John M. Kimpel, 1969
B.A., Denison University
J.D., University of Chicago
Senior Vice President (Retired)
Fidelity Investments
Boston
Citation awarded May, 2009
John had an outstanding 22-year career with Fidelity. His well-deserved reputation in the field has led to him being widely quoted and sought after as an expert on retirement and savings. He has appeared before Congressional committees holding hearings on the subject of retirement and Social Security. His extensive work in this field, during which he has witnessed first-hand the struggles of many retirees, has informed both his volunteer work and his philanthropy.
Those influences, in concert with the Midwest values on which he was raised, keep him grounded. His philosophies of life are clearly discernable in his philanthropies, which focus on providing opportunities and services to those who otherwise would not have access to either one. In a continuing relationship with the University of Chicago School of Law, for example, John created The John M. Kimpel Fund in 1995 to provide support for summer internships in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic.
John works closely with the NGO Pension Rights Center, which supports “Conversations on Coverage” in Washington, D.C. His goal in this effort is to assist disparate groups in finding common ground in developing a national system that would extend private retirement coverage universally.
In addition to his professional and Denison-related credentials, John serves on the Planned Giving and Development Committees of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and was twice appointed to the University of Chicago Law School Visiting Committee. He has been elected to full membership in the National Academy of Social Insurance, and he and his wife, Tappy, are ardent supporters of the New Arts Center of Boston.
Denison’s commitment to diversifying its student body resonates with John as well. In 2004, he established the John M. and Patricia Kimpel Endowed Scholarship Fund—one of the first scholarships dedicated to the Posse Program. In another first, John welcomes each new incoming class of Boston Posse students by hosting them at his home after the “awards” ceremony in which they learn they have been accepted at Denison.
