The George Mason University Foundation announced the appointment of eight new members to its volunteer Board of Trustees, who begin their terms effective July 1, 2020. Each of the new trustees is a highly regarded business and community leader.
“We are honored to have these outstanding professionals serve on the foundation’s Board of Trustees,” said Trishana Bowden, president of the George Mason University Foundation and vice president for advancement and alumni relations at George Mason University. “They join a diverse group of community leaders dedicated to advancing the university’s mission to provide access to excellence for all.”
The new board members are:
- Adel E. Antoun, BS Accounting ’88, is vice president of land development and construction accounting with Kettler, a McLean-based real estate firm. A senior finance and operations executive, he was previously with the Pew Charitable Trusts, and worked for 16 years at the Freddie Mac Foundation, including as CFO.
- Sanam Boroumand is the founder and CEO of Main Digital LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on business process transformation and secure intelligent technology implementation. She holds a BA in economics from the College of William and Mary and a master’s in information technology and telecommunications systems from Johns Hopkins. Ms. Boroumand volunteers with Junior Achievement Finance Park Montgomery County, where she teaches middle school students about financial literacy, and is involved in philanthropic efforts for local food banks and social services organizations.
- Anirban (AC) Chakrabarti, BS Decision Science and Management Information Systems ’96, is vice president of TIBCO Software, Inc. Named a Prominent Patriot by the School of Business in 2015, he is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s executive education program. A serial entrepreneur, Chakrabarti was previously CEO and co-founder of AnyPresence, a mobile enterprise facilitation platform, and was global vice president and general manager at SAP after it acquired Clear Standards, a software provider he founded to help companies monitor their environmental impact and improve energy efficiency.
- Nelson Garcia is the founder and president of Washington Intergovernmental Professional Group, LLC, a non-partisan organization to help ambassadors and newly elected members of Congress establish contact with national and international policymakers. Born in the Philippines and raised in California, he graduated in 1989 from the University of California, Riverside with a degree in political science and international relations. Previously, Mr. Garcia worked for a decade on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant and legislative director.
- Jack Harrington, BS Computer Science ’89, is the chief executive officer of Research Innovations Inc. A supporter of Mason Athletics, Harrington is a member of the Patriot Club Advisory Board and the Volgenau School of Engineering Advisory Board. He has 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur developing cutting-edge information technology for the aerospace and defense industries. The Harringtons recently established a new dean’s fund endowment for excellence and innovation within the Volgenau School of Engineering.
- Dr. Margaret E. Myers, PhD Information Technology ’88, the director of the Information technology systems division at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). She is an advisory board member and donor to Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering. At IDA, Dr. Myers leads more than 60 researchers, addressing cybersecurity and cyberspace challenges of national and global importance. Earlier in her career, she served on active duty in the U.S. Army and continued service in the Army Reserve, retiring from the military in 2005 as a colonel. That same year, she was honored with the Defense Department’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award.
- Dave Petersen is a principal with Arbor Strategies, which provides IT, sales management consulting, government relations, and lobbying services. He was a member of the university’s Board of Visitors from 2015 through 2019. Petersen retired after 26 years with Accenture, where his various roles included managing director of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Petersen has served on the boards of many organizations, including the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Federal City Council, and the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area.
- Zofia Burr, the current and founding dean of the Honors College at George Mason, joins the board for a two-year term as a dean’s representative. A faculty member in the English department since 1992, she received her MFA and PhD from Cornell University. In 2019 Dean Burr received the David J. King Teaching Excellence Award, given annually to a faculty member who has made significant, long-term contributions to the overall educational excellence of the university.
The Board of Trustees also recognized and thanked the following members whose terms ended on June 30: Jeffery Johnson, BS Business Administration ’75, Dan Wotring, BIS ’97, and Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Rob Riordan / June 29, 2020
