The 1:30 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14, recognized graduates receiving undergraduate degrees from the College of Aeronautics and Engineering; College of Business Administration; College of Communication and Information; College of Nursing; College of Public Health; and Regional Campus bachelor’s and associate degrees. The speaker for this ceremony was Margot James Copeland, former chair and CEO of the nationally recognized KeyBank Foundation. Previously, she was the chief diversity officer of KeyBank, garnering many national and regional awards. Prior to KeyBank, she served Northeast Ohio as executive leader of the Greater Cleveland Roundtable and Leadership Cleveland.
Copeland is known for transformative philanthropy and community engagement, and she led the strategic investment of more than 85,000 grants exceeding $400 million. During her tenure at KeyBank, she developed strategic philanthropic investing and long-term performance measurement. Under Copeland's leadership, KeyBank Foundation earned the Points of Light’s Civic 50 recognition six consecutive years with four distinctions in the financial services sector, the most in the company’s history. As KeyBank’s first chief diversity officer, Copeland led initiatives earning national distinction and successive years of recognition by DiversityInc. Copeland is honored to be awarded the Master Innovator recognition by Smart Business Magazine.
Currently, Copeland serves on the Board of Trustees for Cleveland Clinic as vice chair of Government and Community Relations, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Say Yes to Education. She recently concluded nine years with the Kent State Board of Trustees. She served as secretary of the board and chaired both the Nominating and Governance and the Academic Excellence and Student Success committees. Copeland received a Bachelor of Science in Physics degree from Hampton University and a Master of Arts degree from Ohio State University. She is the mother of three adult children. She has one grandchild and makes her home in Northeast Ohio.