Current Cornell College Trustees
Executive Committee
Chair: Jan Thomas '80
Immediate Past Chair: Jeff Jensen '81
Chair, Governance Committee: Tahllee Baynard '97
At-Large: Frances Kao '85
At-Large: Scott Simmer '73
At-Large: Kevin Weiss '76
Chair, Finance Committee: John McGrane '73
Chair, Endowment Growth Committee: Sheryl Atkinson Stoll '70
President of the College: Jonathan Brand (ex officio)
Profiles of Our Current Trustees
Jonathan Brand
President of the College, ex officio member
Jonathan Brand has been president of Cornell College since July 2011. He holds a law degree from Cornell University, a master’s degree in French literature from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in history and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jonathan has written articles and columns for higher education publications, including the Chronicle of Higher Education as well as for The Huffington Post, and has spoken at conferences sponsored by the NCAA and the Council of Independent Colleges, among others. In addition to his administrative work, Jonathan has taught courses on political science and constitutional law at Grinnell, Doane, and Nanjing University in China. He also teaches at Cornell. Jonathan and his wife Rachelle LaBarge have two adult children.
Tahllee Baynard '97
Research Scientist and Program Manager, Lockheed Martin, Los Altos, California
Tahllee Baynard ’97 was a student at Cornell from 1993 to 1997 studying chemistry, history, and mathematics. He was also a member of the cross country and track teams and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Baynard graduated with a B.S.S. in chemistry and history and received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago in 2002. From 2002–2007, Baynard was an atmospheric chemist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where he led instrument development to support the study of air quality and climate change. He returned to Cornell as a guest lecturer in Chemistry in 2003 and was a recipient of Cornell’s 2012 Young Alumni Achievement Award. Tahllee is currently a Program Manager Vice President at Lockheed Martin leading large aerospace engineering programs based out of Sunnyvale, California. He lives with his wife, Kanesha Lee Baynard ’94, in Los Altos, California, where they raised their two children.
Gretchen Liebenow Buchmeyer '88
Human Resources Executive, Shell (retired), Houston, Texas
Gretchen Liebenow Buchmeyer '88 graduated from Cornell College with a degree in politics and economics and business. After a few years of working in Des Moines, Iowa, she and Andrew Buchmeyer '86 left their jobs to become full-time students and earned their M.B.A.s from the University of Iowa. Gretchen then began her career in human resources with Shell, taking them to Houston, Washington State, London, Canada, New Orleans, and the Netherlands. Their two young adult children were born in Houston, Texas, where the couple resides today. Gretchen retired from Shell in 2021 as a vice president and is now involved in her "next chapter" with Andrew, including work in support of social justice causes.
Steven DeAngeles '84
Founding Medical Director, The Center for Transformational Medicine, Naples Community Hospital, Naples, Florida
Steven DeAngeles '84, M.D., is the founding medical director of The Center for Transformational Medicine, Naples (Florida) Community Hospital. He majored in biology at Cornell, received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University in Springfield, and completed his residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University, after which he served as chief resident for a year and then held a major teaching position at Northwestern as associate firm chief. He won numerous teaching awards including the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. Along with his teaching responsibilities, DeAngeles was in private practice at Northwestern for 26 years. He now consults for various healthcare institutions. He is the founder of Innovative Technology Advisers and co-founder of Concierge Home Integrative Care. He holds five U.S. patents, four of which are in renewable energy. Steven's Cornell family connections included his wife Sallie Marotta DeAngeles '86, father Robert DeAngeles '58, brother Dave '85, and sister-in-law Shawn Kruger '87. He and his wife have three daughters and six grandchildren. They reside in Riverwoods, Illinois, and Naples, Florida.
Thomas Durham '77
Attorney, Mayer Brown LLP (retired), Scottsdale, Arizona
Tom Durham grew up in DeWitt, Iowa, just down the road from Cornell, which he entered in 1973. He graduated in 1977 with majors in philosophy and history. After Cornell, he attended New York University Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1980 and served as an editor on the Review of Law and Social Change. After law school, Tom joined Mayer, Brown and Platt, a global law firm based in Chicago, where he specialized in the litigation of federal tax cases. He retired in 2015. Tom has been a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 2009. He and his wife, Martha Hemenway Durham '78, reside in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have two adult children.
