Jan & Wym Portman, "Let's CROWN the Queen City"

The Phoenix 812 Race Street Cincinnati, OH 45202

Presented By

Join us on Thursday, November 16, 2023, for a LUNCH (12:00-1:30pm) meeting at The Phoenix, for a presentation by Jan & Wym Portman, Cincinnati’s Riding and Walking Network (CROWN), “Let’s CROWN the Queen City”.

Jan V. Portman has studied, worked and volunteered in natural resources, natural sciences and conservation. Her volunteer service includes 30 plus years with The Nature Conservancy in leadership positions on the Global Board of Directors, the Trustee Council and the boards of both Ohio and Montana. She is currently Chair of the board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy of Montana and an Honorary Life Trustee for Ohio. She is a member of the advisory board for the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability at Smith College and the Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana. Jan and her husband Wym recently and successfully chaired a campaign for the CROWN (Cincinnati’s Riding and Walking Network). She has also served on the boards of Rare, ArtWorks Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and the Hillside Trust. Farther afield, Jan served as a consultant and analyst for various organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, Congressional Research Service, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Ocean Mining Associates, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

Jan is a geologist and geographer by training, with degrees from Smith College and Harvard University. She also studied and taught geography at the University of Cincinnati.


William C. Portman, III (Wym) is President of Gallatin, LLC.  He is former President of Pon North America, a Dutch family company, and, for over 20 years, CEO of Portman Equipment Company.

Wym is a 1977 graduate of Kenyon College and received his MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (1981).  He is a Board member of Sims-Lohman, Mercury Museum Services, and Lebanon House, Inc., and a former Board member of Xtek, Inc., the James N. Gray Company, Advanced Handling Systems, Scallan Supply Company, Electrada, and Portman Equipment Company.

Wym’s community involvement includes serving on the Boards of The University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI), UC Portman Policy Center, Ohio River Way, a member of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee (CRBC), the Wildlife Leadership Council of University of Montana, and Advisory Board of Electrada.  He is a former Board Chair of the University of Cincinnati, Chair of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Chair of Joy Outdoor Education Center, President of the Commonwealth Club, Vice Chair of Cincinnati Museum Center, Vice Chair of The Seven Hills School, Vice President of the Board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Inc., Board member of UC Health, the Children’s Home, The Montana Nature Conservancy, and Chairman of the Chamber’s Introducing Greater Cincinnati Program.

Jan and Wym live in Cincinnati, Ohio and the Blackfoot Valley of Montana, where they are committed to conservation, working landscapes and vibrant communities. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

This meeting is sponsored by Rotarian Laurie Leonard and Project Heart Restart.

RSVPs are required to attend, whether you are eating lunch or not, so if you would like to attend, please click HERE by 5:00 p.m., Friday, November 10, 2023, or contact [email protected]. 

This week we will have a Italian Pasta Buffet.