UC Foundation Board of Trustees elects 6 new members

The University of Cincinnati Foundation Board of Trustees has elected six new trustees to its 56-member board: Lori Beer; Edwin L. Bowman, III, BBA ’92, MBA ’97; Alvin Crawford, MD, HON ’18; Kimberlee J. Dobbs, Ed ’78; Timothy Elsbrock, BA ’85; and Judy Pershern, JD, ’84.

“At its core, philanthropy is an act of faith rooted in a love of humankind,” said UC Foundation President Peter Landgren. “The collective experiences of our new trustees exemplify this value. I’m excited to work with these individuals and am certain they will inspire UC and UC Health supporters through the power of philanthropy.”

“My fellow Bearcats and trustees share my love for UC and UC Health,” said Troy Neat, BBA ’91, UC Foundation Board chair. “I look forward to working with them and igniting passion in our UC community that will help transform lives.”

Lori Beer is the global chief information officer for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. In this role, Beer manages a budget of more than $10 billion and nearly 50,000 technologists. Although neither Beer nor her husband, Bill, are UC alumni, all three of their children are Bearcats. Beer has been engaged with the Carl H. Lindner College of Business since 2016. She is a member of the college’s Business Advisory Council, a recipient of its 2019 Cincinnati Business Achievement Awards and, in 2017, Lori and Bill Beer created the Beer Family Endowed Scholarship Fund. The fund supports UC’s female business students studying the STEM programs of information systems and analytics. Lori Beer serves on the board of directors for the Women’s Bond Club and on the executive advisory council for the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Edwin L. Bowman, III is vice president of North America Sales for One Identity, a Quest Software business. Prior to his current role, Bowman was the vice president of North America Sales and executive team member for Micro Focus as well as the national sales director of data services for NCR. While attending UC, Bowman played on the men’s tennis team. He continues to stay involved in sports through volunteer coaching. He and his wife, Emily, have included UC in their estate plans with a scholarship that supports UC student-athletes attending the Lindner College of Business.

Alvin Crawford, MD, is a professor emeritus of orthopaedic surgery at the UC College of Medicine. He has more than 35 years of clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment in orthopaedics, and he recently retired as the founding director of the Crawford Spine Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Crawford is the recipient of the Daniel Drake Medal, the highest academic honor the UC College of Medicine bestows. He and his wife, Alva Jean, created the Alvin H. Crawford, MD & Alva Jean Crawford Endowed Medical Student Scholarship Fund in 2017. A clarinetist, Crawford serves on the UC College-Conservatory of Music’s Dean’s Advisory Council, and is a member of the UC Summer Concert Band. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Diversity Advisory Committee, the Cincinnati Children’s Foundation Board and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Diversity Committee.

Kimberlee (Kim) Dobbs is a UC Bicentennial co-chair and a retired educator. She and her late husband, Robert (Bob) Dobbs, and their children are UC alumni. In 2019, Dobbs was honored with the UC Alumni Distinguished Service Award, and in 2018, she received the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services’ Distinguished Alumni Award. Kim and Bob Dobbs established the Dobbs Family Scholarship for varsity soccer players majoring in business; the Kimberlee Dobbs Scholarship for spirit squad members studying education; and the Robert Dobbs Scholarship for students demonstrating uncommon leadership in community service in the Lindner College of Business, College of Arts & Sciences, or College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. Kim Dobbs is a longtime volunteer for the UC Alumni Association and UC Athletics. She established the Robert E. Dobbs Scholarship Endowment Fund in Bob’s memory.  

Timothy Elsbrock is president of Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati Region. Prior to this role, he served as senior vice president and managing director of wealth management. Elsbrock has been with Fifth Third since 1987. Elsbrock previously served on UC’s Arts & Sciences College Advisory Board and the UC College of Nursing Board of Advisors. His son, Samuel, is also a Bearcat, graduating in 2016 from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. Elsbrock was the chair of ArtsWave’s 2017 annual fund campaign and serves on the boards of the Marvin Lewis Community Fund and the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Judy Pershern is the retired vice president and counsel of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, where she had a 31-year career. She is an expert in insurance regulatory oversight and provider contracting, and has served as WellPoint’s associate general counsel since 2019. Pershern has been a member of the UC College of Law’s Advisory Board since 2015 and was recently inducted into UC’s Herman Schneider Legacy Society. She is also an active community member and has been the development committee chair of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women. Pershern’s volunteer commitments also include United Way of Greater Cincinnati, ArtsWave, Impact 100 and Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.

The trustees will begin their service at the Foundation’s board meeting in October 2019.