Current Cornell College Trustees
Executive Committee
Chair: Jan Thomas '80
Chair, Governance Committee: Tahllee Baynard '97
Chair, Finance Committee: John McGrane '73
At-Large: Frances Kao '85
At-Large: Sheryl Atkinson Stoll '70
At-Large: Kevin Weiss '76
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
Vice President, IGNITE, Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, 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 the Vice President of IGNITE at Lockheed Martin Space leading research & development, technology transition, and rapid capability demonstration. 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.
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.
Leslie Grau Frady '86
Program management and leadership professional (retired), Edina, Minnesota and Orange County, California
As the daughter of Gary Grau ’59 and Nancy Porter Grau ’54, Frady was destined to become a Cornellian. She has said that Cornell’s One Course At A Time was foundational for her career, where building agile solutions in three-week increments mirrored her Cornell classes, and that her liberal arts English education built the most important skill of all: the ability to communicate. Leaning into written and presentation skills, she said, were her most important professional assets. Frady’s career took her through retail banking to institutional retirement 401(K) and pension plan administration at American Express, Wells Fargo, and TIAA. Her roles included a balance of client management with internal product and program builds. Frady led international, cross-functional teams with a focus on strategic execution through large-scale product builds including product definition, software development, product training, and product marketing. Jumping from financial services, she moved into the medical device industry leading a USDA-approved product launch for Type 1 diabetes. Recently retired, Frady and her husband, Bob, split their time between Edina, Minnesota, and Orange County, California. The couple blended their families with sons Jake and Drew and daughter Olivia.
Maureen Johnson '87
VP, Global Head of Tax, Hasbro, 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, Technology Consultant, Oracle, Austin, Texas
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.
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.
Nicholas Schwartz '25
Cornell Class of 2025 Young Trustee, Lakeville, Minnesota
A native of Minnesota, Nick Schwartz plans to pursue a career in healthcare law with a focus on expanding access and improving policy in the field. Nick earned a B.A. in political science from Cornell. During his time on the Hilltop, he served as student body president, vice president, and chairperson for Academic Affairs. He also co-led the revival of The Royal Purple Yearbook after a decade-long hiatus and led efforts to increase access to free menstrual products on campus. Additionally, he contributed to several campus committees, including the Planning and Budget Committee, the Conduct and Appeals Boards, and the Curriculum Oversight Committee. Nick was recognized with the Clark H. McNeal Memorial Award for Academic Excellence, the Charles J. Lynch Memorial Pre-Law Award, and Cornell's Senior Award for the Class of 2025.
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.
John Smith '71
Chairman of the Board, CRST The Transportation Solution, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
John Smith graduated from Cornell College in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in economics and business. He received his master of business administration degree from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Business in 1974. In 1983, John assumed leadership of his family's business, CRST International, one of the nation's largest transportation companies. John has been an active member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 2004, serving as chair from 2008-2011. He and his wife, Dyan, an honorary Cornell alumna, reside in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Their philanthropy and leadership include supporting causes across the spectrum of education, health care, economic development, and the arts.
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, Manitou Springs, Colorado
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 Manitou Springs, Colorado. 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.
Abram (Abe) Tubbs '94
Chairman and CEO, Ohnward Bank and Trust, Anamosa, Iowa
Abe Tubbs majored in economics and business at Cornell, holds an MBA from The Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa, and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Georgetown University. He was a two-time Midwest Conference basketball player of the year while at Cornell and is a member of the Cornell College Athletics Hall of Fame. He is chairman and CEO of Ohnward Bank & Trust, Marion, Iowa; president and CFO of First Central State Bank, DeWitt, Iowa; and CEO of the parent holding company Ohnward Bancshares, Inc., in Maquoketa, Iowa. He continues a banking tradition that began with his grandfather, Edward, through to his father, Al, and brother Brig. Tubbs served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 2014 to 2019. He has been an active leader with the Iowa Bankers Association and was selected to serve as chair-elect for the organization for the upcoming year. Additionally, Tubbs serves as a member of the Community Bankers Advisory Council for the American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C. He lives in Anamosa with his wife, Nicole, and children Ava (a Cornell College junior), Ike, and Zeke.
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.
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
Jerry Ringer '59
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