Meet the Regents

Nathan Smith

Chair

Nathan Smith is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer
of Flagship Communities REIT. For 27 years, Nathan Smith has led the
transformational effort for substantial growth of his company, including
forming a REIT and a successful IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange, during 2020, the pandemic year. The REIT owns and operates a portfolio of now 66 manufactured housing communities, comprising 11,876 lots located in seven states. Smith’s company is the largest manufactured housing company in Kentucky and among the top 20 in the United States. Smith has served on several high-level boards including the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), and chairman of the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents, as well serving as a director on the board of Safe Harbor Marinas and the national Manufactured Housing Institute.

Kara Williams

Vice Chair

Kara Williams is a mission-minded business strategist, passionate about cultivating authentic brands that help drive the futures of the businesses she serves. With over 15 years of experience in communication, marketing, and organizational leadership, Kara combines her big-picture vision and tactical know-how to expertly lead The Marketing Collective, a consulting firm she founded in 2015 to meet a need she saw for smart, strategic marketing that wasn’t one-size-fits-all.

Since graduating from Northern Kentucky University in 2001, Kara has served in a number of roles at the University, including Fourteen years on the Board of Directors of the Northern Kentucky University Foundation, where she served as Chairman of the Membership Committee and on the Executive Committee. Kara also served on the Success by Design strategic framework planning committee and in 2011 was named the Outstanding Alumna Award Winner from the College of Informatics.

Kara and her husband, Wade, who is also a graduate of Northern Kentucky University, are the proud parents of two little girls who will gladly flash the “Norse Up” sign every chance they get.

Shea W. Conley

Mr. Shea Conley is a highly respected attorney with a distinguished career. He graduated from Gannon University in 1995, earning a bachelor’s degree with honors in Mechanical Engineering. His passion for law led him to the University of Kentucky, where he obtained his law degree in 1998, representing the University on its National Moot Court Team. Since then, Mr. Conley has been a formidable presence in the legal community, litigating and trying cases across Kentucky.

With dozens of cases tried in state and federal courts, Mr. Conley has earned the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell, “AV Preeminent Rating, Judicial Edition,” reflecting his exceptional ability and ethics in the practice of law. This honor is based on evaluations by peers and members of the judiciary, underscoring his reputation for excellence.

Mr. Conley began his legal career as an associate with Frost Brown Todd in 1998. In 2006, he joined the Reminger firm as a partner, where he successfully led the Lexington, KY office for over a decade. During his tenure at both firms, he represented individuals, product manufacturers, and businesses of all sizes.

In a significant career shift, Mr. Conley joined Morgan & Morgan in 2017 to focus on representing injured individuals and families. His unique engineering background provides valuable insight and clarity in complex products liability litigation, and trucking crashes, greatly benefiting his clients.

Shea has called Kentucky home since 1995, and his support for education runs in the family. His mother, Mary Conley, was a first-generation college graduate, earning her Masters in Teaching. She dedicated her entire 30 year career to teaching middle school in Bradford, NY, instilling in Shea a deep appreciation for higher education and the values it represents.

Beyond his professional achievements, Mr. Conley is a dedicated family man. He is married to Dana Conley, and together they have three children: William, a senior at Davidson College; Glenna, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina; and Connor, a senior in high school who was recently accepted to the University of Kentucky. Mr. Conley is proud to bring his dedication to education, family, and community to Northern Kentucky University’s Board of Regents.

Cori Henderson

Dr. Henderson is the associate director of the Office of Institutional Research at NKU. She is also an alum, graduating from the Masters of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program in 2015. Dr. Henderson started at Northern as a graduate assistant in 2012 and was hired full-time in 2014. She also served as the president of NKU’s Black Faculty and Staff Association from 2019 to 2021. During her time as BFSA president, Dr. Henderson co-created the Innovation Challenge winning program, Students to Scholars (S2S), which is a sophomore retention program for Black students at NKU. She also participated in the establishment of the Black Faculty & Staff Association-Higher Education Consortium (BFSA-HEC) within the commonwealth of Kentucky. Dr. Henderson serves on the Inclusive Excellence Council and previously served on the Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC).

In her personal life, Dr. Henderson enjoys spending time with her husband and five-year old son. She also enjoys reading, action movies, and volunteering at her local church.
 

Ken Perry

Ken Perry graduated from the Naval Nuclear Power Program and was in charge of the nuclear reactor aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. After six years serving in the military, he returned to Kentucky and founded Ken Perry Realty, Inc. It includes Ken Perry Realty, a firm split between sale and construction of single-family residences, small commercial land and building developments, and land development for residential communities. Perry also started an online real estate school titled the Perry Real Estate College, which currently services Kentucky and Tennessee but will soon expand into South Carolina and 17 other states.

