Gallatin President Wym Portman and BT Rise Founder & CEO Barbara Turner to join list of Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Alumni; HealthPath Foundation President Kiana Trabue to receive inaugural Civic Quotient Award
CINCINNATI – August 8, 2024 – The Leadership Center at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber is expanding its annual celebration – formerly known as the Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award Dinner – to include more attendees from around the region and present a new award: the Civic Quotient (CQ) Award. Graduates of all Cincinnati Chamber leadership programs along with community members who are invested in and interested in learning more about civic leadership are encouraged to attend.
The Annual Leadership Center Celebration will take place on September 10 at 5 p.m. at MegaCorp Pavilion. Registration is open to all who wish to attend. The event serves as the kick-off and introduction to the new Leadership Cincinnati class and is also open to all leaders from around the region to provide an enhanced networking opportunity and offer other engaging and inspiring content throughout the evening.
“Roughly 4,300 people have graduated from our Leadership Center programs. At the core of our programs, we work to develop a deep and wide bench of civic leaders to support the growth of our region,” said Brendon Cull, President & CEO of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “We hope that this event creates a space for people who believe in our need to invest in more civic and community leaders, to strengthen the network between one another, and celebrate individuals who are doing their part to help grow our population, economy, and cultural vibrancy.”
The 2024 Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are William C. Portman, III (Wym), President of Gallatin, LLC, and Barbara Turner, Founder & CEO of BT Rise. The inaugural CQ Award recipient is Kiana Trabue, President of HealthPath Foundation.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these three individuals. Barbara, Wym, and Kiana are each helping to change the shape of our region in their own ways,” said Sean Comer, Vice President of the Leadership Center at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “Working alongside others, these leaders have helped to ensure that organizations like BT Rise can invest in people, that the CROWN will create new pathways throughout our community, and that more people have a seat at the TABLE. As a region that aims to grow, we want to shine a light on stories like these to inspire our entire network of civic-minded leaders to keep pushing our community to be more.”
The Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes outstanding Leadership Cincinnati alumni whose contributions to the betterment of the Cincinnati region distinguishes them as a “Leader Among Leaders.” Since 1985, the Cincinnati Regional Chamber has been proud to hand out this award to 42 deserving individuals. In 2005, Graydon Head & Ritchey LLP made a memorial gift to the Cincinnati Chamber to honor the leadership and many civic contributions of firm partner, Nelson Schwab, Jr. Funds were used to rename the award the “The Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award,” an award previously known as the “Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award.”
The CQ (Civic Quotient) Award celebrates alumni of Leadership Center programs who demonstrate a high CQ through publicly facing work. They demonstrate a clear understanding of the state of our region, its culture and history, the relationships and structures that guide decision making, and aspire to act and improve the public good. Given the complex dynamics in a region that sits at the meeting point of three different states, special attention is given to individuals who excel in spaces of collaboration.
Honorees:
Nelson Schwab Jr. Distinguished Alumni Awards:
- Wym Portman | President, Gallatin, LLC | Leadership Cincinnati Class 10
William C. Portman, III (Wym) is President of Gallatin, LLC. He is former President of Pon North America, a Dutch family company, and, for over 20 years, CEO of Portman Equipment Company. Wym is a 1977 graduate of Kenyon College and received his MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (1981). He is a Board member of Sims-Lohman, Mercury Museum Services, and Lebanon House, Inc., and a former Board member of Xtek, Inc., the James N. Gray Company, Advanced Handling Systems, Scallan Supply Company, Electrada, and Portman Equipment Company. Wym’s community involvement includes serving on the Boards of The University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI), Tri-State Trails, CROWN Campaign, GCF Impact Investment, the Wildlife Leadership Council of University of Montana, and Advisory Board of Electrada. He is a former Board Chair of the University of Cincinnati, Chair of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Chair of Joy Outdoor Education Center, President of the Commonwealth Club, Vice Chair of Cincinnati Museum Center, Vice Chair of The Seven Hills School, Vice President of the Board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Inc., Board member of UC Health, the Children’s Home, The Montana Nature Conservancy, and Chairman of the Chamber’s Introducing Greater Cincinnati Program. A Cincinnati native, Wym is married to Jan, and has 3 adult children. Outdoor activities are a favorite of Wym’s; he enjoys hiking, hunting, fly fishing, biking, and cross-country skiing. Wym, 69, a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class 10, is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO-Gold), the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee (CRBC), The Queen City Club, The Cincinnati Country Club, and the Optimists Club.
