Length of Service: July 29, 2021 – present

Term Expires: January 13, 2027

Jerry Abramson, formerly the Mayor of Louisville, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, was appointed to the UofL Board of Trustees by Governor Andy Beshear on July 29, 2021.

As Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Abramson oversaw the Obama administration’s domestic agenda with state, city, county and tribal elected officials across the country.

He served as Kentucky’s Lieutenant Governor alongside Gov. Steve Beshear, from 2011-2014.

Currently, Abramson serves as the Executive in Residence at Spalding University, teaching undergraduate and graduate classes and guest lectures in courses on comparative leadership, public finance, and innovation in all levels of government. Previously, he served as the Executive in Residence at Bellarmine University.

Prior to his tenure in state government, Abramson was Louisville’s longest-serving mayor with 21 years in office. He served three terms as mayor of the old City of Louisville (1986-1999) and two terms as mayor of the merged Louisville Metro Government (2003-10), overseeing the successful consolidation of the city and Jefferson County. His long tenure earned him the nickname “Mayor for Life.” He is a past president of the United States Conference of Mayors.

Abramson received his bachelor’s degree in business economics and public policy at IU. He received his juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife, Madeline, have a son, Sidney, and a daughter-in-law, Kandice.

Length of Service: July 13, 2017 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2025

Dr. Raymond Burse most recently served as President of Kentucky State University from August 2014 until May 2016. He served as Vice President and General Counsel for GE Appliances and Lighting from May 2002 until August 2012, and as President of Kentucky State University from July 1982 to April 1989. Dr. Burse has a long and impressive record of achievement in academics, athletics, and community service.

The youngest of twelve children, he was born on June 8, 1951, in Hopkinsville, KY. After graduating tenth in a class of 325 students from Christian County High School, Dr. Burse declined several football scholarships and elected to attend Kentucky's Centre College in Danville, KY, where he majored in chemistry and mathematics. At Centre College, he was a member of the American Chemical Society and the Black-White Coalition. He also served as vice president of Omicron Delta Kappa and founder and three-year president of the Black Student Union. Active in student government, Dr. Burse served as an advisor to the President of Centre College and as treasurer of the "C" Club.

At the end of his college career, Dr. Burse's achievements were recognized by three distinct honors: he was named to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities; he won the Fred M. Vinson Honor Award; and earned the coveted Rhodes Scholarship. Dr. Burse spent two years at Oxford University, England, where he majored in organic chemistry and participated in basketball, track, crew, and rugby. He earned three "Blues," one in rugby, becoming the first black American and only the sixth American to achieve such distinction.

In 1975, Dr. Burse returned to the United States to attend Harvard Law School. He is the recipient of the John W. Davis Award from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. After receiving his Juris Doctorate, he returned to Kentucky to practice with Wyatt, Grafton & Sloss, now Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, Attorneys-at-Law, prior to his first tenure as President of Kentucky State University.

Dr. Burse and his wife, Kim, currently reside in Prospect, KY. He has three sons, Raymond Jr., Justin, and Eric.

Length of Service: January 14, 2022 – present

Term Expires: January 13, 2028

Dr. Larry Benz, DPT, OCS, MBA, MAPP, is the President/CEO of Confluent Health, and he is nationally recognized for his expertise in private practice physical therapy and occupational medicine.

In 2011, Dr. Benz was appointed to the Board of Trustees by then Governor Steve Beshear, where he served as board chairman from 2015-2017. During this tenure, Dr. Benz also served as a member of the UofL Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors. Currently, he serves as a member of the UofL Athletic Association, Inc. Board of Directors and the President’s Council.

He is the recipient of numerous business and physical therapy awards, including the Kentucky Physical Therapy’s Outstanding Physical Therapists Award, Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year,” and was named one of Louisville Business First’s Most Admired CEOs. Dr. Benz is the author of the Amazon Best-Selling book, Called to Care: A Medical Provider's Guide for Humanizing Healthcare.