Felecia Turner Epps '80
Dean and Professor of Law, University of North Texas Dallas College of Law, Carrolltown, Texas
Felecia Turner Epps was raised in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from Cornell with a degree in politics and sociology. She signed with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) while a Cornell student and spent the summer of 1979 at Officer Candidate School. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Creighton University School of Law in 1983, she attended The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, followed by Naval Justice School. Epps served for approximately 10 years as a judge advocate. She left the USMC in 1992 having attained the rank of Major. She went on to work for Georgia Legal Services Program and held professor and dean roles at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law and the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Lwa. Since 2018, Epps has served as Dean of the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law. She resides in Carrollton, Texas.
Stephanie Froehlich '05
Associate Vice President of Marketing, Nasdaq, New York, New York
Stephanie “Steph” Froehlich '05 majored in economics and business at Cornell and was a member of the tennis team, Kappa Theta, and Mortar Board. Following graduation, she joined Nasdaq as an associate. Quickly rising in the ranks, she became director of global research associates in 2012 and then managing director of marketing and research in 2014 prior to being promoted to her current position of associate vice president of marketing in April 2019. Since 2014, Froehlich has also been on the board of directors at American Sports Enterprises Inc. and The Kane County Cougars baseball club. She resides in New York, New York.
Jeffrey Jensen '81
President, JFO Group LLC, Colleyville, Texas
Jeffrey Jensen graduated from Cornell College in 1981 with majors in economics and philosophy. After Cornell, he attended the University of Texas at Arlington, earning his master of science degree in information systems. Jeff is a partner with JFO Group, a diversified investment management company located in Irving, Texas, owned and operated by the Jensen family. JFO actively invests in public and private equity as well as real estate. Jeff has been a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 2011, and began serving as the Chair of the Board in 2020. He and his wife, Lou Anne, reside in Colleyville, Texas. They have three adult children.
Maureen Johnson '87
Senior Director, Global Head of Tax, Epic Games, North Sutton, New Hampshire
Maureen Johnson grew up in Davenport, Iowa, and graduated from Cornell College with a degree in economics and business and French literature. After Cornell, she attended the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Arizona, graduating in 1989. Following a quick stint in banking in Houston, Texas, she moved overseas and entered the world of international taxation. Johnson spent 15 years in London and Paris working for Arthur Andersen, Hines, a start-up, and Virgin Media. Maureen went on to work as the senior vice president, tax, for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc., and as the global VP, taxation, at Spotify. Maureen has been a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 2011.
Frances Kao '85
Mediator and Arbitrator, Chicago, Illinois
Frances Kao graduated from Cornell College in 1985, majoring in history and theater. She found her future profession when she took Constitutional Law as a sophomore. Frances went on to earn a Juris Doctorate degree in 1992 from Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology and became a partner at the international law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Before she retired from practicing law at age 48, Kao was resident in Skadden’s Hong Kong office, heading up the U.S. dispute resolution and investigations practice for the Asia Pacific region. In addition to acting as a private arbitrator and mediator, Frances now designs and builds homes in Chicago. Using principles of universal design, the homes she builds are ideal for all ages and all physical abilities. Frances joined the Cornell College Board of Trustees in 2010. She resides in Chicago, Illinois.
Makayla Kelleher '23
Cornell Class of 2023 Young Trustee, Research Assistant, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Makayla Kelleher '23 represents the Class of '23 as Young Trustee. She was the senior speaker at Commencement, where she received a B.A. in behavioral neuroscience with a minor in theatre. Kelleher was president of Student Senate, a resident assistant, a Cornell Fellow, and a member of LEADS (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, And Distinctive Services). She has worked on projects in many areas of the Cornell community, including civic engagement, intercultural life, theatre, and academics. In 2022 she served as the Floyd Scott Fellow of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic and has secured a full-time position there as a research assistant.
