couldn’t do it without the combined strength of such a stellar board of directors,” Page said. “I continue to be impressed by the commitment of our civic and business leaders to education in Northern Kentucky.”
The new members are:
• David A. Armstrong, president and CEO of Thomas More College, has launched a number of initiatives to expand college offerings including a new athletic training major, a marine biology program, a marching band and women’s lacrosse.
• Tammy Barth-Oakes, senior vice president for CitiCards, is a graduate of Thomas More College and has a long history of working with community organizations such as United Way. She has been a leader in launching the Citi Women’s Network and now serves as its co-chair.
• Dan Cahill, vice president and Kentucky market leader for Horan, has degrees in the fields of communication, telecommunication and interdisciplinary business studies. He specializes in consumer-based health care opportunities brought on by the Affordable Care Act, including employee engagement, wellness, and health care innovation and technology.
• Mark Exterkamp, executive vice president of The Bank of Kentucky, directs administration of the bank’s 32 branch offices. He also serves as the bank’s marketing director, leading all advertising, public relations and community engagement, and oversees the bank’s website and mobile banking. He is a member of many civic and business boards, and currently serves as board president at New Perceptions.
• Daniel R. Groneck, Northern Kentucky market president of U.S. Bank, has held several increasingly responsible roles at U.S. Bank residential lending, commercial real estate and corporate community development. Deeply engaged in the community, Groneck has held leadership positions on many regional boards for civic, business and educational organizations. He also has led fund-raising campaigns for educational institutions and purposes including Catholic Urban Education and Thomas More College.
• Kim Halbauer, senior vice president of Fifth Third Bank, has experience as a banking center manager, retail district manager and public funds officer. Active in the community, Halbauer serves on various committees, boards and nonprofit organizations in the region.
• Cynthia J. Reed, dean of Northern Kentucky University’s College of Education and Human Services, is formerly an elementary school teacher specializing in gifted education. She has been a middle school principal and coordinator of K-12 and university coalitions focused on potential first-generation college students and their families. She also was at Auburn University for 17 years, and was president of the University Council for Educational Administration. Her research focus has been on leadership preparation, individual and organizational capacity building, and educational policy.
• Sister Margaret Stallmeyer, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Gateway Community and Technical College, is the immediate past president of Thomas More College. While there she increased enrollment and enhanced its financial stability. She has served as chair of the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities and on the executive committee of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities. Early in her career, she was a math and science teacher, and a high school principal.
• Rhonda Whitaker, director of government and community relations for Duke Energy Kentucky, is the key contact for local governmental officials on diverse Duke Energy matters. She oversees public relations activities in Duke’s Northern Kentucky service area, including communication efforts on major infrastructure improvements, a variety of operational issues and major Duke Energy corporate initiatives.
She also oversees a foundation and sponsorship opportunities, represents Duke on strategic boards and is instrumental in economic development initiatives. Whitaker established the Duke Energy Urban Revitalization Initiative and chairs Duke’s External Urban Revitalization Advisory Team, comprised of urban redevelopment experts from Ohio and Kentucky. She has served as a mentor for business women and was the first woman to chair the Northern Kentucky United Way Campaign.
These nine new members join 16 current members of the NKYEC’s board including:
• Marianne Schmidt Hurtt, the council board chair, senior vice president of PNC Bank;
• Karen Finan, board vice chair, senior vice president of Gilman Partners;
• Helen Carroll, board secretary, owner of Carroll Project Planning LLC, and recently retired from Toyota;
• John Simkonis, board treasurer, vice president at Huntington Bank;
• Kathlyn Burkhardt, superintendent of Erlanger-Elsmere Independent Schools;
• Brent Cooper, president of C-Forward Information Technologies;
• Mer Grayson Jr., president of Central Bank & Trust Co.;
• Curtis Hall, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services;
• Mike Hammons, director of advocacy for Children Inc.;
• Gary Moore, Boone County judge-executive;
• Polly Lusk Page, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Education Council;
• Randy Poe, superintendent of Boone County Schools;
• Barbara Stewart, workforce development director for the Northern Kentucky Area Development District;
• Anthony Strong, superintendent of Pendleton County Schools;
• Tammy Weidinger, president and CEO of Brighton Center; and
• Kara Williams, vice president of Vision 2015.
From NKYEC