Lynn joined Family Business Advisers in 2010, after retiring from Arnerich Massena and Associates where he served as both Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer from 2005 – 2009. Prior to that, Lynn served ten years as the Executive Director of Stoel Rives LLP, a multi-service business law firm with operations throughout the Western United States.
Lynn also spent more than 24 years in the field of higher education, including a teaching position at the University of Kentucky, serving as the Dean of the Business School at the University of Mississippi, before moving to Oregon in 1985 where he served as Dean of the Business School and Vice President of University Relations at Oregon State University.
Lynn has consulted for numerous companies and families with a primary focus on succession planning in family- and closely-held businesses. During his time at Oregon State University he taught succession planning for Anheuser-Busch Wholesalers and for the National Automobile Dealers’ Association. He is particularly interested in working with families involved in leadership and management continuity development, successor preparation, and family governance.
Lynn has been an active participant in the Oregon Ethics in Business program since its inception. He was the organization’s initial fund-raising leader and also served a term as chair of the Steering Committee. His participation continues with his work on the Selection Committee.
Lynn earned a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from North Carolina State University, an MBA from Emory University, and a PhD in Business from the University of Michigan.
Lynn and Susan, his wife of 41 years, reside in Portland. They are the parents of one daughter, and grandparents of two active boys who reside in Madison, WI.