St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees Elects Two New Members
The St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees is pleased to welcome two new members: education and nonprofit leader Kate Dachs P'29 and healthcare entrepreneur and alumnus Jeff Spafford '88.
Kate Dachs P'29
Dachs brings more than 20 years of experience in education and health care nonprofit leadership. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health supporting Stanford Children’s Hospital, where she chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee and serves on the Executive Committee.
She recently completed nine years of service on the Board of Trustees at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, California, where she held numerous leadership roles, including vice chair and board chair. During her tenure, she co-chaired the largest capital campaign in the school's history and contributed to strategic planning, governance, facilities, advancement, and head-of-school search efforts.
Dachs has also served on the boards of Ambassadors for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and There With Care of the Bay Area. Earlier in her career, she taught in the Jefferson Elementary School District in Daly City, California.
Since her son Andy enrolled at St. Lawrence as a member of the Class of 2029, Dachs and her husband, Eric, have become active members of the University's Parents Committee and frequent visitors to campus. Andy is a member of the golf development team.
Dachs earned a bachelor's degree in art history from Bates College and a master's degree in education from the University of San Francisco. She and her family live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jeff Spafford '88
Spafford is chairman of the board of directors of AssistRx, a healthcare technology company he co-founded in 2009, after serving as its president and CEO. A lifelong healthcare entrepreneur, Jeff has spent more than three decades building and scaling companies focused on improving the patient and caregiver experience.
Over the course of his career, he has launched five healthcare companies centered on specialty pharmacy, technology, and patient access solutions. He began his career at General Electric before founding OncoScripts in 1998, one of the nation's first specialty pharmacies focused on high-cost biologic therapies. OncoScripts pioneered a chemotherapy drug management model and contracted directly with large national payers. He later co-founded Advanced Care Scripts and AssistRx, both of which grew into nationally recognized healthcare companies. Today, he also serves as board chair of EtectRx, a digital health company focused on incontinence care and medication adherence.
Spafford has served the University as a Laurentian in Residence, career advisor, and event host. He received a St. Lawrence Alumni Citation in 2022. He and his wife, Amy, are longtime supporters of the St. Lawrence Fund and recently established an endowed scholarship.
Spafford earned a bachelor's degree in economics from St. Lawrence and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in Windermere, Florida, with his wife and their four children.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of St. Lawrence University and works closely with University leadership to advance the institution's mission, ensure its long-term strength, and support the success of current and future Laurentians.
