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Jeanne-Marie and Dick Tapke to receive GCF’s Devou Cup for philanthropic service at Chamber dinner


The Northern Kentucky Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) created the Devou Cup to honor the generosity of individuals who make a profound difference in the quality of community life in Northern Kentucky, now and into the future.

This year’s recipients are Jeanne-Marie and Dick Tapke. The Tapkes credit their experiences at Purcell and Marion High Schools, where they met, and Catholic education for cultivating the concept of community giving.

The award will be presented at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner on September 5 at the NKY Convention Center from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Registration for the annual dinner is available online.

Jeanne-Marie Tapke, PhD, is a lifelong volunteer focused on organizations that promote human potential as well as equality in the areas of social welfare, education, and health. She began her professional education at Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing and went on to attend Thomas More University and Xavier University, culminating her studies with a doctorate degree from the University of Cincinnati.

She has consulted as Tapke Leadership Solutions since 2001, specializing in leadership development and organizational effectiveness.

Through her longtime volunteer leadership, Jeanne-Marie has made significant contributions to local organizations, and they have “enlightened, challenged, and rewarded” her. She chairs the boards of Interact for Health and the Women’s Crisis Center and previously has chaired Thomas More University, Thomas More College Foundation, and Catholic Social Services boards. Through her nearly decade of service on the GCF’s Northern Kentucky Advisory Board, including a period as chairwoman, she helped steer the Foundation’s activities and its investments in Northern Kentucky. In 2014, she received the Outstanding Women of Northern Kentucky award.

Jeanne-Marie and Dick Tapke

Dick Tapke began his career in the trust industry in 1972 and was hired by Mer Grayson at Covington Trust Bank in 1978. Two decades later he opened Tapke Asset Management, a registered investment advisory firm. With $500 million in managed assets, the firm was sold 10 years later to Bank of Kentucky, where Dick worked with Bob Zapp managing the Wealth Advisory Group/Trust Department until the BB&T purchase in 2015. Mer and Bob were supportive of, and encouraged, Dick’s extensive community involvement, which included serving on the boards of St. Elizabeth Healthcare System, Notre Dame Urban Education Center, St. Charles Care Center, St. Claire Regional Medical Center, and Investment Committees of Deaconess Associate and Sisters of Charity Health Care Systems.

Together, and quite notably, Jeanne-Marie and Dick have volunteered with St. Elizabeth Healthcare in numerous roles for more than 30 years. From Board Executive Committee to the Foundation’s Samaritan Society, their exceptional commitment and longstanding leadership have helped shape St. Elizabeth into the successful healthcare system that it is today. 

In recognition of their many community efforts, they have received the Marcella Strategier Award from Catholic Social Service, the Sr. Reina Arlinghaus Award from Notre Dame Academy, and the Leadership Council of Human Services Executives’ Volunteer Excellence Award.

Married for 46 years, Jeanne-Marie and Dick live in Ft. Mitchell and have three children – Julie Tapke Dusing, Trey Tapke, and Katie McNeely – and seven grandchildren. The Tapkes state, “We firmly believe that we receive tenfold in return for every gift in time or talent that we have ever given. We are very blessed in so many ways.”

Greater Cincinnati Foundation


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