KU Endowment board elects 6 new trustees
LAWRENCE — At the KU Endowment Board of Trustees’ Annual Meeting on Oct. 27, six new trustees were elected: Stephonn Alcorn of New York City; William W. Humphrey III (Trey) of Mission Hills; Schalie A. Johnson of Kansas City, Missouri; Allison Long of Lawrence; Winifred Pinet (Win) of Plymouth, Michigan; and Abbey Rupe of Salina. Each brings a wealth of experience to the board. Brief bios of the new trustees follow.
Stephonn Alcorn
Stephonn Alcorn was student body president at KU and graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. While serving as president, he created and launched the Summer Venture in Business program, a pre-college summer academy for underrepresented students in high school and/or potential first-generation college students who are interested in business. Nearly 200 students have participated in the program, with many electing to attend KU.
Alcorn lives in New York, where he is a vice president at the Blackstone Group, managing investments in affordable housing. He is currently studying for his master’s degree in urban planning at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Most recently, Alcorn served as the associate director for racial justice & equity in the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris White House Domestic Policy Council, where he helped drive the formulation and implementation of the president’s equity agenda. Alcorn began his career at the Blackstone Group in 2017. He serves on the board of directors of Urban Pathways, a leading provider of transitional and permanent supportive housing in New York.
William Humphrey III
William Humphrey III (Trey) received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from KU in 1987 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1990. He and his wife, Bethany, reside in Mission Hills, and their three children all graduated from KU: Billy in 2019, Elena in 2020 and Kate in 2023. Humphrey is chief legal officer at Lockton, where he leads a robust, global legal team. An essential part of Lockton since 2000, he previously served as executive vice president and group general counsel and secretary and has played a crucial role in managing the company's legal affairs in an increasingly complex business environment. Humphrey serves on the board of directors of several organizations, including the Police Foundation of Kansas City, KC Common Good and the Kansas Alpha of Phi Delta Theta Education Foundation.
Schalie Johnson
Schalie Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Connecticut College in 2003 and a Juris Doctor from KU in 2006, where she received honors in trial advocacy. She and her husband reside in Kansas City, Missouri. Johnson is a partner at Wallace Saunders and is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Johnson County Bar Association and the Kansas Bar Association. She is a member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Central Exchange. Johnson serves on the KU School of Law’s board of governors, an alumni group dedicated to advancing the intellectual and material development, growth and continued excellence of KU Law.
Allison Long
Allison Long is a third-generation Jayhawk originally from McPherson. Long, a CPA and 1985 graduate of the KU School of Business, she and her husband, Jeff, returned to Lawrence in 2012 following his Air Force career. She has held positions at KU Endowment in accounting and human resources and currently serves as the senior vice president for administration, chief operating officer and secretary.
Winifred Pinet
Winifred Pinet (Win) received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1980 and an MBA in 1982, both from KU. She also has a certified treasury professional (CTP) designation and a certificate in sustainability management from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Pinet resides in Plymouth, Michigan. She is president and CEO of Sycamore Associates and has more than 25 years of experience in capital structure, treasury, risk management and environment, social and governance (ESG) investing. Prior to forming Sycamore in 1999, Pinet enjoyed a career in corporate banking. She is co-chair of KU’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Advisory Board and has served on the KU School of Business board and national KU Alumni Association board.
Abbey Rupe
Abbey Rupe earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from KU in 2001 and a medical degree from the KU School of Medicine-Wichita in 2005. During her medical education, Rupe was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She completed her residency in pediatrics at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita and served as chief resident during her third year. Rupe and her husband, Chris Rupe, a fourth-generation KU graduate, reside in Salina with their two teenage children. She is a faculty pediatrician at Salina Family Healthcare Center, where she helps train family medicine residents for future practice in rural Kansas through the Smoky Hill Family Medical Residency Program. She is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Kansas chapter of the AAP and the Saline County Medical Society. She also serves on the Sports Medicine Advisory Board for the Kansas State High School Activities Association.