OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Profile picture of Executive Director, Anna B. Adams

ANNA ADAMS
Executive Director

  • As Executive Director of The John Huntington Fund for Education, Anna has expanded the Fund’s impact to include a wider range of students and support networks for those students. Anna’s passion to make a difference in the community is grounded in her belief that educating students with in-demand skills is a key factor for the success of our region, a philosophy that aligns with those of the founder, John Huntington. After graduating from Colgate University with a degree in Mathematical-Economics and receiving an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, Anna had a successful career in investment management culminating as a Vice President with Alliance Capital in New York and Cleveland. In addition to her corporate experience, Anna has volunteered extensively in the community including most recently as a mentor with College Now’s Mentor Program. With her degrees and her finance background, results for Anna were often measured in numbers. Through her work as Executive Director of The John Huntington Fund for Education, she has learned through the heartfelt testimonials from hundreds of Huntington Scholars that success means so much more.

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ROBERT G. McCREARY III
President

  • Rob has served as a trustee since 2003 and brings a wealth of financial expertise to the Fund. His career spans decades in the Cleveland legal and financial industries. He was a partner with the law firm, Calfee Halter until 1986 when he joined securities firm, Prescott, Ball & Turben to start-up its Mergers & Acquisitions group. He went on to create his own M&A firm, Carleton, McCreary, Holmes & Co which became a part of Key Corp Capital. After leaving Key Corp., Rob became Chairman of CapitalWorks, LLC, a private equity firm he founded in 1999 and where he still serves on the Advisory Board and the Fiduciary Boards of several of its portfolio companies. Along with his long-term service on the JHFE Board of Trustees, he has given back to the community with his active involvement in non-profit organizations such as Jobs for Cleveland’s Graduates, Youth Opportunities Unlimited, The Alzheimer’s Association, ParkWorks/Land Studio, Greater Naples Leadership and University School. Rob graduated from Amherst as an English Major and from Case Western Reserve University Law School specializing in Taxation.

CHANDLER H. EVERETT
Board Member

  • Chandler H. Everett and his father form the longest family service on the JHFE Board as he succeeded his father as a Trustee in the early 1990's. He served as the Board’s coordinator for many years until the current organizational structure evolved. As the second longest serving active trustee, he is also a member of the Executive Committee.

    Chandler received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his Master of Business Administration in Money and Banking from The Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western University. Chandler has had an extensive varied career. Following his initial banking career, he became the Assistant to the Treasurer of Republic Steel Corporation and then Treasurer at Alaska Airlines before following his first love to become a registered investment advisor.

    His community service encompasses overseeing a high school drop-out recovery program and he was involved in the formation of a local high school student level drug recovery program where he served on the organizations Board of Trustees for several years. Chandler’s particular passion and interest is in Nursing Education and the advancement of disadvantaged scholars to managerial levels of society. He brings all this energy to his service on the JHFE Board.

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BRUCE T. GOODE
Board Member

  • Bruce Goode joined the JHFE board in December of 2003 and serves as Secretary of the Board. He is the retired President and CEO of Goode Investment Management, Inc. Established in 1999, Goode is a 100% minority-owned advisory firm that provides comprehensive stable value asset management services to institutional investors. Bruce leads the development and implementation of the firm’s strategic investment strategies and is responsible for all sub-advisory relationships.

    Bruce’s extensive fiscal and management experience encompasses stints as Managing Director in Victory Capital Management’s Fixed Income Group and Executive Head of the Stable Value Product Group and as Portfolio Manager for Pro Sports Advisors and a Stockbroker with Bateman, Eichler, Hill & Richards. He has been a member of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) since 1991. His extensive list of former clients includes, The Chicago Transit Authority, The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, Maryland’s Supplemental Retirement Plan and First Energy Corporation of Akron, Ohio.

