UIAA Board of Directors Elects Three New Members
Eric Floyd, Karen (Oelke) Lobdell, and Paul O’Connor (Images courtesy of Silence Therapeutics; Karen Lobdell; and Paul O’Connor)
The University of Illinois Alumni Association welcomes Eric A. Floyd, Karen (Oelke) Lobdell and Paul O’Connor to its Board of Directors, the governing body responsible for promoting the UIAA’s mission, vision, goals and objectives.
Eric A. Floyd, ’86 LAS, is CEO of Floyd Strategic Consulting, a Lincolnshire, Ill., firm that he founded in 2018. The company is dedicated to empowering startups and established companies to move beyond symptom management to pursue true cures as they provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology services. For three decades, Floyd served in leadership positions at several leading pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis and Lundbeck. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Dept. of Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
After completing his undergraduate degree in biology at the U. of I., Floyd earned a master’s of science degree in neuroscience from Tennessee State University; a Ph.D. in neurophysiology from Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tenn.), where he currently sits on the board of trustees; an executive MBA in pharmaceutical marketing from St. Josephs’ University (Philadelphia); and an MBA in International Business from the INSEAD Business School (Fontainebleau, France).
Floyd’s previous service for Illinois has included membership in the Black Alumni Network and the UIAA’s Alumni & Student Engagement Committee. As a member of the UIAA board, he plans “to support student success, to encourage communications among alumni and to promote advocacy that drives forward the mission of the university.”
Karen (Oelke) Lobdell, ’86 BUS, is a financial leader and mentor with a commitment to advancing the U. of I. and its global alumni network. Originally from Mattoon, Ill., and now living in Zionsville, Ind., her path reflects both her Midwestern values and the influence of her Illinois education.
Lobdell helps organizations drive strategic financial performance and operational clarity. Her career includes leadership roles at companies such as Rolls-Royce, Cummins and Anthem.
Lobdell currently serves as president of the Indianapolis Illini Club, where she has reignited alumni engagement following the pandemic.
In addition to the undergraduate degree in accountancy, Lobdell has an MBA from Butler University (Indianapolis) and is a CPA.
Lobdell expects to focus her board service on alumni interaction. “I hope to continue the UIAA’s efforts to reach alumni and keep them connected,” she says. “In an age of AI overload and automation fatigue, real-time human connection is the differentiator.”
Paul O’Connor, ’81 BUS, serves as managing director at Angkor Strategic Advisors, an investment banking firm headquartered in Chicago.
He previously served as managing director for Janney Montgomery Scott, as a principal for FIG Partners and as a director at First Trust Corp.
O’Connor describes himself as “a Gies guy.” He served on the Gies College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors for 10 years, including two years as president. In addition, he spent 10 years on the Gies Dean’s Business Council.
“This university gave me the skills and commitment to [succeed],” he says. “It taught me that being committed to a goal would permit me to achieve a lot more than I thought I was capable of at the time.” He plans to focus his efforts as a Board member on supporting alumni and helping them engage with the university.
