Xavier High School
Which school did Jeff Berding go to from 1981 to 1985?
Jeff Berding Jeff Berding ( born February 8 , 1967 ) is an American sports executive and politician . Since 2015 , he has served as the president of the FC Cincinnati , a Major League Soccer franchise . He is also a Democratic politician , having served on the Cincinnati City Council from 2005 to 2011 . From 1996 to 2015 , he worked as an executive for the Cincinnati Bengals . Berding is currently serving as board chair of the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau . Early life . Jeff Berding was born on February 8 , 1967 , and grew up in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati , Ohio , with nine siblings . Berding became interested in sports at an early age and played basketball , baseball , and soccer in school . He graduated from St . Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1985 and attended Miami University . He received his MBA from Xavier University . Sports career . Cincinnati Bengals ( 1996–2015 ) . Berding was an executive with the Cincinnati Bengals for 19 years , starting in 1996 after working on a sales tax initiative that would fund construction of Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park . He quit his position as Director of Sales & Public Affairs in July 2015 to found the new soccer club FC Cincinnati . FC Cincinnati ( 2015–present ) . In August 2015 , news broke of the formation of a United Soccer League franchise team to be located in Cincinnati and begin play in spring 2016 , with Jeff Berding as president and general manager . Upon launching , FC Cincinnati was quickly noted for its unusually high attendance , frequently outdrawing Major League Soccer matches and breaking league records . In October 2017 , Berding spoke at a Hamilton County Commissioners public hearing on major projects to advocate for public funding to build a new stadium for FC Cincinnati to play in , should the clubs bid to join Major League Soccer as an expansion team succeed . FC Cincinnati was officially granted an Major League Soccer franchise on May 29 , 2018 , to begin play in 2019 . Berding retained his positions as president and general manager through the transition from USL to MLS . However , on May 30 , 2019 , FC Cincinnati announced they had hired Gerard Nijkamp to take over Berdings general manager responsibilities . Berding said Nijkamp was hired for his lifelong soccer expertise which Berding lacked . Berding remained the clubs president and shifted his work focus to the business and branding side of the club . Political career . Berding was elected to a two-year term on the Cincinnati City Council in 2005 in his first campaign for political office . He previously worked for Senator John Glenn and on other political campaigns . In the 2005 election , Berding raised the most money of all the candidates in the race . Although he is a Democrat , the council seats are nonpartisan . He served as Chair of the Rules and Government Operations Committee , Vice-chair of the Finance Committee , and was a member of the Law and Public Safety Committee and the Economic Development Committee . In 2009 , the local Democratic Party withdrew its endorsement of Berding . In January 2011 , Berding announced that he would soon resign from his council position , citing a desire to focus on his position with the Cincinnati Bengals . He stayed on the council for two more months before officially resigning in March . Honors . In September 2016 , the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society named Jeff Berding that years recipient of the Silver Hope Award . In his State of the City speech in October 2016 , Cincinnati mayor John Cranley named Jeff Berding and Carl Lindner III as the shared holders of the Cincinnatian of the Year award for their work managing FC Cincinnati . Personal life . Jeff Berding has three children – Allie , Jack , and Grace . He married Lindsay Bumbaugh in 2009 .