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Chase Law Benefactor W. Bruce Lunsford Staging Celebrity Event for Signature College Program

Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law alumnus W. Bruce Lunsford is calling on Broadway talent to help sing praises of the college’s success in attracting and educating students in a law, business and technology program he has backed through $4 million in donations.

Mr. Lunsford, who is chairman and chief executive of the private investment company Lunsford Capital, is sponsoring An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry, the Tony Award-winner who originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway production of “Hamilton,” at a celebration for graduates and students of the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology at Chase.

“When we started this 10 years ago, I treated it much like I do a start-up business, the whole idea being whether it could survive the 10 years, and it has thoroughly exceeded all of my expectations,” Mr. Lunsford said. “I couldn’t be more excited about the leadership and the quality of the students in the program, and I look forward to the continuing evolution of the Lunsford Academy at Chase.”

The celebration April 8 at the Cincinnati Hilton Netherland Plaza Hall of Mirrors will reunite graduated Lunsford Scholars, and bring together current students, Chase deans and professors, along with Mr. Lunsford and his family, business associates and Northern Kentucky University leaders.

“After many Covid-delays, we are thrilled to celebrate the Lunsford Academy and its tremendous impact on our community. Gathering so many alumni, students and supporters in an exquisite venue with a world-class artist sets the stage for the next chapter of this unique academic program,” said Judith Daar, the Dean at Chase College of Law.

While Ms. Goldsberry is best known for her 2016 Tony Award-winning performance in “Hamilton,” as Angelica Schuyler, a Colonial socialite and sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton, she also holds a place in the pop culture of law through a recurring role in the legal comedy-drama “Ally McBeal,” from 1997 to 2002.  

The Chase celebration of the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology will occur just weeks after Mr. Lunsford extended his support for the program with a gift of $3 million. Chase created the academy in 2013 with a $1 million gift from Mr. Lunsford.

The academy is an honors program that attracts top-tier students and provides them with hands-on and conceptual training in applications of law, business and technology that are increasingly inter-related in a digital economy. It rapidly emerged as a visible and highly-regarded program among law schools, law firms and tech-oriented businesses nationwide.

In addition to his role in Louisville-based Lunsford Capital, Mr. Lunsford is chairman of Arcadia Communities, a Louisville-based real estate development company for senior living communities, and a member of the board of directors of SentryHealth, a Louisville-based company which produces integrated health solutions to improve quality care for employees.

As Kentucky Secretary of Commerce from 1980 to 1983 he was involved in creation of a Delta Air Lines passenger hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and a UPS cargo hub at Louisville International Airport. His résumé also includes previous roles as founder and executive of successful entrepreneurial ventures, primarily in the areas of health care and real estate, and as an owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.

Mr. Lunsford and his wife, Eleanor, will join hundreds of family, friends and Chase supporters in the Art Deco-styled ballroom to enjoy dinner followed by a private concert by Ms. Goldsberry. The talented singer and actress currently stars in “Girls5eva,” the story of a 1990s girls band airing on the Peacock streaming service.