Member Spotlight: John R. ’83 and Marie Oh Huber JD ’86
Posted on June 07, 2019
Although they are both Northwestern alumni, Marie Oh Huber ’86 JD and John R. Huber ’83 didn’t overlap at the University. John earned his degree in economics at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences on the Evanston campus just months before Marie enrolled at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in downtown Chicago.
They did briefly cross paths as undergraduates, when they both spent their junior year at the London School of Economics. After some long-distance dating, the pair married and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they raised a son and a daughter, and where they currently work and live. John is senior vice president in technology banking at Wells Fargo and Marie is senior vice president and general counsel at eBay. Although their son, James Huber ’16, graduated from Northwestern recently, the couple had long been thinking about their respective experiences and what kind of lasting impact they could make on future generations.
Originally from New Jersey, John decided on Northwestern for his undergraduate studies because he wanted to live in a new part of the country. He says he had heard about the University’s “excellent balance of academics and social life and proximity to a city—it had everything.” Marie echoes those same sentiments when reflecting on her decision to go to Northwestern Law. After growing up in Milwaukee, she was familiar with the city of Chicago and also drawn to the diverse programs that the Law School offered. “Northwestern was known for having a wide variety of programs and its strength in business law,” she says. “I also liked the fact that it was in a big city and had a great national reputation.”
Northwestern has had a broader impact on Marie’s family. Her mother, Bonnie Oh, lives in downtown Evanston, where she’s involved with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program as both a participant and an instructor. Marie’s brother, James Oh ’84, ’87 JD, is a double alumnus who still lives in the Chicago area and according to Marie, goes to every single home football game. Two of her brother’s four sons attended Northwestern’s theater program, while Marie and John’s son graduated from Weinberg College with an economics degree. “My nephew was in a totally different program than my son,” she says. “It shows the richness of the University that you can have this really well-rounded education no matter your field of interest.”
That’s part of the reason why the Hubers give back to Northwestern consistently, with their 11 consecutive years of support earning them gold-level status as NU Loyal members. Marie says, “Northwestern is this big research institution, yet it has small enough communities within it to offer really diverse perspectives for people with very different interests.” The Hubers support the Northwestern Annual Fund every year, and Marie also gives back to Northwestern Law as a member of the Law Board. She is excited about the direction of the school after meeting with Kimberly Yuracko, the new dean and Judd and Mary Morris Leighton Professor of Law. John just finished his service as co-chair of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC) Regional Board in the Bay Area, a group of dedicated volunteers who help build the Leadership Circle community in their area.
This solid foundation has inspired John and Marie’s son, James, to give back to Northwestern every year since graduation, giving him bronze-level membership in NU Loyal. “It was certainly something we instilled in him early on,” says John. “We supported and talked to him about the idea of establishing an early pattern of giving.”
John says he believes giving back is important because, “Northwestern is so foundational to who we are as adults.” He continues, “I think that becomes only more apparent as you progress in life both professionally and personally. We are grateful for the education, experiences, and community that Northwestern has provided to so many members of our family.”