Richard C. Green Named Chair of Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees
Kansas City, MO. June 28, 2018–Shirley Bush Helzberg, who served two consecutive terms as Chair of the Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees, has stepped down
as part of a planned transition in leadership, and the Board unanimously approved Richard C. Green as the new Chair. Three Trustees have also joined the Board, Mark M. O’Connell, Thomas M. Bloch, and Sara Morgan.
“We are delighted to welcome Rick Green to this important role, and we know he will lead the Nelson-Atkins ably into the future,” said Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell Director & CEO Julián Zugazagoitia. “This is a transition that builds on the great legacy of Shirley Bush Helzberg and continues the ever-expanding Board of Trustees governance at the highest level.”
Green has been a community leader in Kansas City for more than 30 years. He is Managing Director of Corridor InfraTrust Management, LLC and Executive Chairman of CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust, Inc., a real property asset manager focusing on U.S. energy infrastructure.
“What an honor that the Board has expressed such confidence in my leadership,” said Green. “I am deeply grateful for Shirley Bush Helzberg’s vision. She built a strong governance, and the museum continues to engage with larger community involvement at both the Board and committee levels. We are all looking forward to building on Shirley’s accomplishments. I believe this is an exciting time for the Nelson-Atkins Board, which continues to expand and grow ever stronger as we meet the increasing demands placed on museums. I am proud to continue the museum’s mission of excellence.”
Trustees shown are: (front row, left to right) G. Kenneth Baum; William B. Taylor, Treasurer; Susan McGreevy; Robert Bernstein; Richard C. Green, Chair; Shirley Bush Helzberg; Donald Hall, Jr.; Sandra A. J. Lawrence; Kent Sunderland; Charles S. Sosland; (back row, left to right) Bill Gautreaux; Grant Burcham; Ramón Murguía; Mary Atterbury; William M. Lyons; Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO; Maurice Watson; Thomas M. Bloch; Neil D. Karbank, Secretary; and Mark M. O’Connell. Not pictured: Greg Maday and Sara Morgan.
Green has served as chairman for a wide range of civic organizations, including Teach for America, The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Civic Council of Greater Kansas City. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Midwest Research Institute, and YouthFriends. He was also recognized as Kansas Citian of the Year. Green is currently on the regional board for Teach for America, and is a director of The Hall Family Foundation.
Three new Trustees were also added to the Board, Thomas M. Bloch, Mark M. O’Connell, and Sara Morgan. Tom Bloch retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of H&R Block, Inc. in 1995 after a 19-year career with the company. He then taught math in Kansas City’s urban core and in 2000 co-founded University Academy, an urban college preparatory public charter school. Until 2013, Bloch served in numerous positions at the nationally recognized charter school, including as President of the Board for its first ten years and as a teacher.
A past Chairman of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Trustees, Bloch currently serves as Chairman of the UMKC Foundation, the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation, and the H&R Block Foundation. He is the author of two books, Stand for the Best and Many Happy Returns. Bloch graduated cum laude from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California in 1976. He and his wife Mary have two children and one grandchild.
Mark O’Connell had a 32-year career with Multi Service Corporation, a global provider of specialized payment services, before embarking on a second career as a winemaker. When he joined Multi Service, O’Connell was responsible for marketing and business development of the aviation and fleet card programs, both of which pioneered breakthrough technology in their respective industries. Under his leadership, the aviation program became the most widely used and accepted aviation fuel card in the world.
Serving as president of Multi Service from 1999 to 2014, O’Connell was responsible for the overall business development and vision of the company. He expanded the company’s global presence through the acquisition of its European subsidiary and the founding of Multi Service Private Label, and became Chairman in 2014 and retired in 2017. O’Connell currently serves on the Boards of Cardflight, Inc. and Retail Software Solutions Group. A lifelong Kansas City resident, he and his wife, Lynne, have two daughters.
Sara Morgan, who joined the Board May 1, 2017, has been involved in non-profit, civic and political organizations for over fifty years in seven different cities, including Kansas City and Washington, D. C., and in four states (MO, VA, FL, TX). She is the co-founder and past president of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, which opened in September, 2001, and currently serves on its board of directors.
Morgan is also on the board of Houston Grand Opera, serves on the board of The Museum of Fines Arts, Houston, and is a Life Trustee, and serves on the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy Advisory Board. She is a past board member of the American Craft Council and is a Life Trustee, and served on boards of the Children’s Museum of Houston, and Girls, Inc., among other organizations. Sara and Bill Morgan have been married for 52 years and have two children.
Neil Karbank was approved for a second, three-year term as Secretary. William B. Taylor was approved as Treasurer and Chair, Finance Committee.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is recognized nationally and internationally as one of America’s finest art museums. The museum, which strives to be the place where the power of art engages the spirit of community, opens its doors free of charge to people of all backgrounds. The museum is an institution that both challenges and comforts, that both inspires and soothes, and it is a destination for inspiration, reflection and connecting with others.
The Nelson-Atkins serves the community by providing access to its renowned collection of nearly 40,000 art objects and is best known for its Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, and new American Indian and Egyptian galleries. Housing a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center, the Museum is a key educational resource for the region. In 2017, the Nelson-Atkins celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the Bloch Building, a critically acclaimed addition to the original 1933 Nelson-Atkins Building.
The Nelson-Atkins is located at 45th and Oak Streets, Kansas City, MO. Hours are Wednesday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursday/Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free to everyone. For museum information, phone 816.751.1ART (1278) or visit nelson-atkins.org.
For media interested in receiving further information, please contact:
Kathleen Leighton, Manager, Media Relations and Video Production
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
816.751.1321
kleighton@nelson-atkins.org