Staff

Kathryn E. Merchant is President/CEO of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 1997, Ms. Merchant was the director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Neighborhood Preservation Initiative and a partner in the New Haven-based consulting firm Holt, Wexler & Merchant. She has also served as the director of planning for the United Way of Greater New Haven and as planner/grants manager for the South Central Connecticut Area Agency on Aging.

Ms. Merchant has served on a number of nonprofit boards of directors, including Philanthropy Ohio (formerly Ohio Grantmakers Forum), SC Ministry Foundation, United Way of Greater New Haven and United Way of Connecticut. She is presently Board Chair for the Center for Effective Philanthropy.  

Other current board service includes the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), National Center for Arts and Technology, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, and the Metropolitan Club (chairman 2004). Ms. Merchant served on the board of the Council on Foundations 2001-07, including vice chairman 2006-07, and the Community Foundations of America Board (Giving Net) 2000-2008, chairman 2003-06. She is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class XXI.

In 2012, Ms. Merchant received the Kentucky Philanthropy Initiative Commonwealth Award and the Woman of the Year in Nonprofits at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber WE Celebrate Awards. She was honored with the Council on Foundations’ Distinguished Grantmaker Award in 2011. In addition, she received a Career Women of Achievement Award from the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati (2005) and the Ohio Philanthropy Award from Philanthropy Ohio  (2006). She is one of the “Top 50 Power & Influence” leaders in 2008 selected by The NonProfit Times. 

Ms. Merchant has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.

Ms. Benson develops and oversees communications and marketing strategies to create broad public awareness of the Foundation and to further its strategic goals. 

She has 22 years of communications experience with nonprofit and public service organizations. Ms. Benson is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati (Class XXXII) and a graduate of the YWCA Rising Star Board Leadership Program (Class I). 

She was a member of the inaugural class of
ArtsWave's (formerly the Fine Arts Fund) Business Volunteers for the Arts and Class III of United Way of Greater Cincinnati's Volunteer Leadership Development Program. 

Ms. Benson has earned the designation Accredited in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America. She currently serves on the board of Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and the Associate Member Allocation Committee of ArtsWave.

Mr. McReynolds oversees GCF’s administrative operations and provides assurance that the Foundation operates effectively and with proper internal controls. He is responsible for financial and investment activities, technology systems development, office administration, human resources, and facility management. Previously, Mr. McReynolds spent twelve years at Arthur Anderson LLP, where he redesigned and transformed finance organizations to better serve stakeholders at lower cost. He also held management positions with global organizations including Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. and Coopers & Lybrand.