Length of Service: September 3, 2020 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2026

Alfonso N. Cornish is Chief Learning Officer for Closing the Gap Consulting, LLC and Culture Docs. Both organizations work to assist organizations in creating healthy workplace cultures.

Mr. Cornish is the former System Vice President, Learning and Organizational Development/Chief Learning Officer for Norton Healthcare. He was responsible for the leadership of Norton University. Norton University is responsible for the staff, physician, leadership and executive development programs as well as e-learning offerings. In addition, he was responsible for media services and diversity and inclusion.

Mr. Cornish has over forty years’ experience in administrative, training, human resource and operations management. He has been in senior leadership roles in some of the most well-known companies in America including AMF Bowling Worldwide, Inc., Central Parking Systems Inc., 7-Eleven Food Stores, Inc. and Hardee’s Food Systems. Prior to joining Norton Healthcare, he served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Prince George’s County, Maryland.

A graduate of Cambridge Senior High School in Maryland, Mr. Cornish is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Maryland and holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management (Summa Cum Laude) from Lacrosse University.

An active participant in his community, Mr. Cornish holds membership in several professional and social organizations, including the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Theta Omega Chapter); Life Member, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; Louisville, Kentucky Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Rainbow/PUSH Coalition; Association for Talent Development; Associate Member, Leadership Louisville; and University of Maryland and Lacrosse University’s National Alumni Associations.

He serves on numerous boards including the Bates Community Development Corporation; Campbellsville University Louisville Campus; Dare to Care Food Bank; Family Scholar House; The Healing Place; Kentucky Derby Festival; Louisville Urban League Guild; Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence; Simmons College of Kentucky; Spalding University; University of Louisville Healthcare Leadership; University System of Maryland Foundation and Volunteers of America (National).

Mr. Cornish is married to Dr. Yvonne D. Austin. He has a son, Alfonso II (and his family, one child) who resides in Minneapolis, MN; a step son, Kenneth Austin (and his family - wife and two children) who resides in Raleigh, NC and one step daughter, Victorea Sampson (and her family - husband and one child) who reside in Orlando, FL.

Length of Service: April 24, 2024 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2030

Chris Dischinger is a proven leader within the real estate development industry and is co-principal and co-founder of LDG Development in Louisville, KY. He is committed to the business of building better lives through developing quality, affordable communities for hard-working families and active seniors to grow and thrive. Chris has served as president of four different trade organizations including the national president of the Society of Exchange Councilors. He resides in his hometown of Louisville, KY with his family.

Length of Service: July 1, 2024 - present

Term Expires: June 30, 2025

Allie Rose Phillips is the current Student Government Association President. She is from Manchester, Ky., and is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2025, studying political science.

Length of Service: April 24, 2024 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2030

Mr. Hayes is a retired economic development secretary for Kentucky and former chair of the Louisville Arena Authority, which oversees finances and operation of the KFC Yum! Center. He has prior experience on the UofL board, most recently serving in 2015-2016.

Length of Service: January 17, 2023 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2029

Brian F. Lavin serves as president and chief executive officer of NTS Development Company, its subsidiaries and affiliates. He is responsible for all NTS real estate development and land acquisitions, and oversees the management of all office buildings, business centers, multi-family and single-family residential divisions.

Brian has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management, council member of the Urban Land Institute and member of the National Multi-Housing Council. Prior to his current membership with the World Presidents’ Organization, he was a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Brian has served on the board of directors of the Louisville Science Center, Louisville Ballet, Greater Louisville, Inc., National Multi-Housing Council, Louisville Apartment Association, Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Inc., and the Inquiry Commission for the Kentucky Bar Association. Brian also currently serves on the board of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, and is a member of the UofL President's Council.

Length of Service: July 1, 2023 - present

Term Expires: June 30, 2025

Kevin Ledford is the current Staff Senate Chair and is an enterprise system programmer at UofL. He has served the university first as a student temporary worker, and then later as a full-time employee for the past 18 years.