John McGrane '73
Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (retired), Bethesda, Maryland
Born and raised in Waverly, Iowa, John McGrane came to Cornell as a first-generation college student and graduated with majors in philosophy and political science. He attended Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., earning his law degree in 1976. John was a member of his law firm's Energy Practice Group in Washington, D.C. He is a past chair of the Legal Committee of the Edison Electric Institute. John has been a member of the Cornell College Board of Trustees since 2001, including serving as Chair from 2011-2017. He and his wife, Martha Benson McGrane '73, reside in Bethesda, Maryland, and also have a home in Mount Vernon, Iowa, across the street from Russell Science Center. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Warren Mack '66
Attorney, Fredrikson and Byron, P.A., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Warren Mack earned a B.A. in history from Cornell College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago. He has practiced law with Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis since 1969. He was the managing partner for 12 years and has practiced in the areas of corporate, venture capital, tax, health law, and aviation law. Mack has served on many boards and in 2006 was named one of Minnesota’s Five Outstanding Directors by Twin Cities Business for his help in bringing Buffalo Wild Wings from a small private company to a successful public company. In the nonprofit world, he has chaired the Boards of Directors of the Minnesota Orchestra and Buena Vista University and currently serves on the boards of the Minnesota Orchestra, North Memorial Health Care, Madeline Island Chamber Music, and the Jorja Fleezanis and Michael Steinberg Fund for Music. He is the author of “One Step Forward,” a biography of a World War II triple ace fighter pilot. Mack pilots both land and sea planes. Warren joined the Cornell Board of Trustees in 2018. He is married to Linda Mack ’69, an architecture writer who was the architecture columnist and writer for the Star Tribune for many years.
Kimberly Maitland '24
Cornell Class of 2024 Young Trustee
Kimberly Maitland, from St. Catherine, Jamaica, received degrees in English-creative writing and diversity management (an individualized major). She is joining Oracle in Texas as a technology consultant and looks forward to helping clients with innovative HR solutions. At Cornell she was vice president of Cornell College Financial Group, a writing consultant at the Dungy Writing Studio, a Cole Library circulation assistant, and led yoga classes for the Spiritual Life Office. Her poetry and visual art were published in the campus literary magazine, Open Field, while her opinion pieces were published in The Cornellian. She presented her artwork at the Student Symposium.
Jerry Ringer '59
Ophthalmologist (retired), Bloomington, Illinois
Jerry Ringer graduated from Cornell College in 1959 with a degree in biology and went on to earn an M.D. in Ophthalmology from the University of Iowa in 1963. He had a successful career as an ophthalmologist in Bloomington, Illinois before retiring in 2003. He has taken trips to Africa to perform eye treatments and surgery. Jerry was one of the first ophthalmologists in downstate Illinois to perform outpatient surgery. Cornell has been a part of Jerry's life since his childhood. He grew up in Mount Vernon and his father is a Cornell alumnus. Jerry previously served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, on Cornell's 2010 Presidential Search committee, and is one of the longest serving members of Cornell's Board of Trustees—including as Board Chair from 1999 to 2002. He is married to Carole Ringer and the couple has three adult children.
Scott Ririe '79
Business Owner (retired), Town and Country, Missouri
Scott Ririe majored in biology and played football at Cornell. He began his career working in sales for Honeywell International in Des Moines and St. Louis. In 2000, he and a partner founded the CTS Group (Control Technology and Solutions), an energy services company that develops and implements turn-key, comprehensive projects. They provide new and updated facility solutions that improve building environments, reduce energy consumption, and enhance space utilization, particularly within public buildings and school facilities. He and his wife, Shelley Ririe, live in Town and Country, Missouri, and have four adult children.
Matt Shelton '96
Senior Civilian Attorney, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA; President of the Cornell College Alumni Association Board of Directors
Matt Shelton graduated from Cornell in 1996, double majoring in Philosophy and Sociology. He holds a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. After law school, he commissioned as an Army judge advocate, serving on active duty from 1999-2003. He entered private practice for two years before returning to the Army in the civil service. Matt currently serves as the senior civilian attorney and deputy staff judge advocate for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey. He and his wife, Dr. Sarah Frahm '98, live in Pacific Grove, California with their three children.
