What you need to know about the new BOV members
Almost immediately after Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s inauguration on Jan. 17, sweeping changes have been made in the leadership at George Mason University.
On Jan. 17, the same day as Rector Charles “Cully” Stimson’s resignation, Visitor Robert Pence stepped down. This left the board with four active members: Vice Rector Michael Meese, Secretary Armand Alacbay, Visitor Jon M. Peterson and Visitor Jeffrey A. Rosen.
It is unlikely for the board to be depleted for long. Almost immediately after her inauguration, Spanberger announced 12 appointments to Mason’s Board of Visitors:
- Anne Altman: Altman is the co-founder and CEO of Everyone Matters Inc., which is a “social impact enterprise… dedicated to ensuring that everyone has equal access to citizen-based services, healthcare, and education,” according to its website. She previously worked for 18 years at IBM, including as general manager of U.S. Federal and Government Industries. She is a member of the Dean’s Council for Costello College of Business, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She previously served on the Board of Visitors from 2007-2011.
- Bruce Caswell: Caswell is the CEO and director of Maximus, described as “a trusted service delivery partner and architect of government technology solutions,” on their website. Caswell also serves on the board of the Greater Washington Partnership and as chair of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
- Shawn N. Chambliss-Purviss: Chambliss-Purvis is the CEO of Sabel Systems, which “[simplifies] digital complexity to accelerate mission delivery, connecting data, systems, and teams in secure, scalable environments built for modern missions,” according to their website. She was previously president and CEO at QinetiQ and held vice president positions at Northrop Grumman. She earned her master’s degree in Information Systems from Mason, and previously served on the BOV from 2015-2019.
- Tom Davis: Davis is a former U.S. representative who served Fairfax as Virginia’s 11th Congressional District representative for 13 years. He also previously served as rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors from 2014-2020 as well as being a trustee at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. He currently serves as a partner at Holland and Knight law offices.
- Paul Misener: Misener is the founder and principal at Misener Innovation LLC, which is a “consultancy dedicated to helping organizations to innovate, advocate, and communicate their culture, processes, and products/services,” according to their website. Misener previously worked for 23 years at Amazon and earned his law degree from Antonin Scalia Law School.
- Trevor Montano: Montano is the founder and managing member of West Potomac Capitol LLC, which is “a specialist investment firm focused on financial and business services, clean energy and sustainable finance,” according to their website. He previously served as a chief investment officer in the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2014-2017. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Costello College of Business.
- Jim Moran: Moran is a former U.S. representative who served Virginia’s 8th Congressional District for 24 years. He served as mayor of Alexandria, Va. from 1985 until 1990. Currently, he is the founder, president and CEO of Moran Global Strategies, which “provides top-quality government relations services such as lobbying, strategic consulting, advocacy, and policy development,” according to their website.
- Delbert Parks: Parks is the vice president of front end manufacturing operations at Micron Technology. According to their website, they are “a world leader in innovative memory solutions that [transforms] how the world uses information to enrich life for all.” Parks has served as a member of the George Mason Board of Trustees since 2021.
- George Schindler: Schindler is a member of the Board of Directors at CGI, and previously served as the company’s president and CEO from 2016-2024. CGI is “one of the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world,” according to their website. Schindler was also the featured speaker at Winter Commencement in 2024.
- Sumeet Shrivastava: Shrivastava is the president and CEO of Unissant, which “[pioneers] secure and intelligent data solutions to empower a transformative future,” according to their website. He previously served as president and CEO of Array Information Technology for five years and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Costello College of Business. He also serves as a chair on the George Mason University Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
- Sean Spence: Spence is a senior manager of corporate finance at BDO, which “delivers assurance, tax, and advisory services to clients throughout the country and around the globe,” according to their website. He is also an adjunct professor of Finance in the Costello College of Business.
- Jennifer Taylor: Taylor is the president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, which is “the trade association representing the Northern Virginia technology community,” according to their website. She previously held vice president roles at Consumer Technology Association, Caring Village LLC and AARP. She earned her master’s of Business Administration from Mason.
All of Spanberger’s appointments will have to go through confirmation hearings held by the Va. State Senate’s Privileges and Elections Committee starting today, before being voted on by the State Senate and House of Delegates. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 10 appointments to Mason’s BOV in 2025 were blocked by the committee…