Length of Service: April 23, 2019 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2025

Diane Medley is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of MCM CPAs & Advisors. Her client service practice focuses on management advisory services, business valuation, litigation support and individual and corporate tax. Diane has been practicing public accounting for over 30 years and she is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Ms. Medley has led MCM through several mergers and acquisitions, making the company the largest CPA firm in the region with more than 300 employees across five locations, including offices in Lexington, Jeffersonville, Ind., Cincinnati, and headquarters in Louisville.

As Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Ms. Medley was the first woman in the region to have this leadership position within a major firm, and is currently one of only three female Managing Partners in the Top 100 firms in the U.S.

Ms. Medley’s corporate board experience includes serving on the board of Brinly-Hardy, a private, multi-generational family company based in Southern Indiana. Ms. Medley is also actively involved in the local community, serving as Immediate Past Chair of Greater Louisville Inc. - the Metro Chamber of Commerce; Vice Chair of the Hardin Memorial Hospital Foundation; Treasurer and Board Member of One Southern Indiana, member of the University of Louisville Entrepreneurship Council; Board Member of Nucleus, a regional leader in business incubation for entrepreneurs engaged in innovation and research; Louisville Steering Committee Member of 2020 Women on Boards; Membership Chair of the Louisville Women President’s Organization; Member of the Louisville Chapter of the International Women’s Forum; and member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants, National Association of Women Business Owners - Louisville Chapter, and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.

Ms. Medley earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville where she was also named Valedictorian of her class and Outstanding Senior in accounting. She is married with four children and five grandchildren and resides near Louisville, Kentucky.

Length of Service: September 7, 2022 - present

Term Expires: September 6, 2023

Dr. Eugene Mueller is chair of the Faculty Senate and Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. Eugene received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois-Urbana, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University

Eugene’s research foci at the University of Louisville has been enzymology, tRNA modification, sulfur transfer, and bioorganic mechanism.

Length of Service: September 3, 2020 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2026

Diane Porter takes pride in being an educator who has distinguished herself in the community as a thoughtful, well-informed member of the Jefferson County Board of Education. During her 39 years of service to Jefferson County Public Schools, she served as a teacher, counselor, principal and central office administrator. Ms. Porter’s focus was always dedicated advocacy of all students and their families.

Presently, Diane Porter serves on the Jefferson County Board of Education in an elected office, as the representative from District 1. Ms. Porter was first appointed to the school board in June 2010. Five months later, she was elected to a full four-year term and is currently serving in her third term. She served as the board’s chair from January 2011-2014, January 2015 - January 17 and was re-elected again January 2018 to the present time. September 2020 Governor Andy Beshear appointed her to serve on the University of Louisville Board of Trustees. A life-long resident of District 1, Ms. Porter herself is a product of Jefferson County, Kentucky’s public schools graduating from JCPS and the University of Louisville.

Diane Porter has served on the Chestnut Street Branch YMCA Black Achievers Celebration Committee and is a life member of both the Louisville Urban League and the NAACP. Besides serving on the school board, she serves her community on the Boards of the Fund for the Arts, Louisville Urban League and Leadership Louisville where she was selected to the 2014 class of Leadership Louisville’s Bingham Fellows. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Louisville (KY) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.

Ms. Porter’s most cherished role was that of parent to her only child, Alysia Danielle (Dani) Porter, who left this earth far too soon, but not without a long and impactful legacy of love, friendship and service to everyone she met.

Length of Service: April 9, 2021 - present

Term Expires: January 13, 2027

Sherrill is a retired educator from Louisville where she was a teacher, assistant principal and a magnet program coordinator for Jefferson County Public Schools. She has chaired the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, the body that coordinates higher education in the state, and has been a lifelong advocate for student success. A proud Alumna, Sherrill received all of her degrees from UofL: her B.A. in Biology, her Masters of Arts in Teaching Math and Science, and her Education Administration Certification. She was inducted into the UofL Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990 for cheerleading. Sherrill is also a trustee representative on the UofL Athletic Association Board of Directors and is Vice Chair of the President's Council.