College Baseball Foundation welcomes seven new trustees

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- The College Baseball Foundation (CBF) Board of Trustees announced the addition of seven new members -- Lori Bertman, Gerald Jones, Tai Kreidler, Gene Stephenson, Jana Howser Stephenson, Kevin Trainor and Alfred White.

The CBF is the parent organization of the College Baseball Hall of Fame (CBHOF). The new members are among 20 trustees who present annual player and coach awards, and induct a new class of Hall of Fame honorees each year, including the 2024 College Baseball Hall of Fame class, which was announced Sept. 9.

Tom Jacobs, who was recently announced as the CEO and Executive Director of the CBF and CBHOF, effective Oct. 1, was a member of the Board of Trustees previously.

Last January, the CBF and Visit Overland Park announced that the permanent location of the College Baseball Hall of Fame will be located within the iconic Museum at Prairiefire. In September, it was announced that the CBF partnered with global design firm Populous to design the Hall of Fame. The CBF also announced a fundraising campaign to raise $12 million for the construction of the Hall of Fame.

“We are very excited to welcome these outstanding individuals to become members of the Board of Trustees,” Jacobs said. “Each of them brings outstanding energy and passion for the great sport of college baseball and have a collective history of connectivity to the sport. Additionally, each of the new trustees have various deep and specific skill sets that will be of great benefit to the Board as we continue to work towards the reality of opening the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Overland Park, Kan.”

The College Baseball Foundation Board of Trustees are led by chairman Craig Ramsey, vice-chairman Rick Greenspan, treasurer Chris Snead and secretary Aaron Hill. Other Board of Trustees include Dale Ancell, Jim Darby, Justin Dedeaux, Mike Fiore (2014 CBHOF inductee), Tim Fitzpatrick, Mike Gustafson (CBF Executive Director Emeritus), Jim Hendry, Arlene Matthews and John Winters.

“Our new members have already hit the ground running to use their expertise and leverage their expansive networks to enhance our awareness building and fundraising efforts for the new Hall of Fame,” Ramsey said. “We still have much more to do, but within those continuing efforts, we have put together an all-star lineup of individuals committed to preserving and celebrating the game of college baseball.”

Lori Bertman

Lori Jill Bertman, the daughter of longtime LSU and College Baseball Hall of Fame Coach Skip Bertman, is founder and president of Bertman + Associates, a consultancy that advises funders and nonprofits on philanthropy and resource development. She is an adjunct professor of fundraising and sustainability at George Washington University. Bertman developed the fundraising committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame and serves on the board of Athletes for Hope. Prior to her current role, Bertman served two decades as the CEO of the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation. She is founder of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which won the CNN Heroes Award in 2021 for its work throughout COVID.

Gerald Jones

Gerald Jones recently joined Aquimo, INC. as its Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Prior to his current role, Jones was Vice President of National Partnerships and Activation for Revel ^XP and Vice President of Business Development and Media for Minor League Baseball. He also worked eight seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates in corporate partnerships. In addition, Jones has worked with Feld Entertainment, WME/IMG at the University of Pittsburgh and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones was a four-year baseball letter winner at Division II Armstrong State University (Ga.).

Tai Kreidler

Tai Kreidler is returning to the Board of Trustees after serving a term previously, including as Secretary of the Board. Formerly a Deputy Director with the Southwest Conference, Kreidler is a librarian with the Southwest Collection within the Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University. The Southwest Collection includes the archives of the former Southwest Conference. In addition, the CBHOF artifacts are stored, managed and preserved within the Southwest Collection.

Gene Stephenson

Gene Stephenson went 1,837-673-3 in 36 seasons in building the Wichita State program into a national powerhouse. Stephenson, a three-time National Coach of the Year, led teams to 28 regionals, seven College World Series and won a national title in 1989. He stands as the fourth-winningest coach at any level, behind College Baseball Hall of Famers Mike Martin, Gordie Gillespie and Augie Garrido. Stephenson was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, joining his brother, Phil, who was inducted in 2007. Four of Stephenson’s former players are also in the Hall of Fame.

Jana Howser Stephenson

Jana Howser Stephenson is returning to the Board of Trustees after serving an initial term following the induction of her father Dick Howser (Florida State) into the Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2009, she became the EVP of Development for the College Baseball Foundation. Her professional accomplishments prior to the Hall of Fame include executive management with equestrian and hospitality companies. She also continues to be involved in a variety of writing projects. She is an executive committee member of the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top Division I college baseball player.

Kevin Trainor

Kevin Trainor is the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Public Relations and Former Student-Athlete Engagement at the University of Arkansas. He is in his 30th year full time at Arkansas and has served as the Razorbacks’ Baseball Sports Administrator for 14 seasons. Trainor, the current president of College Sports Communicators, serves on the media coordination teams for numerous high-profile athletics events each year, including the College Football Playoff National Championship NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Southeastern Conference Football media days.

Alfred White

Alfred White has spent more than 40 years in intercollegiate and professional athletics administration, including 15 years at the NCAA. White has also held numerous leadership positions in the industry, including as Commissioner of the Southern Conference, President of the Asheville Altitude and Senior Associate Commissioner for Conference USA. Prior to opening his own consulting firm, White was the Senior Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships for the College Football Playoff. White is currently serving as the founder and CEO of ABW | Building Bridges.

About the College Baseball Hall of Fame

Each year, more than 190 representatives nationwide vote on the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction class. The voting body is comprised of national and regional college baseball media, active and retired coaches, former players, former inductees, college baseball historians and members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) collegiate baseball committee. The College Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2006. Since that time, 165 players, coaches, umpires, administrators and contributors have been selected for induction. View for a full list of College Baseball Hall of Fame classes.

About the College Baseball Foundation

The purpose of the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) is to preserve, elevate and advance the game; to inspire the next generation; to teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions; to celebrate those who make college baseball special; and to honor those who have come before us, and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today. The CBF presents the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Shortstop), the National Pitcher of the Year, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year and the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award. To date, 97 individuals have been honored with one of these awards.