King’s Announces Board Changes, Campus Addition

The Board of Trustees of The King's College approved two changes in the Board's membership and formalized an exciting new addition to the campus.

Launa Stayer
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NEW YORK CITY – May 8, 2015 – On May 7 and 8, the Board of Trustees of The King’s College met on the college’s campus in New York City to conduct several items of important business, including approving two changes in the Board’s membership and formalizing an exciting new addition to the campus.

After nineteen years of service to the College, Mr. John Beckett will rotate off the Board for a year. Beckett, who is a founding board member of King’s, will keep the title Trustee Emeritus. Beckett is a board member of Campus Crusade for Christ International and the author of Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul (InterVarsity Press, 1998) and Mastering Monday: A Practical Guide to Integrating Faith and Work (InterVarsity Press, 2006). Beckett received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Spring Arbor University in 2002 and The King’s College in 2008. He has been named “Christian Businessman of the Year” by the Christian Broadcasting Network (1999) and manufacturing “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young (2003).

“Watching God’s hand at work with King’s has been amazing,” said Beckett. “We’ve spent nearly twenty years on the end of a limb. But from our first class of 17 students to the miracle on 34th Street to answered prayer in lower Manhattan, God has been faithful. I’ve loved being in the thick of it and am confident we’re in great hands into the future. ‘Privilege’ is a word that gets overused, but my service on the King’s board has been just that: an extraordinary privilege.”

Beckett has served twice as the chair of the Board and has been featured as a distinguished visitor to the College several times. His service to the King’s community has been invaluable.

The Board also voted to add Ms. Launa Stayer-Maloney as a Trustee. Stayer-Maloney served as Vice Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Johnsonville Sausage, LLC for over 30 years. Her involvement in the business resulted in the opening of major U.S. markets outside Wisconsin. Johnsonville Sausage is the only global brand in sausage, selling in over 30 countries. Stayer-Maloney was also a member of the AMI Board of Directors for 15 years.

Stayer-Maloney’s work in the area of education includes serving on the board of trustees for Mount Mary College as head of their marketing development committee. She was also a founding member of Lake Country Academy, a Direct Instruction 4K – 8th grade institution. Most recently she has worked to develop Spaceport Sheboygan in an effort to encourage children to pursue education and employment in the areas of science, technology, and mathematics.

Stayer-Maloney held the position of board member during the formative years of the Sheboygan County Development Corporation (SCDC). Her involvement in the SCDC led to the development of 42 acres of new resort and retail properties. She has been the lead investor in several companies ranging from Biomedical device manufacturing to scaleable internet technologies. Her current community involvement includes the Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin; presiding as President of the Childrens’ Charities of Sheboygan County, the Wells Fargo Local Area Board, and board member of Spaceport Sheboygan.

Finally, the Board is pleased to announce that the College has received a gift from the Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation that will make possible the construction and establishment of a new student union, to open during the Fall 2015 semester. The new student space will be named the O’Keeffe Student Union. The location of the space, which measures over 3,000 square feet, will be announced in the near future.

Miss Clare O’Keeffe, who represents the foundation, explained, “We are thrilled to be able to partner with The King’s College in creating this important space for their students.  We know that the O’Keeffe Student Union will play an integral role in student life on campus.” The campus community has responded with grateful enthusiasm to the news.

“This new space recaptures some of what we had when our campus was located at the Empire State Building,” said President Gregory Alan Thornbury. “We’re so delighted that Miss O’Keeffe is partnering with King’s to help improve the life of our students and cultivate a vibrant community here in our downtown Manhattan campus.”  A dedication of the space is being planned shortly after the 15-16 academic year begins.


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