Geoffrey H. Radbill ‘68

Geoff Radbill was one of Bowling Green State University’s most dedicated and committed supporters – an alumnus, generous donor and former member of both the BGSU Board of Trustees and the Foundation Board of Directors.

Geoff divided his time between philanthropic work, traveling and cycling. Geoff came to Bowling Green as an undergraduate student after growing up on the East Coast. Geoff was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from BGSU in 1968. He attended the MBA program at the College of Insurance (later a part of St. John’s University) and the marketing and financial development graduate programs at Columbia University.

Geoff went on to lead an incredibly successful career in finance, from his first job – filing paperwork – to ultimately retiring in 2004 as the senior vice president and chief operating officer after 36 years with Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company.

For decades, Geoff was a near constant presence in our Bowling Green learning community, generously giving back to his alma mater. Geoff lectured in business classes, established scholarships and served as a national trustee for the BGSU Board of Trustees, leading several committees on the board.

He was instrumental in driving engagement and support among fellow alumni, serving as a director of the BGSU Foundation and on the Steering Committee for Building Dreams: The Centennial Campaign. He also served on the Leadership Council of the Schmidthorst College of Business. Geoff was a deeply philanthropic individual, not only with Bowling Green State University, but with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Hillel419.

Geoff was a true visionary in career and life, yet always focused his work at Bowling Green on the true purpose of any university: to support students in their education, opening the doors of opportunity.

Geoff played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of Bowling Green’s innovative Life Design program, driven by a desire to pay forward the support he received at BGSU to future generations. With Geoff and his partner Jan Kohn’s support, Life Design has become an integral part of the undergraduate student experience at Bowling Green.

Today, thanks to Geoff’s vision, thousands of students have already been part of our Life Design initiative, gaining transformational skills for both career and life in the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design. In this, Geoff changed our University – and, perhaps even more importantly, changed an immeasurable number of lives, impacting generations of future students.