WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Orvin Kimbrough, St. Louis, a member of the Missouri State University Board of Governors, will give the keynote address at Missouri State University-West Plains’ 2014 commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17, at the West Plains Civic Center arena.
The title of Kimbrough’s presentation will be “Imagination!” Everyone is invited to attend the event.
“Early in his tenure as a board member, Mr. Kimbrough made a special effort to engage with and learn about the West Plains campus,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said. “As a result, he has become a huge supporter of our campus and our programs, and we are pleased to have him speak to our graduates at this prestigious event.”
Kimbrough, a product of the St. Louis Public Schools and the State of Missouri foster care system, serves as the president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis, where he leads the organization to help people throughout the St. Louis region live their best possible lives. United Way of Greater St. Louis, one of the top five United Way affiliates in the nation, annually raises $70-plus million and has invested more than $2 billion into the St. Louis region since it began in 1922.
Kimbrough began working with United Way of Greater St. Louis in 2007 as vice president of major gifts, growing major gifts at a faster rate than other giving. Kimbrough brings a passion for helping people to everything he does, university officials said.
Before joining the United Way, Kimbrough worked with a number of not-for-profits, including serving as the executive director for Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls.
He is a frequent speaker and lecturer with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Master of Arts in Theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.
Kimbrough also is a former adjunct instructor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
For more information about commencement activities, contact the Missouri State-West Plains academic affairs office, 417-255-7272. For more information about Missouri State-West Plains, visit http://wp.missouristate.edu.