The Ottawa University Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Kevin C. Eichner to be the 21st president of the University. Eichner, a member of the OU Board of Trustees since 1982 and past chair, succeeds Dr. Fred B. Zook who has served as president since August of 2007. Eichner will assume his new duties on July 1, 2008.
Eichner currently serves as president, CEO and vice chairman of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation, the parent company of Enterprise Bank & Trust, a $2.0 billion banking and $1.7 billion trust company headquartered in St. Louis and with operations in Kansas City and Phoenix. A co-founder of Enterprise, Eichner has served as its CEO for the past six years and oversaw its emergence as a NASDAQ-traded company recognized for its high growth and performance in the financial services industry. He will step down as Enterprise CEO effective May 1, 2008, but will remain active as the company's vice chairman and chairman of its subsidiary trust board.
"Kevin Eichner will serve Ottawa University well with his extensive background in strategic planning, organizational development, finance, marketing, and operations," said Patti B. Wolf, chair of the OU Board of Trustees. "His proven experience in leading complex, multi-line organizations in rapidly changing environmental conditions will be valuable in positioning Ottawa University as a leader in higher education. He has a long history of involvement with the University, and has a deep understanding of the OU mission, culture, strategies and many of its people."
Prior to his work at Enterprise, Eichner served as executive vice president and CEO of General American/MetLife for five years. In 1983, he founded a successful consulting company, Collaborative Strategies, Inc., which provided consultation to a large number of management and strategic for-profit and not-for-profit organizations during his 14 year tenure prior to its acquisition by General American in 1997.
Eichner is a 1973 graduate of Ottawa University with a BA in social change. He went on to earn an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1977. Firmly committed to lifelong learning, Eichner designed and launched Enterprise University for Enterprise Bank and Trust, which has enrolled over 3,000 executives and non-profit leaders in workshops aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skill sets. He has written business essays which have been regularly published in the St. Louis Business Journal as an advertorial series sponsored by Enterprise Bank & Trust. Eichner has taught workshops on numerous business and organizational topics over the past 25 years. He is known as an accomplished strategic planning facilitator, having served over 100 clients in this capacity.
"Ottawa University is in my blood and its mission is in my heart," said Eichner. "I have been very blessed in my life and am deeply honored to now be able to dedicate the remainder of my career to advancing this University and its noble purposes."
Eichner and his wife Marylin, a 2000 graduate of OU-Greater Kansas City, are the parents of three adult sons, Adam (24), Andy (22) and Kyle (21). The couple will reside at Granger House at the residential campus in Ottawa, Kansas, while maintaining a residence in Phoenix.