    In addition to his vast financial experience, Bruce brings his dedication as a spiritual and community leader to the Board. He served as Pastor of the Christian Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Cleveland, Ohio for twenty-seven years. He formally served on the boards of the Cleveland Scholarship Program and The STEM Academy of Cleveland. He is the past Board President of Cleveland’s Faith Community United Credit Union and also served on the Finance team of the Greensboro, NC Food Co-op.

    Bruce earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Toledo’s School of Business.

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KAREN R. NESTOR
Board Member

  • As a longtime educator with a specialty in working with urban schools, Karen’s passion for serving the next generation through education fuels her insight into how to fulfill JHFE’s mission. In her long career, Karen has taught at every level from kindergarten to graduate school. She has consulted extensively with schools and teachers and was a consultant and program developer with the Institute for Educational Renewal, an organization dedicated to providing comprehensive professional services to administrators, teachers, staff, students, and families in K-12 education, particularly in the Cleveland Municipal School District.

    In addition to serving as a trustee on JHFE’s board, she serves as Trustee for Reflection Point and Saint Ignatius High School, and has served many community organizations in education, health, philanthropy, and economic development. Karen holds a BA in English from Barat College of DePaul University, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Cleveland State University, and a Doctor of Education degree in Human and Organizational Learning from George Washington University. Karen’s research is focused on how individuals shape their lives throughout their lifetimes through processes of learning.

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KATIE O. OUTCALT
Board Member

  • Katie brings her extensive experience in the corporate and non-profit leadership roles to the JHFE Board of Trustees. Katie has dedicated her time and talent to improve the land and lives of Northeast Ohio. Katie currently serves as co-president of the Board of Medworks, a nonprofit that delivers free, volunteer-based health care to under and uninsured people in Northeast Ohio. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors for University School with roles on the Strategic Planning, Community & Equity and Admissions & Marketing committees. Prior to these roles, Katie served as Chief Operating Officer of Western Reserve Land Conservancy where she helped oversee the implementation of two strategic plans which significantly increased land preservation throughout Northeast Ohio.

    Katie gained her corporate experience as Managing Director at Root, Inc. an international strategic engagement consulting firm. Katie graduated from Boston College with a BA in Philosophy and earned an MBA from the University of Michigan where she served as a William Davidson Institute Fellow.

ANN KOWAL SMITH

Board Member and Secretary

  • Ann joined the board in 2021. She was deeply impressed by JHFE’s commitment, grounded in John Huntington’ nuanced vision to helping Northeast Ohio students access education and pathways to meaningful work and productive lives. Her roots in improving lives and relationships along with her extensive legal, corporate, and strategic consulting experience infuses her impact as a JHFE trustee. Dr. Ann Kowal Smith currently serves as Founder & Executive Director of Reflection Point, which facilitates small-group discussions of powerful stories to build bridges, flip perspectives and deepen shared understanding. Previously, Ann served as Principal with Heidrick & Struggles International and as an Expert with McKinsey & Company. She also practiced corporate and securities law with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP and Benesch LLP, and at KeyCorp, where she served as Vice President and Senior Counsel. Ann is a Research Fellow at EPS@Weatherhead, a practitioner-scholar research community at Case Western Reserve University and serves as an Advisory Board Member at CWRU’s Baker Nord Center for the Humanities and a Fellow at the Center for Evidence-Based Management. Ann earned her AB from Bryn Mawr College, her MA from the University of Michigan and her JD and DBA from Case Western Reserve University where her dissertation examined organizational learning and innovation.

PETER W. ADAMS

  • The John Huntington Fund for Education is deeply saddened by the loss of our long-term board member, Peter Adams.  As President of the Board of Trustees for over 40 years, Peter was deeply committed to providing young people in our community with opportunities for a quality education.  He enriched the lives of so many with his wit and humor, kind-hearted soul and genuine belief in all those he met.  Peter skillfully and successfully guided the Fund throughout his tenure, firmly believing in the mission of educating our youth to meet the needs of the changing workforce to help advance our community.  He will be sorely missed but his generous spirit of giving will live on.