WOODBERRY FOREST, Va., July 17, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Woodberry Forest School board of trustees has elected Owen Thomas, a 1979 graduate of Woodberry and the chief executive officer of Boston Properties, to serve as the board's next chair.
Mr. Thomas will begin serving as chair-elect in November 2021 and succeed current chair Sumner Finch '75 in November 2022, when Mr. Finch concludes his sixth year of service as board chair. The chair is elected by the trustees and may serve for up to six years. Woodberry is one of the top boarding schools in the United States
"I want to thank Owen for his willingness to serve the school as chair of the board, and I look forward to a successful transition over the next sixteen months," Mr. Finch said. "I have no doubt that Owen's leadership of the board will ensure our growth in all areas of the school."
Mr. Thomas previously served on the Woodberry Forest board from 2005 to 2008 and from 2011 to 2017. He was also a member of the campaign executive committee for Woodberry's "Our Strong Band" capital campaign. Mr. Thomas serves on numerous other charity and industry boards, including as global chairman of the Urban Land Institute. He is on the board of the Episcopal Charities of New York, the Economic Club of New York, the Real Estate Roundtable, and the executive board of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.
"I am deeply honored and excited to serve Woodberry Forest School as its next board chair," said Mr. Thomas. "I look forward to working closely with Byron, Sandy, and all the Woodberry trustees in advancing the school's mission through its next period of growth."
Mr. Thomas has been CEO of Boston Properties since 2013 and is a recognized leader in the real estate industry. From 2012 to 2013 he was chairman of Lehman Brothers Holdings, where he remains a director. Before Lehman Mr. Thomas was with Morgan Stanley for twenty-four years in a number of different roles, business units and locations, including CEO of Morgan Stanley Asia and chairman of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities while living in Hong Kong from 2008 until 2011. He also held the roles of president of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, head of Morgan Stanley Real Estate, and served on Morgan Stanley's Management Committee from 2005 until 2011.
"I'm excited to work with Owen as the next chair of the Woodberry board of trustees," Headmaster Byron Hulsey '86 said. "He brings deep and wide-ranging experiences to this important role, and we will all benefit from his curiosity, wisdom, and abiding love for Woodberry and for his experience here as a boy."
Mr. Thomas holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia and a masters degree in business administration from Harvard University. He and his wife, Jennifer Beatty Thomas, are the parents of three children: Hank, Martha, and Mae.
Media Contact
Jennifer Dowling, Woodberry Forest School, +1 (540) 672-6002, [email protected]
SOURCE Woodberry Forest School
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