Scott Simmer '73
Managing Shareholder, Baron & Budd, P.C., Silver Spring, Maryland
Scott Simmer graduated from Cornell College in 1973, majoring in English and political science. He also holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing and English from the University of Arkansas, and a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. Currently, Scott is managing shareholder for Baron & Budd, P.C. in Washington, DC. He founded Simmer Law Group PLLC. Prior to moving his law practice to Washington, D.C. in 1998, Scott practiced in Des Moines, Iowa, including as in-house counsel and chief litigation counsel for the Principal Financial Group. Scott joined the Cornell Board of Trustees in 2016. His parents were Cornell alumni, as are his sister and brother. Scott has two sons. He and his wife, Peg Schoen, reside in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Sheryl Atkinson Stoll '70
Attorney, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (retired), Columbus, Ohio
Sheryl Atkinson Stoll '70 was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. She came to Cornell in 1966 as a first-generation college student, graduating with majors in education and sociology. After several years as a classroom teacher, Stoll entered the University of Iowa College of Law, earning her law degree with Highest Distinction in 1981. She began her legal career as a corporate attorney with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, moving from there to become a partner with the global firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney for many years. While there, she became the first recipient of the Pittsburgh Chamber’s Athena Award for her work with women-owned businesses and was appointed by the U.S. Department of Commerce to serve as one of three U.S. representatives on a multinational committee charged with drafting legal standards for international manufacturing partnerships. The Stolls relocated to Columbus, Ohio in 1997, when husband Bill, a Cornell Honorary Alumnus, became General Counsel for Borden, Inc. She joined the national law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease in Columbus, retiring from legal practice in 2010. Stoll has been a past member of the Board serving on a number of committees, and has a special passion for Cornell’s Program for Law and Society and the Endowment Task Force.
Jan Thomas '80, P'13
Professor Emerita of Sociology, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
Jan Thomas grew up in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and graduated from Cornell College in 1980 with a major in sociology. She received her master of arts degree in social services administration from the University of Chicago in 1982 and worked for several years in women’s health and as a public health educator. She received her doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1995. Jan began teaching at Kenyon College in 2000, and recently retired as Senior Advisor for Community Relations at Kenyon. In 2011-12 and 2015-16, Jan had the opportunity to teach on the Block Plan as a visiting professor at Colorado College. Jan joined the Cornell Board of Trustees in 2015. Home base for Jan and her husband, Gary Doernhoefer, is Gambier, Ohio. Their son, Eric, graduated from Cornell in 2013, and their daughter, Liz, graduated from Colorado College in 2016. Jan is also the daughter of the late Rev. Richard Thomas, former Cornell chaplain and history professor emeritus.
Kevin Weiss '76
Partner, DHR Global, Ft. Worth, Texas and Edwards, Colorado
Kevin Weiss served in Student Senate and majored in sociology and political science at Cornell College. He earned an executive M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University in 1990. He began his human resources career with Rockwell International as an affirmative action/EEO manager and held progressive talent management roles leading to positions such as senior director of human resources and senior director of corporate benefits at Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace). After early retirement, he joined a defense segment of L3 Communications (now L3 Technologies) as senior vice president of human resources. Eventually, he became corporate vice president & chief human resources officer for L3 Technologies leading their talent management strategy and responsible for 31,000 employees in over 300 world-wide locations. Kevin currently is a partner at DHR Global. He splits his time between Fort Worth, Texas and Edwards, Colorado. Kevin is married to Elizabeth Weiss.
Lauren Williams '22
Cornell Class of 2022 Young Trustee
Lauren Williams is the Class of 2022’s Young Trustee. Williams is from Brandon, Mississippi, and majored in politics. Williams has been an engaged and active campus leader since the beginning of her four years at Cornell. She served as a resident assistant, flock leader, Greek Council president, information desk manager, Office of Intercultural Life intern, and Student Senate president. She was also a member of a number of college committees. During her studies, Williams worked as an intern at the largest law firm in Iowa, Nyemaster Goode, where she was able to fully engage with the legal field and learn more about the career path she chose. Williams is passionate about creating space for students of color in predominantly white spaces. She has also dedicated her time to understanding and changing policy, advocating for change in programming, and serving as a role model for her peers. Williams is currently pursuing a JD at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Life Trustees
Thomas Adams '63
John Bickel '66
Peter Bryant, honorary alumnus
Mildred Eubanks Carstensen '66
Thomas Cox '52
Gilbert Drendel '58
Thomas Jarom '66
Judy Hesler Jorgensen '60
Linda Koehn '66
Robert McLennan '65
Jean Russell '65
Mary Bowman Seidler '61
H. Lee Swanson '60
Richard Williams '63
Honorary Trustees
Ann MacGregor
Norma Thomas Small, Honorary Alumna, P'83