- Barbara A. Turner | Founder & CEO, BT Rise | Leadership Cincinnati Class 40
Barbara has dedicated her life to ensuring everyone has access to the resources necessary for achieving financial security and independence. As an accomplished business executive, she has a proven track record of exceptional leadership in financial services, community transformation, and focused philanthropy. In 2023, Barbara launched BT R.I.S.E., an organization aimed at helping others access the resources required to achieve financial security and independence. BT R.I.S.E. stands for resilience, integrity, strength, and equity. As CEO, Barbara leverages her extensive corporate and community leadership experience, along with her deep expertise in the financial services industry, to assist others in numerous ways, including providing advisory services, reviewing business plans, and offering capital for new and emerging organizations. Before launching BT R.I.S.E., Barbara was CEO of Ohio National, a $1.5 billion financial services company with $42 billion in assets under management, where she repositioned the legacy organization for growth. During her tenure, Barbara’s leadership spanned the business, serving in numerous roles including Vice Chair, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer for the parent company, and President and CEO of its broker-dealer and investment advisory subsidiaries. In 2024, Barbara received the United Way Tocqueville Award, Ladies of Leadership Women of Excellence Award, and was recognized as a 2024 Black Is Excellence Honoree by the City of Cincinnati. In 2023, she was honored with the Beacon of Light Humanitarian Award from Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, received the Mercy McAuley High School Women Who Inspire Award, and the NFL Inspire Change Changemaker Award by the Cincinnati Bengals and NFL. In 2022, she received the Women Helping Women Community Impact Award, the Ernest Talbert Award, and the Sister Accord Leadership Award. Other recognitions include the YWCA Career Women of Achievement Award, Linkage Women of Influence Executive Impact Award, and Wealth Management Magazine’s Top 50 Women in Wealth Management.
CQ (Civic Quotient) Award:
- Kiana Trabue | President, HealthPath Foundation | WE Lead Class 16
Kiana R. Trabue, MPH is a public health professional with 20 years of experience who has held various executive-level positions in Greater Cincinnati. As the President and Secretary of HealthPath, Kiana oversees strategic planning, public relations, fiscal management, and revenue generation through intermediary opportunities. Kiana received her Bachelor of Arts from the Ohio State University and her Master of Public Health from Wright State University.” Currently working at TABLE as Board Chair and is also a Co-founder (1 ½) “We are passionate about democratizing power and removing barriers for current and future generations own Black Cincinnati. We have spent years working for a seat at various tables to advance the solutions and idea of Black people, often to no avail. Collectively we are clear that we, as a people, need focused catalytic collaboration, we need space to convene current and future leaders and to bring about sustainable change. So, we built our own table.” Prior to Health Path. Kiana was Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at bi3 (3 years). A lot of her prior work experience is in public health, which is extensive to say the least. “Kiana uses a deeply collaborative approach to cultivate bi3’s internal and external partnerships. She works with grantee organizations to co-design innovative initiatives to achieve bi3’s goal of solving Greater Cincinnati’s deep-seated health issues.” She is currently the Board Chair for Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio Board and is also board members for Produce Perks Midwest, Transformational Advancement of Black Leadership and Excellence (TABLE), and The Last Mile Food Rescue.
The Annual Leadership Center Celebration is supported by our Platinum Investors, Greater Cincinnati Foundation and Medical Mutual, and our Media Partner, the Cincinnati Business Courier. Thank you for your support of the Leadership Center.
