Robert J. Ross is President and CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Inasmuch Foundation

Inasmuch Foundation

- Overview :The Inasmuch Foundation was established in 1982 by Edith Kinney Gaylord . The Foundation is dedicated to upholding the values and interests of its founder...

http://www.inasmuchfoundation.org and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation

Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation

The was established in 1982 by Edith Kinney Gaylord . The Foundation is dedicated to upholding the values and interests of its founder. President and CEO Robert J. Ross has led EEJF and the Inasmuch Foundation since 2003. The Foundation is currently headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...

http://www.journalismfoundation.org, two of Oklahoma’s largest private foundations, which make millions of dollars in donations a year to projects across the nation.

Both foundations were started by Edith Kinney Gaylord

Edith Kinney Gaylord

Edith Kinney Gaylord , also referred to as Edith Gaylord Harper, was born March 5, 1916 in Oklahoma City to parents Inez and E. K. Gaylord. Her father was editor and publisher of The Oklahoman and The Oklahoma City Times...

 in 1982. The Inasmuch Foundation is dedicated to funding projects to improve health, education, arts and the environment in Oklahoma. The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation's mission is to invest in the future of journalism by building the ethics, skills and opportunities needed to advance principled, probing news and information.

Career and Education

Ross previously was employed as an attorney with the Oklahoma City law firm McAfee & Taft. He is a graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Oklahoma City and Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...

 in Virginia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. At W&L, he was a co-chairman of the 1996 Mock Convention, which correctly predicted that Bob Dole

Bob Dole

Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...

 would receive the Republican presidential nomination. After attending W&L, he received his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...

.

Involvement

In 2000, Ross was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...

, representing the Oklahoma Republican party on the floor of the national convention. Ross is also a member of the following Boards of Directors: Colorado College

Colorado College

The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...

, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Maverick Pac Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...

, Oklahoma Health Center Foundation, Smart Start Central Oklahoma, St. Anthony Hospital Foundation, Sunbeam Family Services, Oklahoma City Educare and Tulsa Educare.

Honors and awards

In 2007, Ross received the national Beyond Z Award, presented at the KIPP School Summit, for his dedication and support to KIPP Reach College Preparatory in Oklahoma City.

In 2009, Ross received the distinguished University of Oklahoma Regent’s Award, the University’s highest honor bestowed on alumni.

In addition, under Ross's leadership, Inasmuch Foundation was honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County as the Champion of Youth 2009.

Personal life

Ross was born in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma city

Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...

, Oklahoma on January 11, 1974 to William Jarboe and Mary Lillian Ross. He is married to Heather Nicole Ross and has a daughter, Lillian Margaret Ross, and a son, Francis Joseph Ross. He lives in Oklahoma City.