UI Foundation Board Elects New Member, Chair, Officers

Posted Nov. 12, 2007

At its regular fall meeting Oct. 26, the University of Iowa Foundation Board of Directors named a new chair, elected new officers and executive committee members and elected one new member.

Robert W. Verhille (1955 B.S.C.) of Solon, Iowa, was elected to a three-year term as chair of the foundation board. Verhille succeeds Charles M. Kierscht (1962 B.A., 1962 J.D.) of Hinsdale, Ill., who had served as the board’s chair since 2003.

Inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame earlier this year, Verhille is a longtime leader in the insurance industry in Iowa and nationwide. Currently a specialist with True North Insurance and Financial Strategies in Cedar Rapids, he has served as president of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriters, and he was instrumental in creating Life Insurance Foundation for Education. In 1994 he became the first Iowan to receive the John Newton Russell Award from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Verhille has volunteered for and served on the boards of many charitable and service organizations in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas. He also is a longtime supporter of several University of Iowa programs.

The board elected P. Sue Beckwith (1980 B.S., 1984 M.D.) of Waukee, Iowa, to a three-year term. A Boone, Iowa, native, Beckwith is a physician at the Iowa Clinic in Des Moines, specializing in colorectal surgery.  She is affiliated with the Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center and Broadlawns Medical Center.  She also serves as a clinical associate with the Department of Surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Beckwith is a member of the National Iowa Varsity Club board of directors and was a founding member of the UI College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Advisory Board.  She is a member of the Presidents Club Gold, Kinnick Society and I-Club.  She was a four-year letterwinner on the Hawkeye women’s basketball team from 1976 to 1980.

Serving on the foundation's Executive Committee for 2007-2008 are:

• UI President Sally Mason (ex officio) of Iowa City
• Janice Reals Ellig (1968 B.B.A.) of New York, N.Y.
• Thomas R. Hanson (1960 B.S.M.E.) of Hinsdale, Ill.
• David A. Hoak (1968 B.B.A.) of Des Moines
• Charles M. Kierscht (1962 B.A., 1962 J.D.) of Hinsdale, Ill.
• Gary F. Seamans (1971 B.S.E.E.) of Galena, Ill.
• Robert W. Verhille, chair, (1955 B.S.C.) of Solon, Iowa
• Catherine Zaharis (1982 B.B.A.) of Iowa City

Joining Verhille as foundation board officers for 2007-2008 are:

• Vice Chair -- Charles M. Kierscht
• President -- Lynette L. Marshall, president, UI Foundation
• Secretary -- Susan M. Shullaw, senior vice president, strategic communications, UI Foundation
• Treasurer and Assistant Secretary -- Tiffani K. Shaw, senior vice president, CFO and treasurer, UI Foundation

Re-elected to three-year terms on the board were:

• Andrew W. Code (1980 B.B.A., 1981 M.B.A.) of Hinsdale, Ill.
• David J. Fisher (1961 J.D.) of West Des Moines, Iowa
• Nolden Gentry (1960 B.A., 1964 J.D.) of Des Moines
• Thomas R. Hanson (1960 B.S.M.E.) of Hinsdale, Ill.
• David A. Hoak (1968 B.B.A.) of Des Moines
• W.A. “Bill” Krause (1957 B.A.) of West Des Moines, Iowa
• Roger L. Lande (1961 B.A., 1961 J.D.) of Muscatine, Iowa
• Casey D. Mahon (1973 B.A., 1976 J.D.) of Iowa City
• John Pappajohn (1952 B.S.C.) of Des Moines
• Robert W. Verhille (1955 B.S.C.) of Solon, Iowa
• Nancy B. Willis (1977 B.A., 1980 J.D.) of Iowa City

The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information, visit the foundation’s web site at www.uiowafoundation.org.

Contact Information

Susan Shullaw
Senior Vice President - Strategic Communications
The University of Iowa Foundation
(319) 335-3305 | susan-shullaw@uiowa.edu
Writer: Forrest Meyer