Campus News

UK Alumni Association Announces 2018-19 Board Officers

The UK Alumni Association officers for 2018-2019 are, from left, Timothy Walsh (secretary), Taunya A. Phillips (president-elect), J. Fritz Skeen (president); and Hannah Miner Myers (treasurer). Photo by Tim Webb
The UK Alumni Association officers for 2018-2019 are from left: Timothy Walsh (secretary), Taunya A. Phillips (president-elect), J. Fritz Skeen (president) and Hannah Miner Myers (treasurer). Photo by Tim Webb.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 26, 2018) The University of Kentucky Alumni Association recently announced its 2018-19 board of directors’ officers during its annual summer workshop. This year’s officers are J. Fritz Skeen, president; Taunya A. Phillips, president-elect; Hannah Miner Myers, treasurer; and Timothy Walsh, secretary. The new slate will officially take office July 1, 2018, and will serve until June 30, 2019.

J. Fritz Skeen of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has been elected president of the UK Alumni Association. He has held committee leadership positions with the association including chairman of the Scholarship/Great Teacher Awards, vice-chairman of the Alumni Service Awards and vice-chairman of the Budget, Finance and Investments committees. He has also served as treasurer and president-elect of the UK Alumni Association and on the Membership Committee. He and two fellow UK graduates restarted the Jacksonville UK Alumni Club, where he continues to serve on the board. During his 30-year career with the IBM Corp., Skeen held a variety of sales, marketing and executive positions, including regional manager in Los Angeles, director mid-range systems and group director – telecommunications product marketing in Westchester County, New York, and general manager – greater Chicago. While general manager of the Chicago area for all divisions of IBM, he hosted two receptions for the then-deans of the Gatton College of Business and Economics. Skeen is a Life Member of the UK Alumni Association, a Wildcat Society member, a UK Fellow, a member of the K Fund and returns to campus to play tuba in the UK Alumni Band. He is a member of Phi Sigma Kappa and was president of the UK chapter when he was a student. He is president of the board of governors of the Sawgrass Country Club. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1972 and an MBA in 1973 from UK. He is married to Helen Morse Skeen.

Taunya A. Phillips of Lexington has been elected president-elect of the UK Alumni Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the UK College of Engineering in 1987 and an MBA from the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics in 2004. She is serving her second three-year term on the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors. Phillips has held committee leadership positions with the association, including chairwoman of Nominating for Board and Diversity and Group Development, and vice-chairwoman of Nominating for Board. She has also served on the Club Development and Budget, Finance and Investments committees. She was also a 2015 recipient of the UK Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. She is the associate director of strategic alliances in the UK Office of Technology Commercialization. Phillips is a past president of the UK College of Engineering Alumni Association Board and currently serves on the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council.

Hannah Miner Myers of Madisonville, Kentucky, has been elected treasurer of the UK Alumni Association. She graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in middle school education from the UK College of Education. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, a student ambassador and on the Student Development Council. Myers has a second bachelor’s degree in interior design and has a double master’s degree in education and education administration. She served eight years on the city of Madisonville City Council and is serving her second term on the Hopkins County Fiscal Court as a magistrate for District Seven. She is an active community member and has enjoyed serving on the Economic Development Council, Community Foundation Board, past chairwoman of the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Board and past president of the Cardinal Garden Club. Myers is employed by Murray State University as an adjunct professor of education on the regional campus in Madisonville. She is a UK Alumni Association Life Member, UK Fellow and is active with the local Hopkins County UK Alumni Club. She is married to Bradley Myers.

Timothy Walsh of Lexington is secretary for the UK Alumni Association. Walsh joined the association last August as the associate vice president for alumni engagement and executive director. Walsh previously served as assistant vice president for advancement and executive director of the University of Florida Alumni Association. Prior to that, he served 25 years in alumni affairs at the University of Mississippi in a variety of leadership positions, including executive director. At Florida, Walsh led the Gator100 program, which recognizes the top 100 fastest growing Gator-owned or -run businesses and the reorganization of the Florida Gator Magazine. Walsh holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi.

The UK Alumni Association is a membership supported organization committed to fostering lifelong engagement among alumni, friends, the association and the university. For more information about the UK Alumni Association or to become a member, visit www.ukalumni.net or call 1-800-269-2586.