Les Wexner attended his first meeting of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Board of Trustees for the first time in more than a year on Tuesday.
Despite being the board's chair for the university's medical system named in his honor, Wexner hasn't attended a meeting since May 2025. The 88-year-old retail mogul, billionaire and Ohio State megadonor faced renewed scrutiny in recent years over his longtime friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Wexner is stepping down as chair of the board, but will remain a board member. Robert Schottenstein, president of Columbus-based M/I Homes, is set to become Wexner Medical Center's next chairman.
At the meeting, Wexner spoke about his time on the board and apologized for missing so many meetings. While apologizing, he also suggested he didn't view the meetings as very productive, explaining that he spent a lot of time on calls with university leadership to help make decisions.
Wexner's fellow board members and Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda also heaped praise on Wexner before he spoke.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
