On Thursday, Northern Kentucky University will honor three community leaders who have shaped the face of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky through their vision, compassion, and commitment to philanthropy.
Neal H. and Donna M. Mayerson, directors of The Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, and Daniel R. Groneck, Northern Kentucky President at U.S. Bank, are the recipients of NKU’s 25th annual Lincoln Award. They will be honored at a reception Thursday evening.
“Dan Groneck and Neal and Donna Mayerson have dedicated their time, talents, and resources to enrich and enhance our region,” said NKU President Geoffrey S. Mearns. “Our community is a stronger, more vibrant place to live and to learn because of their vision and generosity.”
The Lincoln Award was established in 1992 to recognize and celebrate individuals in our community who exemplify the qualities of outstanding citizenship, notable achievement, and distinguished service.
For Dan Groneck, service to his company and his community have gone hand-in-hand throughout his 49-year banking career. He has held a number of leadership roles both at U.S. Bank and in organizations across the community, including at NKU.
He has helped foster the next generation of leaders through the U.S. Bank Employee Mentoring Program and NKU’s Haile/US Bank College of Business Mentor Steering Committee. A graduate of Newport Central Catholic High School, Groneck has also worked to revitalize the region’s urban core through his work with the Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky.
“Dan has been key to creating partnerships between the private and public sectors that have helped significantly improve the quality of life within our region,” Mearns said.
If there’s one word that might define the work of Neal and Donna Mayerson, it is “collaborative.” For the past 25 years, the Mayersons have worked to bring people together in a collective approach to moving the community forward.
That has resulted in initiatives such as the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Program, the nationally-recognized service learning program that has engaged more than 3,000 NKU students in contributing more than $1 million to local nonprofits; and the nationally-recognized Mayerson Academy, which provides professional development to K-12 educators in Cincinnati Public Schools and in other communities across the nation.
“Their philosophy is simple – find or create good work to do, find good people to do the work, and help provide the resources they need to do the work with excellence,” Mearns said.
Previous Lincoln Award recipients include Kathryn E. Merchant, retired Greater Cincinnati Foundation President/CEO; Carl H. Lindner, the late Cincinnati Reds CEO; Rich Boehne, E.W. Scripps Co. CEO and NKU Board of Regents Chairman; William P. Butler, Corporex Cos. CEO, and Judith Clabes, editor and publisher of the NKyTribune. The award is presented jointly by the University and the NKU Foundation, Inc.
See a complete list of former recipients here.
The reception is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30 at NKU’s James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union Ballroom. For information, please visit lincolnaward.nku.edu.