Four Join Creighton University Board of Directors
On Dec. 4, 2006, the Creighton University Board of Directors elected four new board members. They are W. Gary Gates, president and CEO, Omaha Public Power District; Deborah A. Macdonald, vice president, Kinder Morgan, Inc., Houston; Michael R. McCarthy, chairman, McCarthy Group, Inc.; and Jane Miller, chief operating officer, The Gallup Organization.
W. Gary Gates began his career with OPPD in 1972, working extensively in the nuclear operations organization of the energy company. He became president and CEO in January 2004. Gates participates in numerous local and industry boards including the World Association of Nuclear Operators, Knights of Aksarben, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Midlands and more. Along with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in industrial engineering, Gates holds a master’s degree in business administration from Creighton University.
Deborah Macdonald serves as vice president of Kinder Morgan, Inc., (KMI) after holding numerous executive positions for more than 20 years in the energy industry. In her current position, she is responsible for supervising the development and construction of the Rockies Express Pipeline, the largest natural gas pipeline proposed in North America in the last 25 years. She joined KMI in October 1999 as president of the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, KMI’s largest subsidiary. She also was the first woman appointed president of a major natural gas pipeline.
Macdonald supports many Houston philanthropies especially those who serve children and families. She is a native Omahan with strong ties to the city visiting her family and friends often. She received her bachelor’s and law degrees from Creighton University and was recipient of the University’s School of Law Alumni Merit Award in 2005.
Michael R. McCarthy serves as chairman of McCarthy Group, Inc., a merchant banking firm headquartered in Omaha. He has held that position since 1986. He is also very active on corporate boards and in community groups, serving on the corporate boards of Cabela’s Inc., Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc., HDR, Inc., as well as Streck, Inc., Heritages Services, and the Omaha Community Foundation, amongst others. He was inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame and serves as a member of the USSTRATCOM Committee.
Jane Miller is the chief operating officer and executive vice president of The Gallup Organization. She joined Gallup, which is responsible for management research, education and consulting services to many of the world’s best-known corporations and organizations, in 1980. Under her leadership, Gallup’s operational headquarters moved three years ago to its new campus along Omaha’s riverfront. Miller serves on many local boards including Children’s Hospital, Knights of Aksarben, Omaha Symphony, and Boys Scouts of America as well as the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Science of Research Board.