Members

Jeffrey Biddle - School Board President

Jeff Biddle (Board President) graduated from William Henry Harrison High School in 1975 and University of Cincinnati in 1980, and has owned Village Pharmacy in Harrison since 1989. He served on Harrison City Council from 1988-1996, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Harrison Building and Loan and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at UC. He was elected to the SLSD Board in 2000.

Jeff is married to Pam, a Harrison and Diamond Oaks graduate, and they have four daughters: Molly, Maggie, Marci, and Mindy, who all graduated from William Henry Harrison High School and UC. He has seven grandchildren, two who attend Harrison Elementary, and one attending Harrison Junior School.

Education is important to Jeff because his father (a 1941 Harrison graduate) came from a poor family. His grandpa was a laborer for Hamilton County’s road department, and his grandma did washing and ironing for the well-to-do folks in town. Thanks to the GI bill, Jeff’s father became the first in his family to get a college degree. Now his son, Jeff, and his four granddaughters have college degrees as well.  The education provided by Southwest Schools was the foundation for these accomplishments. Continuing to provide a world class education to all Southwest students is one of the many reasons Jeff keeps working so hard for our district.

Susan Robards - School Board Vice President

Susan Robards grew up in Harrison, OH, and attended school K – 12 in Southwest Local School District, ultimately graduating as salutatorian from Harrison High School in 2000. She was awarded a full-ride academic scholarship to Northern Kentucky University, where she earned her BA in Criminal Justice in 2005, and then her law degree from NKU’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2011. In the summer of 2015, after living in northern Kentucky for nearly 10 years, Susan returned to Harrison with her twins, Ben and Nora, who now attend Harrison High School. The three of them live in Harrison Township with one dog, one cat, and multiple chickens. Susan is currently employed by Fifth Third Bank’s commercial lending subsidiary as a Team Lead in the documentation department, and she also runs a Facebook group [Harrison, OH Community Discussion]. Susan was elected to the Board of Education – her 1st term in any public office. She is glad to be back in Harrison and to be involved with the schools once again, and is looking forward to working together with educators (including a number of her former teachers and coaches), staff, parents, and other community members to promote “Academic and Social Growth for ALL students, EVERY DAY!”

Mike King - School Board Member

Mike King moved to the Southwest School District in 2008, and has two children who graduated from Harrison High School. Mike became involved in the district as a parent volunteer and PTA leader at Crosby Elementary before earning an appointment to an open school board seat in 2014. He was then elected in 2015 to fill the remaining two years of the term. Mike's ties to Harrison began in 1999 when he accepted a Financial Management role at Campbell Hausfeld, and continued as he helped start and build another division within Campbell Hausfeld (Altaquip), eventually rising to positions as CFO and President. He currently uses his finance and operations background as a consultant for Vaco Resources, assisting clients by implementing new business initiatives within their core business operation. Mike is a 1988 graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a 1992 graduate of Indiana University with an MBA in Finance. Mike volunteers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, visiting patients as part of the pet therapy program.

Robert Kief - School Board Member

Rob Kief grew up on the west side of Cincinnati, the son of a fireman and a teacher.  He graduated from LaSalle High School and Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Economics. 

Following his undergraduate studies, Rob worked in the automotive industry in the Detroit area, and while working there, went to Michigan State University to obtain his MBA.  After grad school, he was living in Louisville, working as the Director of Strategy and Planning for Humana. 

In 2015 he relocated back home when he joined Lithko Contracting.  He currently serves as the Director of Risk, managing the company's insurance, contracts and safety. 

Rob and his wife, Jenny, live in Harrison with their two children, Paxton and Paisley, who attend Harrison Junior School and Crosby Elementary, respectively. 

"I really gravitate towards the core values that SLSD is trying to instill," says Kief.  "To me, if we can influence the kids in the district to achieve those goals, we will continuously be growing a community of mindful, happy and successful young adults".

Christopher Payne - School Board Member

Chris Payne is a lifelong learner who believes strongly in the power of education.  He has lived in Harrison all of his life and attended Southwest Local School District schools from K-12, which he credits for preparing him for college and in life. 

Following his graduation from William Henry High School in 2000, Chris graduated from Miami University of Ohio in 2004 where he majored in Finance.   After graduating from Miami, Chris went on to work in Operations and Trading for Ameritas Investment Corp., a dually registered investment adviser and broker-dealer. 

While working at Ameritas, Chris attended and graduated from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2011, where he earned his Juris Doctor and subsequently passed the bar examination.  Chris has been focused on regulatory compliance and investment management law ever since.

Chris is currently co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of Key Bridge Compliance, located in Covington, Kentucky and Washington, D.C.  In this role, he works with investment advisers small and large, and oversees a team of 20+ employees in one of the fastest growing businesses in the Cincinnati metro.

Chris comes from a family of educators, and currently lives in Harrison with his wife and his two young children.  Payne says, “I’m excited to be working with everyone in the district to keep Southwest Local Schools the best public school district on the west side”.