GU Board Chair Ellsworth draws inspiration from mountaintop vistas

Published: June 14, 2023

After spending most of his career in management positions for the nation’s leading provider of medical diagnostics, Steven L. Ellsworth now spends his days managing his 232-acre ranch just west of Pike’s Peak in central Colorado.

But keeping track of the cattle and horses on his property isn’t the only thing that occupies him. As the newly elected chairman of the Greenville University Board of Trustees, he also spends considerable time contemplating ways to improve the University.

“We don’t want to micro-manage the day-to-day operations of the University or the decisions made by the administration,” said Ellsworth (pictured at right), a 1980 graduate of Greenville University (then Greenville College). “We just want to be available to offer advice and provide direction. I see it as a partnership in which board members can provide perspective on issues faced by the University.”

That model of an engaged board was introduced in recent years by Kathleen Turpin, Ellsworth’s predecessor as board chair.

“Under her leadership, the board’s committees have been partnering closely with their administrative counterparts to offer suggestions and serve as a sounding board,” said Ellsworth, who has chaired the board’s Business Affairs Committee since joining the board five years ago. “I like the gifts and talents each member brings to the board; these people deeply love GU and its mission.”

RETIRING TO SERVE

Though his success in the business world allowed him to retire in 2015 at 57, Ellsworth considers that earlier-than-usual transition a blessing, an opportunity to serve others. He and his wife, Jane ’80, an Arcola, Illinois, native, have constructed a guest house on their property just outside Divide, Colorado, elevation 9,200 feet, to provide a short-term retreat center for those in full-time Christian work. Similarly, his service on the GU board is a way of giving back to the University that was crucial in his spiritual development.

“Jane and I shared a background at Greenville, and she’s been a great partner as we’ve gotten more involved in the university in recent years,” Ellsworth said. “We’ve fallen in love with the school all over again.”

GREENVILLE IS HOME

In fact, coming back to Greenville University for meetings is literally coming home for Ellsworth. He was raised on a farm north of town and worked for several years in his teens as a hired hand on the C.W. Gaffner farm. His mother, Pat, worked at the College as an administrative assistant in the Student Life office, and his father, Leroy, worked at a local grocery store. The family attended the Greenville Free Methodist Church. And when they’re not returning to Greenville for meetings, the Ellsworths are visiting their daughters (one near her parents in Divide, one in Colorado Springs and one in Atlanta) and six grandchildren.

After finishing his accounting degree in 1980, Ellsworth completed the exams to be a Certified Public Accountant in 1983. Then a decade later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Webster University in St. Louis.

He worked in finance positions in St. Louis through the 1980s before joining Quest Diagnostics Inc. in 1988. He would stay with Quest for the remainder of his career

– serving first in St. Louis and later in Florida before retiring as regional vice president for the Southeast U.S. in 2015.

LEADING THE BOARD

“In my career leading various businesses, I always followed the servant leader model,” Ellsworth said. “I intend to maintain that style of leadership with the board. I believe the chair should overcome issues that may be holding back the trustees, the faculty, or the staff from doing their best at their jobs.

“It’s been the same as I’ve chaired the board’s Business Affairs Committee the past five years. We sought to help President Davis and her team analyze ideas, develop business plans, determine the best ways to fund new programs, and make sure we are allocating our capital properly. By bringing rigor and discipline to our finances, we can focus on our mission to educate students for lives of character and service.”

Ellsworth has also raised funds for a project to upgrade the facilities at the University’s athletic complex. The building will have two wings – one honoring the late President Robert “Ish” Smith and the other honoring former President W. Richard Stephens – and will be situated between the football and baseball fields. It will feature locker rooms, restrooms, meeting rooms, and a museum containing Smith’s baseball memorabilia collection.

So far, Ellsworth, Kent Krober, and Johnny Garvilla have raised about half of the funds needed for the building. With Ellsworth moving into the board chair position, board member Jerry Hood has agreed to take over the leadership of the fundraising effort.

“For way too long, we have needed to improve our facilities at the athletic fields,” Ellsworth said. “The best part of this experience has been uncovering alums who have drifted away from GU but are very excited about this project. It’s been a great way to bring those people back in touch with the University.”

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Ellsworth feels good about the direction the University is moving.

“This is an exciting time to be with GU,” he said. “President Davis is full of ideas and energy. She has exceptional vision and is well-positioned to lead this institution for many years to come. She is willing to take calculated risks and do things that are not the norm in higher education.

“In her relatively short time in office, the list of her accomplishments is long – new programs on campus, experiential learning, building a new dorm, and we’ve started new programs in Nashville and Dallas. Those accomplishments are notable in the current higher education environment because they represent out-of-the-box thinking.”

Meanwhile, as Ellsworth settles into his leadership position on the board, his vision for the University is formed through a unique blend of his positive memories of campus four decades ago and his current view of higher education from the vantage point of his ranch in the Rocky Mountains. Somehow, it all becomes clearer from the saddle of a horse at an altitude of 9,200 feet.