ATLANTA—Morehouse College President David A. Thomas, Ph.D. has been appointed to the board of directors for Vanguard, according to an announcement from the company today. The Pennsylvania-based firm is one of the world’s largest investment management companies with $8 trillion in global assets under management. The company offers 418 funds to its more than 30 million investors worldwide.
“Serving on the Vanguard board of directors is an opportunity to support an investment philosophy focused on optimizing long-term asset value for a diverse group of investors,” said President Thomas.
President Thomas is well positioned to help lead governance of a global organization like Vanguard. A recognized author and thought leader in organizational behavior, Thomas earned a doctorate and master’s degree in the field from Yale University, along with a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Columbia University. Before becoming the president of Morehouse, he served as the H. Naylor Fitzhugh professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, as dean of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, and as an assistant professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He has consulted on issues relating to organizational change, diversity, and inclusion for 100 of the Fortune 500 companies.
Since joining Morehouse in 2018 as the 12th president, Thomas has led dynamic, purpose-driven elevations in Morehouse’s strategic and operational effectiveness, programmatic reach, and pedagogical innovation. Among other transformational successes, Thomas has overseen the launch of the College’s first online degree program and a fundraising acceleration which has yielded $190 million since he arrived—a giving total that is higher than any other president in the history of the college.
“We are thrilled to welcome David to Vanguard’s Board of Directors,” said Vanguard chairman and CEO Tim Buckley. “He is a purpose-driven leader who has extensive experience in setting a vision, inspiring an organization, managing operations, and developing talent equally. Our client-owners will benefit tremendously from his governance.”
Vanguard's board of directors oversees how the company is organized and operated on behalf of its shareholders, the Vanguard funds. For more information about Vanguard, visit vanguard.com.
