Key Takeaways
- • KU Endowment elected five new trustees to its board at the Annual Meeting on Oct. 23, 2026, according to KU News.
- • The new trustees include Cathleen Curless, Eric Edell, Janet Cinelli, Justin Mills and Sarah DeVries, bringing varied backgrounds in business, medicine, philanthropy and public health.
- • Several appointees have deep KU ties, including multiple alumni, former faculty and past board service with KU units such as the School of Business, KU Medical Alumni Board and KU Libraries.
- • KU Endowment, founded in 1891, is the independent nonprofit serving as KU's official fundraising and fund-management foundation, and is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.
Summary
KU Endowment elected five new trustees to its board of trustees at its Annual Meeting on Oct. 23, according to a KU News report published Nov. 5, 2026. The article presents the appointees as representing a range of professional backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Cathleen Curless earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology in 1976 and an MBA in 1978 from KU. She had a career in information technology and management before teaching strategic management at the KU School of Business for 10 years. She has served on the School of Business dean search committee and the Dean's Advisory Board, where she is past chair of the executive committee, and is vice chair of the Falling Forward Foundation.
Eric Edell holds a bachelor's degree in biology (1976) and a Doctor of Medicine (1981) from KU. He is a consultant in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic and a professor of medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. His KU service includes the KU Medical Alumni Board, the KU Alumni National Board and the Onward Campaign Steering Committee.
Janet Cinelli earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from KU in 1990. She is executive director and president of the Cinelli Family Foundation and previously spent more than 30 years in telecom and cloud computing. She joined the KU Libraries Board of Advocates in 2016 and concluded her term as chair in 2024.
Justin Mills earned degrees from KU, including an M.D. in 2006 and a pediatrics residency completed in 2009, and a master's in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He spent 15 years with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and recently resigned from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Mills previously served on the KU Medical Alumni Board and on the Ad Astra Education Foundation board, and received the Early Career Achievement in Medicine Alumnus Award in 2024.
Sarah DeVries earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from KU in 1985 and is a native of Salina. She serves on the board of the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas and previously served on the Holy Family Needs Foundation board. KU Endowment describes itself as the independent, nonprofit fundraising and fund-management foundation for KU, founded in 1891.
Cathleen Curless earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology in 1976 and an MBA in 1978 from KU. She had a career in information technology and management before teaching strategic management at the KU School of Business for 10 years. She has served on the School of Business dean search committee and the Dean's Advisory Board, where she is past chair of the executive committee, and is vice chair of the Falling Forward Foundation.
Eric Edell holds a bachelor's degree in biology (1976) and a Doctor of Medicine (1981) from KU. He is a consultant in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic and a professor of medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. His KU service includes the KU Medical Alumni Board, the KU Alumni National Board and the Onward Campaign Steering Committee.
Janet Cinelli earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from KU in 1990. She is executive director and president of the Cinelli Family Foundation and previously spent more than 30 years in telecom and cloud computing. She joined the KU Libraries Board of Advocates in 2016 and concluded her term as chair in 2024.
Justin Mills earned degrees from KU, including an M.D. in 2006 and a pediatrics residency completed in 2009, and a master's in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He spent 15 years with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and recently resigned from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Mills previously served on the KU Medical Alumni Board and on the Ad Astra Education Foundation board, and received the Early Career Achievement in Medicine Alumnus Award in 2024.
Sarah DeVries earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from KU in 1985 and is a native of Salina. She serves on the board of the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas and previously served on the Holy Family Needs Foundation board. KU Endowment describes itself as the independent, nonprofit fundraising and fund-management foundation for KU, founded in 1891.
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