Get to know our Foundation Volunteer Leaders! Each month, the Foundation will be featuring its esteemed Board and Alumni Council members for you to get to know a little bit better. Below are some fun facts as well as a peek into what each of these board members do in their professional careers.

 

Jo Ann Gora – Foundation Board (2020 – Current)

Jo Ann Gora joined the Ball State University Foundation Board of Directors in 2020. She loves getting to come back to campus as well as hearing from students, deans, and the president about new initiatives. She finds the dedication of students energizing and the thoughtfulness of the administration to be unique to BSU. Jo Ann spent 40 years working in higher education. She holds a doctorate in Sociology and has served in various roles from faculty member to dean, provost, chancellor, and president.  She was the first female provost and the first (acting) female university president in Virginia in the nineties, and the first female president of a public university in Indiana in 2004. Jo Ann served as president of Ball State University from 2004-2014. She is most proud of leading the effort to make immersive learning the cornerstone of a Ball State education, enabling students and faculty to solve the real-world problems of businesses, nonprofits, and communities in Indiana and beyond.

Jo Ann’s dream place to live would be Virginia because of the moderate climate that would allow her to play sports outdoors year-round including tennis, golf, and pickleball. She also loves visiting the ocean and the mountains nearby. In her free time, Jo Ann loves playing sports and duplicate bridge. She loves spending time with her grandchildren and hosting friends and family around the dinner table with a delicious meal.

 

Tom Kinghorn – Foundation Board (1980-2021) 

Twice a graduate of Ball State with degrees in business administration and management, Tom Kinghorn has served his alma mater with determination and passion for many years. Tom has served in a variety of positions during his 47 years of service including but not limited to Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer from 1980-2009, Executive Assistant to the President for Commercialization and Community from 2009-2014, construction, and facilities management. He was a member of the Ball State University Foundation Board of Directors for 32 years, Treasurer of the Ball State University Board of Trustees for 29 years, and served in the administrations of nine University presidents.

Currently, Tom has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the George and Frances Ball Foundation since 2018. Through this role, Tom has furthered the mission of George and Frances Ball as well as their daughter Elisabeth Ball to foster the Muncie community into a vibrant and thriving place. This organization continues to prioritize taking a proactive approach to increasing educational attainment to drive greater prosperity for children and families living in Muncie.

 

Jack Haworth – Alumni Council (2018 – Current)

Jack Haworth is a dedicated member of the Alumni Council since 2018 and the Football Player’s Association at Ball State University. He enjoys volunteering at BSU because it gives him the ability to make a difference for the University and the students here on campus. Jack currently works as a Chief Banking Officer at Lincoln Savings Bank.

If Jack could pick anywhere in the world to live, he would pick St. John in the US Virgin Islands. According to Jack, the ideal day is spent with his family on a boat and finishing the day next to the campfire.