Board of Directors

Carl H. Lindner III was elected Co-Chief Executive Officer in January 2005. He has served as Co-President and a director of American Financial Group since March 1996. He has been principally responsible for the property and casualty insurance operations since 1987. He became involved in Great American’s property and casualty business in 1975 and worked in varying roles of increasing responsibility over the years.

S. Craig Lindner was elected Co-Chief Executive Officer in January 2005. He has served as Co-President and a director of American Financial Group since March 1996. From 1999 until the sale of the business in May 2021 he served as Chief Executive Officer of Great American Financial Resources, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AFG that marketed traditional fixed and indexed annuities. Mr. Lindner also oversees the investment portfolios of AFG and its affiliated companies. He has worked in various roles within the AFG affiliated companies since 1977.

James E. Evans serves as an executive consultant for American Financial Group. Until December 31, 2013, he was an officer and employee of the company, most recently serving as Executive Counsel. He began his career as an attorney with Keating, Muething and Klekamp in 1970 where he spent six years. He joined American Financial Corporation (former subsidiary) in 1976 as Vice President and General Counsel. He served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Company from 1995 to 2012. Mr. Evans is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Terry S. Jacobs was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors at the 2003 annual meeting of shareholders. He is a member of the Compensation and Audit Committees.

Mr. Jacobs has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the JFP Group, LLC, a real estate investment and development company, since September 2005. From its founding in September 1996 until September 2005, Mr. Jacobs served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Regent Communications, Inc. Mr. Jacobs is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Gregory G. Joseph was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors at the 2008 annual meeting of shareholders. He is a Chairman of the Audit Committee, and serves as Lead Independent Director.

Mr. Joseph is Executive Vice President, an attorney and a principal of several independently owned automotive dealerships collectively referred to as Joseph Automotive, located primarily in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio. Until May 2008, he served as the lead director of Infinity Property & Casualty Corporation (“IPCC”), an insurance company primarily offering personal automobile insurance. Since 2005, Mr. Joseph has served on the Board of Trustees of Xavier University and its Audit Committee. Xavier University is a private college located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mary Beth Martin was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors in February 2019. She is Chair of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance Committee.

Ms. Martin has over 20 years of experience in the banking and commercial real estate industries. During her career, she has led commercial real estate, private bank, trust, and asset management groups at regional banking institutions. For the past 12 years, Ms. Martin has been the Executive Director of the Farmer Family Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio. In that role, she manages the organization’s philanthropic goals and objectives, and oversees grant investments.

Ms. Martin currently serves on the Board of Directors of a number of charitable organizations, including Accelerate Great Schools, where she also serves as Secretary and Treasurer, Music Hall Revitalization Corporation, Teach for America Southwest Ohio and Ohio Excels. She earned a BSBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Cincinnati.

Amy Y. Murray was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors in November 2021. She is a member of the Audit Committee.

Ms. Murray has over 35 years of leadership experience in the corporate world and in local and federal government. During her career, she led Asian business development efforts for Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), the world’s largest consumer products company. She also served as the Founder and Chief Consultant for The Japan Consulting Group, where she provided consulting services for Fortune 500 clients seeking to grow their businesses internationally. Additionally, she is a founding board member of the Japan America Society of Greater Cincinnati.

In the past 11 years, Ms. Murray was twice elected as a member of Cincinnati City Council. Most recently, she served in roles with the Department of Defense as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy and the Director of the Office of Small Business. Ms. Murray is also active in the community and on several non-profit boards. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Arizona State University.

Roger K. Newport was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors in February 2024. He is a member of the Audit Committee.

Mr. Newport most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of AK Steel Holding Corporation from January 2016 until March 2020, when he retired in connection with the acquisition of AK Steel by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. From 1985 through 2016, Mr. Newport held various positions of increasing responsibility at AK Steel, including as Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2016. Mr. Newport also serves as a director for Alliant Energy Corporation and its subsidiaries, Iowa Power & Light Company and Wisconsin Power & Light Company.

He is active in his community, having served on a variety of local and regional boards for organizations that serve the areas of academia, community development, and at-risk children and families.

Evans N. Nwankwo was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors in November 2020. He is a member of the Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Nwankwo has worked in the commercial construction industry for nearly 40 years and is the Founder and President of Megen Construction Company, one of the region’s premier builders. The Company is a top-ten minority-owned business in Greater Cincinnati with a national reach.

Mr. Nwankwo is active in his community and is the founder of NuWay Foundation, a charitable organization focused on improving the lives and economic conditions of the less fortunate in African villages through health, opportunity, pure water and education (H.O.P.E.), with focused outreach efforts in Awa, Nigeria.

Mr. Nwankwo earned a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Engineering from Texas A&M University and holds a lifetime Certified Professional Estimator (CPE) designation.

William W. Verity was elected to AFG's Board of Directors at the 2002 annual meeting of shareholders. He is Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee and is a member of the Compensation Committee.

Will has been Chairman and CEO of Verity & Verity, LLC, an investment management company, since January 2002. Prior to that time, he was a partner of Pathway Guidance LLC, an executive consulting firm, since October 2000. Previously, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ENCOR Holdings, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of plastic molded components.

Mr. Von Lehman was elected to AFG’s Board of Directors on August 27, 2008. He is a member of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committees.

Mr. Von Lehman began his career as a Certified Public Accountant with Haskins & Sells, a predecessor of Deloitte. Until his retirement in 2007, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and a director of The Midland Company, an Ohio-based provider of specialty insurance products. Mr. Von Lehman served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Audit Committee of Ohio National Mutual Funds through 2016 and is involved with several Cincinnati-based charitable organizations.