Cameron Garrison is managing partner of Lathrop GPM and board chair of the UMKC Trustees. He has been instrumental in connecting the university with the Kansas City community, and he supported UMKC's Critical Materials Crossroads initiative by collaborating with civic leaders across the region. Garrison’s ties to UMKC run deep, and his son is currently a student at the university. Having recently assumed the role of board chair, he is eager to continue advancing the university's mission alongside the newest members of the Board of Trustees.

Garrison recently ascended to the leadership position on the UMKC Board of Trustees, and he is excited to continue his efforts at the university alongside the new Trustees who have joined the UMKC family.

How did you first become involved with UMKC, and what has inspired you to remain engaged with the university?

I was first asked to join the Board of Trustees by a former partner of mine, Joel Voran. He was one of my predecessors as the managing partner at the firm and he was heavily involved at UMKC, including a term as chair of the Trustees. Voran asked me to join the board when he was nearing retirement, and I was excited for the invitation to be involved with such an important Kansas City institution.

Why is the Board of Trustees important to UMKC’s success? What does it mean to you personally to step into the role of chair?

The success of UMKC has been a priority for civic leaders in Kansas City since the university’s founding in the 1930s. The Board of Trustees has played a vital role since that time working to ensure that the Kansas City region has a world-class university. I believe wholeheartedly in this mission and was honored to be asked to follow in the footsteps of so many great civic leaders in chairing the Board of Trustees.

How would you describe UMKC’s role in the Kansas City community? Where do you see the university making its greatest impact on the region and future generations?

UMKC is the Kansas City region’s flagship university. It provides opportunities for students from the region and beyond and provides talent and support for the area’s businesses. UMKC is making its greatest impact in two interconnected ways: creating opportunities for people and solving challenges that matter to our region. As Kansas City's university, UMKC will continue to educate the talent our economy needs, as well as advance research that not just improves lives, but transforms our region.

UMKC recently received a landmark National Science Foundation award of up to $160 million to lead the Critical Materials Crossroads Engine, and you spoke at the celebration event at Union Station. How were you involved in supporting this effort, and why is this opportunity so important for UMKC and the region?

I have been supporting the U.S. National Science Foundation Critical Materials Crossroads Engine in collaboration with civic leaders across the region, working to bolster UMKC’s efforts and align civic support behind the initiative. The UMKC Trustees have identified this as one of our priorities this year, and we plan to activate our board members to support this initiative. The NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine is important because it is an opportunity to establish Kansas City as a national hub for innovation, commercialization, advanced manufacturing and workforce development focused on a critical national security issue, while also creating meaningful economic growth throughout the region. It is a powerful example of how a metropolitan research university can serve as a catalyst for both discovery and regional prosperity.

UMKC is experiencing tremendous momentum, from achieving Carnegie R1 research status to leading one of the nation’s largest regional innovation initiatives. What excites you most about the university’s future?

The most exciting thing about the university’s future is the people who are driving it. In my role with UMKC, I get to meet and work with inspiring people at every level, from the chancellor and provost and the incredible staff who support them, to the deans and professors who are leading world-class education and research, to the brilliant students who are the lifeblood of the university. Their talent and dedication leave no doubt that UMKC will continue to experience the types of remarkable successes that have come to define the university.

What would you like UMKC alumni, supporters and community partners to understand about the role they can play in helping the university build on this momentum?

Be sure to learn about all the exciting accomplishments at the university, take great pride in those accomplishments and share that excitement far and wide, so that people in our region and beyond understand why we mean it when we say we have a truly world-class university right here in Kansas City.