In addition to his appointment on NKU’s Board of Regents, Perry is active in his industry and community. He has served on the Northern Kentucky Multiple Listing Service Board of Directors, the First Alliance Life Insurance Corporation advisory board and as the past president of the Re/MaxBrokers Council. Perry has also served on two consecutive four-year terms as Commissioner of the Kentucky Real Estate Commission from 2005-2013. His term on NKU’s Board of Regents will expire on June 30, 2026.

Sandra Spataro

Dr. Spataro is a Professor of Management at NKU and the Director of the MBLI program. She holds bachelor’s and masters’ degrees in Economics and Sociology, respectively, from Stanford University. She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Sandra’s research examines status and influence processes in organizations, demographic diversity, and organizational cultures. Her work has been published in various journals in Management and Psychology. In addition, Sandra has published two books: "Unstuck: A Tool for Yourself, Your Team and Your World", co-authored with Keith Yamashita and “Dare to Inspire: Sustain the Fire of Inspiration in Work and Life” co-authored with Allison Holzer and Jen Grace Baron.  Prior to her work in academia, Sandra worked for several years at Oracle Corporation in California in various staff and line positions. Dr. Spataro has a consulting firm, InspireCorps, that specializes in developing leaders, teams, and organizations to thrive. The firm offers executive coaching and training to improve overall organizational effectiveness.

Andrá R. Ward

Mr. Andrá R. Ward is the President, Chief Cultural & Transformation Officer and founding principal of The KhafreWard Corporation which is focused on human resource management and talent development.  Since 1992, KhafreWard has specialized in improving organizational effectiveness, maximizing individual leadership competencies, enhancing productivity through cultural agility, leveraging thinking and effective communication styles, and strengthening the broadest scope of diversity/inclusion to enhance strategic business results.  Mr. Ward is a highly regarded panelist, speaker, and master facilitator and executive coach. His global impact and travels span across the United States and twenty-two other countries including Asia, Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean
West Indies.

Mr. Ward is an alumnus of Northern Kentucky University.  He graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Radio, Television & Film.  Mr. Ward earned a Master of Science in Positive Organizational Development & Change Management (MSPOD), Weatherhead School of Management – Case Western Reserve University with Honors (2016).  He also pursued graduate studies in Humanities – Organizational Leadership at Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH.  He holds an Executive Coaching Certification from The Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western

Reserve University along with six other professionally designated
certifications in human behavioral assessments and instruments.  He is
also a very strong advocate and proponent of interdisciplinary studies. He
credits the foundation of his current career success to a background in
Sociology, History and liberal arts/humanities. His service to the university
is significant.  He is presently an Emeritus Member of the Northern
Kentucky University Foundation, which he ably served from 1997-2009.  Mr.
Ward has also served on the Alumni Council, and was a member of the 2007 Lincoln Awards Selection Committee.  Mr. Ward received the NKU Outstanding Alumni Award in 1996 and the NKU Distinguished Service Award in 2018.  Mr. Ward actively mentors NKU students and several young professionals in business and industry.  He is passionate about his mentoring relationships and considers working with students to be the highlight of his NKU service.

Governor Beshear appointed Mr. Ward to the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents on July 26, 2013.  Reappointed by Governor Bevins to serve until June 30, 2025.

Brad Zapp
 

Brad Zapp is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist with multiple successful exits, currently focused on delivering a new asset class of early-stage venture capital through a publicly listed interval fund. Zapp is the co-founder and managing partner of Connetic Ventures, founder and managing member of ZH Holdings, co-founder of Wendal®. Through his position at Connetic Ventures, venture capital’s foremost data-driven venture fund, Zapp is responsible for all strategic initiatives and partnerships, as well as fundraising and investor relationships. His investment portfolio includes over 100 unique holdings in 32 states and three countries. 

Wendal is the artificial intelligence platform technology which Connetic utilizes to make investment selections and democratize capital across marginalized founders in overlooked geographies. Zapp is the data analyst for the company, responsible for the algorithm that has produced close to 60-percent investment recommendations for female or minority founders, and a success rate of over 70% so far.

At NKU, in addition to the Board of Regents, Zapp serves on the advisory board for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is a 2000 graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he majored in economics and finance. He and his wife, Katherine have been long time Boone County residents raising 3 children currently at Larry A. Ryle and UK.

Lucy Burns is a Northern Kentucky University senior studying Environmental Science and Integrative Studies. Originally from Murray, Kentucky, Lucy is interested in sustainability and making the world a better place. In her first semester at NKU, Lucy joined the Student Government Association and began working her way up the ladder. She started her student government career as a Senator and became the University Improvements Committee Chair before she was voted Vice President for the 2023-2024 school year. Lucy currently serves as President of the Student Government Association and is a member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. Lucy is expecting to graduate with honors in Spring 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Integrative Studies with minors in Political Science, Public Service and Business Management.