Eller College of Management Saddened by Passing of Esteemed Board Member and Colleague Jeffrey McKeever
The University of Arizona Eller College of Management family is saddened to have lost one of their own—board member, respected colleague, and friend Jeffrey D. McKeever, who passed at the age of 81.
“We are heartbroken to hear of Jeff’s passing. Jeff was a visionary, a pioneer, and a generous supporter of the College,” says Karthik Kannan, dean and Halle Chair in Leadership of the Eller College of Management. “He enjoyed talking with our faculty, and if an idea excited him, he would voluntarily support projects. We send our sincere condolences to his family and to everyone who is feeling the great depth of his loss.”
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, McKeever became the CIO and Board Member of First Interstate Bank. There, he foresaw how emerging technology and personal computers could reshape the world when mainframes were still widely prevalent. In the mid-1970s, with the vision to transform the world of computing, he co-founded MicroAge along with a group of young entrepreneurs. It began as one of the first computer stores in the U.S., which grew into a $6 billion revenue company, ranking 284 among Fortune 500 companies. He was a visionary leader with an exceptional ability to discern trends and spearhead transformative efforts within the industry.
His legacy will live on in countless ways at the Eller College, where the McKeever Family Foundation Lab and MIS Commons stand in his name. The concept for the lab is to provide better tools and better collaborative places to amplify potential. This computing lab serves the Eller College based on the idea that in today’s tech-forward world, students, faculty and researchers benefit immeasurably from access to the best hardware, high-end servers, managed services and software.
McKeever received his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1965 as well as his MBA in 1973 from the Eller College of Management and went on to be a generous donor to the MIS department, as well as a member of the MIS Department Advisory Board and Eller National Board of Advisors. The impact he has had on the Eller College and the efforts he has made in support of the College will continue to be felt by staff, faculty, students and the entire Eller family for years to come.
McKeever is survived by his wife, Tahnia; his children, Mark and Tarah; and his grandchildren, Piper and Taylor.