Members of The Missouri 100 advise and assist the president in promoting the critical role of the 91原创 in our state's future and its reputation around the world. Its dedicated members are strong advocates for public policies and programs that promote the university's goals of excellence in teaching, world-class research, service to all our citizens, and stimulation of an entrepreneurial economy.
Additional Information
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Mission
Missouri 100 members advise and assist the president in promoting the critical role of the 91原创 in our state鈥檚 future and its reputation around the world. Its dedicated members are strong advocates for public policies and programs that promote the university鈥檚 goals of excellence in teaching, world-class research, service to all our citizens, and stimulation of an entrepreneurial economy.
Membership
The Missouri 100, founded in 2007, is composed of proven leaders from many walks of life who believe that the key to future prosperity and quality of life for Missouri鈥檚 people rests in a strong university with roots in the land-grant tradition. They share the conviction that we must actively support our state鈥檚 only public research university if Missouri is to be competitive in the world鈥檚 new information-based economy. To that end, the members have agreed to contribute their time and energy in support of the most pressing priorities of the 91原创, its four campuses, University of Missouri Health Care and Extension.
Organization
- Outstanding Missourians are invited by the president to participate in the activities of The Missouri 100.
- Members of The Missouri 100 include leaders from throughout the state. They include, but are not limited to, prominent alumni representing the four campuses of the university and leaders in such critical fields as health care, agriculture, technology, law, business, communications and public service.
- Members speak with one voice as they advocate for the university as a whole.
- Each member contributes to raising funds for the program by directing charitable contributions of at least $1,000, either through personal contributions or contributions directed through their relationships. These funds shall be used to support activities of The Missouri 100, consistent with the missions and goals of the 91原创.
- The president meets and confers with members of The Missouri 100 during travels around the state. In addition, the president hosts two meetings of the membership a year.
- Leadership shall be provided by the president and The Missouri 100 tri-chairs appointed by the president from the statewide membership.
Leadership
Tom Minogue (UMSL)
Tom Minogue is the former Chair of Thompson Coburn, where for 20 years he led the firm through a period of growth and nationwide expansion.
He also serves as a legal advisor to some of the St. Louis region鈥檚 largest companies and civic and charitable organizations. For more than 40 years, he has helped executives pursue fundamental change for their own organizations and achieve high-level strategic objectives.
Tom takes an executive鈥檚 approach to the practice of law. He has served as lead outside counsel to Enterprise Holdings as it has become the world鈥檚 largest rental car company; to Barry-Wehmiller as it has grown into the largest packaging machinery manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere; and to UniGroup, the parent of United Van Lines and Mayflower, as it has become America鈥檚 largest household goods moving business. Tom frequently draws on his own experience as the leader of a $200 million business to counsel executives on a full range of topics, ranging from corporate expansion to shareholder relationships to executive personnel decisions. He also helps them develop their own business networks.
Tom has led major transactions across the country involving business acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, shareholder relations and redemptions, private placements, corporate restructurings, commercial financings and asset securitizations. As clients reported to Chambers USA, which has recognized Tom as a top-tier Corporate/M&A attorney, he has a 鈥渟ubstantial depth of experience across the spectrum鈥 and does a 鈥済reat job of marshalling the resources of the Firm to meet our needs.鈥 Chambers named Tom to its 鈥淓minent Practitioner鈥 category in 2019 and 2020.
Tom is also a recognized leader in the St. Louis civic and charitable community and devotes significant time and resources to a wide range of organizations dedicated to education, health care, the arts, youth activities, military veterans and economic development.
Jeff Simon (MU)
Jeff Simon is office managing partner for Husch Blackwell. As an experienced litigator and trial attorney, he represents Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders in a wide variety of matters. Jeff leads the firm鈥檚 rail industry efforts. He has substantial experience prosecuting and defending trademark, trade dress, copyright, patent and trade secret cases, often involving valuable company assets that require the highest level of protection.
He has successfully defended clients in class actions across a broad range of subject matters, including healthcare, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), financial and insurance regulations, antitrust, securities fraud, software licensing and royalties, software conversion projects, and consumer protection laws. Additionally, Jeff has represented manufacturers of building products and other consumer goods, as well as clients in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and insurance, in tort, breach of warranty, breach of contract, regulatory and antitrust matters.
Tom Voss (Missouri S&T)
Thomas Voss is the retired chairman of the board of Smart Wires, a California based company. Voss served as chairman, president, and CEO of Ameren before he retired in 2014. Voss began his career with Union Electric (now Ameren Missouri) in 1969 as an engineer. After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force as an officer, he returned to Union Electric. Voss has held a series of successively higher positions with Union Electric and Ameren including superintendent, district manager, vice president, president and CEO. In 2001, Voss was co-inventor on a patent for the Ameren Abacus, a meter information management system.
In 2002, Voss received the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers Outstanding Engineer in Industry Award. In 2011, he received the Professional Engineers in Industry Distinguished Service Award. Voss received the Missourian award in 2014 and was named 鈥淢an of the Year鈥 by Variety, the Children鈥檚 Charity of St. Louis in 2014.
At Missouri S&T, Voss is a member of the Academy of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has served on the Board of Trustees since 2017, currently he is their vice president. He previously served on the Board from 2015-2016. Voss is a former member of the 91原创 Board of Curators. Besides his BSEE degree from S&T, he also received a Professional degree in 2001 and an Honorary Doctor of Engineering in 2018. He served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and is an Alumni Achievement Award recipient. Voss and his wife, Carol, are members of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh.
Linda Ward (UMKC)
Linda is a graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia and did some graduate work at UMKC prior to a transfer to New York. She and her husband, Terry (a graduate of S&T as well as UMKC), have also been involved in various ways with UMKC for many decades. They have particularly championed the Schools of Education at both UMC and UMKC. Linda attended Missouri 100 from inception as her sister鈥檚 guest and has been a member since 2013.
Her career spans five decades and she was the EVP/COO at the Center for Practical Bioethics from 2004 until her retirement in October of 2020. In addition to her COO role, she leads corporate programs at Hallmark offering employee education in advance care planning as well as coaching and advocacy when dealing with advanced illness.
She has served on numerous boards and was the first woman to chair the Westminster College board of trustees, which honored her with an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2004. Linda has been named a Churchill Fellow of Westminster College and Central Exchange Woman of the Year. She is the recipient of the Gillis Spirit of Kansas City Award, the Ann Robb Townsend Award for Business Leadership, and Kansas City Tomorrow鈥檚 Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2007 was honored with the Look North Award from the Clay County Economic Development Council. In 2009, she received the Pinnacle Award from the Northland Community Foundation, and in 2017 she and her husband Terry received the Volunteers of the Year award from Nonprofit Connect.
Contact
The Missouri 100
Office of the President
321 University Hall
Columbia, MO 65211-3020
Ashley Rhode
(573) 884-3257
rhodea@umsystem.edu
Reviewed 2025-10-02