The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) was proud to gather with our Board of Trustees, staff, and friends to honor two outstanding member campus alumni at the 2022 Spring Awards Luncheon. After required cancelations in 2020 and 2021, everyone jumped at the opportunity to be in the presence of peers to celebrate the accomplishments of two beyond deserving individuals.
Kara Trott - Hall of Excellence Inductee
The Hall of Excellence was established in 1987 and is “home” to 138 distinguished people who have attained positions of leadership in their professional careers, demonstrated exemplary civic engagement, and in the spirit of the liberal arts tradition, have taken paths of lifelong learning and supported independent higher education in Ohio. This year’s recipient, Kara Trott, is a 1983 Ohio Wesleyan University graduate, where she studied Politics and Government and Philosophy. A powerful advocate for healthcare reform and women in business, Kara is the founder of Quantum Health, a Columbus Business First Best Place to Work for over ten consecutive years. Retained by large employers as the front end of their medical benefit offering, Quantum Health provides an end-to-end guided experience for members in navigating their healthcare journey.
Bill Spiker, Kara Trott, Rock Jones, Randy Marker
Many saw the problems with the healthcare system. Kara was the first to see the solution that put the consumer first and listened to what they needed. Based on insights learned during a two-year study that tracked 3,200 people and included nearly 300 physicians, she launched Quantum Health—a first-of-its-kind consumer care coordination and navigation company that provides a guided consumer experience through their unchosen healthcare journey. With Trott at the helm, Quantum Health has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Today, serving nearly one million people from coast to coast.
Kara is an award-winning entrepreneur and businesswoman, being named one of Smart Business Magazine’s Smart 50 every year since 2014 and receiving prestigious awards like the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Women Presidents’ Organization’s Mary Lehman MacLachlan Economic Empowerment Award. She is a member of The Committee of 200, an invitation-only organization for the world’s most successful women business leaders.
Since graduating, she has generously donated her time and finances to her alma mater. A member of the Board of Trustees and Alumni Board of Directors, Kara is a leading donor to Ohio Wesleyan’s Connect Today, Create Tomorrow campaign. While she specifically focuses on supporting The OWU Connection, Kara also significantly supports faculty development, student scholarships and campus renovations.
Kara earned her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and supports her other alma mater as a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization, The Ohio State University President’s Club Advisory Board and the National Council for The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Dr. Robert Head, III - Earl F. Morris Award Recipient
Mr. Earl F. Morris, was a faithful and dedicated OFIC volunteer, supporter, and an early inductee himself in the OFIC Hall of Excellence. This award was established in 2010 to recognize long and extraordinary trustee service to an OFIC member college or university. This year’s recipient, Dr. Robert Head, III, is a 1976 Defiance College graduate, where he studied management in preparation for his remarkable career. His early career was in the banking profession. After graduating from Defiance College and working at the Toledo Trust Company, he graduated from the University of Toledo with an MBA in 1980. His next role in banking was as Vice President of Trust Services at the Northern Trust Company in Chicago.
Dr. Robert Head, III
After nearly two decades of significant and successful years in corporate America, Dr. Head shifted to service and leadership in higher education. Receiving both a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Benedictine University, he served Benedictine as Vice President for Administration and as an Associate Professor in their MBA Program.
In 2001, Dr. Head returned to Ohio as President of Urbana University, a former OFIC member campus. At Urbana he was credited with increasing enrollment by 20 percent and doubling the residential population, attracting more international students to campus, expanding academic programs, and creating partnerships with business and industry.
He was selected President of Rockford University in Illinois in 2008. While there, enrollment reached their highest level in school history. The endowment grew by more than 50 percent and he raised more than $15 million in campus capital improvements. Retiring in 2016, Dr. Head was named President Emeritus of Rockford University.
Bill Spiker, Dr. Robert Head, III, Richanne Mankey, Randy Marker
He now devotes his time, energy, thought, and love to his alma mater as he also strives to inspire trustee colleagues through his first-hand knowledge of just how complex and intriguing the “business” of higher education is today. As a man of color who witnessed his campus go from a small percentage of students who were not white during his undergraduate years to a campus today that is nearly 50 percent diverse (mostly students who are African American and Hispanic), Dr. Head is actively participating in the success of young people that is so important to the success of our communities, our country, and our world.
Ohio Dominican University students participating in the Encova Information and Risk Management (IRMA) program shared how the hands-on experiences and personal mentorship they’ve received have prepared them for careers in a wide range of specialties within the rapidly growing insurance field.
Encova/IRMA Program Participants, Faculty and Staff
Francie Henry, Former OFIC Board Chair, Regional President at Fifth Third Bank
Finally, Francie Henry offered closing remarks on the theme of inspiration: she was inspired by the work of the board of trustees; inspired by the Ohio Dominican University students, by the trustee service of Dr. Robert Head; and inspired by Kara Trott’s leadership and success with Quantum Health.