During its meeting last week, the George Washington Board of Trustees elected four new members, approved the university's fiscal 2013 operating and capital budgets, and announced significant gifts to support scholarships and academic programs.
Roslyn Brock, A. Michael Hoffman and Madeleine Jacobs were elected as charter trustees and Titilola “Titi” Williams-Davies was elected as a recent alumni trustee to the board. The members will begin service on July 1. Trustees Cissy Baker, the Honorable Bobbie Greene Kilberg, Steven C. Roberts, David Bruce Smith, Maria Matilde P. de Bonetti and Omar Woodard’s terms on the board will end on June 30.
“We welcome Roslyn Brock, Michael Hoffman, Madeleine Jacobs and Titi Williams-Davies to the Board of Trustees,” said GW Board of Trustees Chairman W. Russell Ramsey, B.B.A. ’81. “We look forward to working with them and know their commitment to the university will serve us well.” He also thanked the trustees whose terms are ending for their many years of service. “They have been tremendous advocates for GW and have been integral to its growth as a world-class university,” said Mr. Ramsey.
Roslyn Brock, M.H.S.A. ’89, is vice president of advocacy and government relations for Bon Secours Health System, Inc., in Marriottsville, Md. Prior to joining Bon Secours, she spent 10 years working in health programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. Ms. Brock is chairman of the National Board of Directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and is the youngest person and fourth woman to hold the position. She also serves on GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services Dean’s Council.
A. Michael Hoffman is co-founder and chairman of Palamon Capital Partners. Before founding Palamon, Mr. Hoffman spent 11 years with Warburg Pincus and established the firm’s London office in 1987. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Mr. Hoffman had a 15-year career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, Arthur D. Little and Booz, Allen & Hamilton. He also was founding director of The Shakespeare Globe Theatre and served on its board for 10 years.
Madeleine Jacobs, B.S. ’68, is executive director and CEO of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Previously, Ms. Jacobs served as the managing editor and editor-in-chief of ACS’s weekly news magazine, “Chemical and Engineering News.” She has also worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Smithsonian Institution, where she served as chief science writer and director of the Office of Public Affairs. She is a member of the George Washington University National Council for the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2003, Ms. Jacobs received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from GW.
Titi Williams-Davies, B.B.A. ’07, M.B.A. ’09, is a management consultant with UPD Consulting, a public sector management consulting firm, where she works as a business analyst in the Office of Special Education in the District of Columbia Public Schools system. Prior to joining UPD Consulting, Ms. Williams-Davies served as a Presidential Administrative Fellow at GW, where she earned an M.B.A degree and worked as special projects manager in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Student and Academic Support Services.
The board also approved additional funding for financial aid, academic programs, new construction and major renovations as part of the university’s fiscal year 2013 operating and capital budgets. The $829.3 million operating budget includes increased financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students as well as funding for continued investment in academic and research programs. Investments in student life also are planned with the continued implementation of the athletics and recreation strategic plan and a multiyear plan to enhance career services.
The capital budget includes more than $476 million in new construction and major renovations over the next four years to enhance the university's physical environment and further its academic and research missions. Nearly $229 million is scheduled to be expended in fiscal 2013 for priorities, including construction of the Science and Engineering Hall, School of Public Health and Health Services building and the George Washington University Museum. The budget also includes funding for repair, replacement and renewal of current facilities, including improvements to classrooms, labs and student space. New construction and renovations will continue to follow sustainable building practices and support the university’s sustainability initiatives as outlined in its climate, water and ecosystem plans.
At the meeting, Mr. Ramsey also announced several major gifts from trustees. George Coelho, M.B.A. ’77, has made a $3.375 million commitment to support the Coelho Professorship in International Business, the Coelho Professorial Fellow in International Business and the GW Sustainability Initiative. Mr. Coelho is managing director of Good Energies, (UK) LLP and in addition to being a trustee, he serves on the School of Business Advisory Board.
Trustee David Karlgaard, Ph.D. ’74, and Marilyn Karlgaard have made a $1.8 million commitment to the Karlgaard Scholarship in Computer Science and the Karlgaard Scholarship in Computer Engineering. A graduate of GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, Dr. Karlgaard was a member of the faculty of the Department of Computer Science and currently serves on the Department of Computer Science Advisory Board. He is a member and former chair of the SEAS National Advisory Board. Dr. Karlgaard is the retired CEO of PEC Solutions.
Trustee Linda Rabbitt, M.A. ’72, has made a commitment to create the GWSB Women and Corporate Boards program to provide pre-eminent educational, mentoring and networking resources to help women executives become more successful, recognized business leaders and board members. She earned her master’s degree from the Graduate School for Education and Human Development and is also a parent of a GW alumna. Ms. Rabbitt is the chairman, CEO and founder of Rand Construction.
James F. Humphreys, J.D. ’78, has made a $1 million commitment to the Law School to endow a scholarship for law students. Mr. Humphreys is a civil litigator who leads the law firm James F. Humphreys & Associates in his hometown of Charleston, W.Va. A graduate of the Law School, Mr. Humphreys is a member of the GW Law Board of Advisors, and in 2005 donated $3 million to establish the Humphreys Complex Litigation Center and Endowed Chair. The center offers comprehensive information about complex litigation to judges, lawyers and policymakers. In 2003, Mr. Humphreys funded the student lounge in Stockton Hall and an amphitheater classroom in Stuart Hall.
George Washington University Board of Trustees member David Nadler, B.A. ’70, has pledged $1 million to the Elliott School of International Affairs. The gift creates the Nadler Endowment in Leadership and Governance, which will expand the school’s teaching, research and policy programs related to leadership and governance in the global arena. Dr. Nadler is vice chairman of the Marsh & McLennan Companies.