Capital Campaign

National Steering Committee

It takes a host of dedicated volunteers to implement a major fund–raising campaign on the scale of that of the University of Kentucky. The University is fortunate to have such a strong group of citizens from across the country who have expressed their commitment to UK and excellence in higher education through their time and resources.

  • James W. Stuckert
  • National Chair
  • Louisville, Kentucky

Stuckert earned his Bachelor of Science from the College of Engineering in 1960 and MBA from the Gatton College of Business and Economics in 1961. He is the former president, chairman and CEO of J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons Inc., a full–service brokerage company in Louisville. Stuckert has served as president of the National Alumni Association and remains on its board of directors. He is a recipient of the University’s prestigious distinguished Service Award and is in the Gatton College of Business and Economics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000.

  • Paul W. Chellgren
  • Villa Hills, Kentucky

Chellgren holds a Bachelor of Science from the Gatton College of Business and Economics, an MBA from Harvard University and an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. He was formerly chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. Among numerous directorships of both private and nonprofit organizations, Chellgren serves as a director of Arch Coal Inc., PNC Bank Corporation, Medtronic Inc., Centre College, the Cincinnati Museum of Art and the American Petroleum Institute. He was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000.

  • James F. Hardymon
  • Lexington, Kentucky

Hardymon holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from the College of Engineering. He is retired chairman and CEO of Textron Inc. He has served as a director of Lexmark International, Fleet Financial Group, Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Groupe Schneider, Circuit City Stores and Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc. He is Chairman of U K's Board of Trustees and currently serves on the College of Engineering’s Program Advisory Board. He was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000.

  • Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton
  • Bristol, Tennessee

Gatton holds a Bachelor of Science from Gatton College of Business and Economics and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is owner/founder and president of Bill Gatton Chevy–Cadillac, which includes auto dealerships in Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas. He is chair of Area Bancshares Inc., an Owensboro bank holding company, and he serves on the boards and owns interests in other Kentucky and Indiana banks. He was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000.

  • Mira S. Ball
  • Lexington, Kentucky

A native of Bloomfield, Kentucky, Mira Ball is a 1956 graduate of the College of Education. She and her husband, Mr. Don Ball, are Lexington residents who own Ball Homes, Inc. They are avid supporters of UK Athletics and the arts, members of the Fellows Society, and very active in the Lexington community. Mrs. Ball has served as chair of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce and as a board member of the United Way of the Bluegrass, Kentucky Utilities, Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children, Center for Public Issues, Lexington Clinic Advisory Board, Lexington Industrial Foundation, Kentucky Horse Park, KET Endowment Fund, and Bluegrass Community Foundation. She is a life trustee of Midway College. In 1998, Mrs. Ball received the Winner’s Circle Award from the Lexington Chapter of the National Association of Women’s Business Awards. She was inducted into the Bluegrass Business Hall of Fame in 1994. She also received the Kentuckian Award from the A.B. “Happy” Chandler Foundation in 2004.

  • Linda C. Gill
  • Houston, Texas

A native of Kentucky, Linda Gill is a 1962 graduate of the College of Education. Her extensive volunteer work in hospitals in California and Texas inspired her, along with her husband, Dr. Jack Gill, to make a gift to establish the Gill Heart Institute at the University of Kentucky.

  • Jack M. Gill
  • Houston, Texas

Dr. Gill is a graduate of Lamar University with degrees in engineering and chemistry. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1962. He has achieved success as a scientist, entrepreneur, corporate executive and venture capitalist and has taught and lectured throughout the world.

  • Thomas W. Lewis
  • Tempe, Arizona

Thomas Lewis graduated from the College of Engineering in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He founded T. W. Lewis Company in 1991, a company that follows its own path and has been very successful, despite tough competition in the Arizona housing industry. The company’s focus on quality over quantity has helped it to win several distinguished awards, including the National Housing Quality Award and America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine and the National Association of Home Builders. T.W. Lewis has also been named in the Arizona Top 100 private firms in the last few years.

  • Chris T. Sullivan
  • Tampa, Florida

A 1972 graduate of the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics, Sullivan founded Outback Steakhouse restaurant company and is now the president and CEO of the chain that operates 550 restaurants worldwide. He is active in community service, serving on the Florida Council of 100, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Council on Economic Education, and the Employment Policies Institutes. He was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000.

  • Myra L. Tobin
  • New York, New York

Tobin holds a Bachelor of Science from the College of Human Environmental Sciences, a Master of Arts from Ohio State University, and an MBA from New York University. A trailblazer for working women, Tobin was the first female MBA hired by Marsh & McLennan and its first female managing director. She received the Helen Garvin Outstanding Achievement Award of the National Association of Insurance Women and is past president of the UK National Alumni Association. She was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000.