Trouble viewing? Open in web browser.

Journalist Resources Stanford News Stanford Experts Contact Us
Stanford University homepage

News Service

July 14, 2015

Stanford University Board of Trustees elects four new members

The new trustees will begin their five-year terms on Sept. 1.

By Kathleen J. Sullivan

Newly elected members of the Stanford University Board of Trustees are, clockwise from upper left, Mary Barra, Dipanjan "DJ" Deb, Christy MacLear and Bradley A. Geier. (Courtesy Board of Trustees)

The Stanford University Board of Trustees recently elected four new members: Mary Barra, chief executive officer of General Motors Co.; Dipanjan "DJ" Deb, chief executive officer of Francisco Partners FP; Bradley A. Geier, co-managing partner of Merlone Geier Partners; and Christy MacLear, executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

The new trustees – whose five-year terms begin Sept. 1 – were elected through the alumni nominations process. Every two-and-a-half years, the Stanford Alumni Association's Alumni Committee on Trustee Nominations and the board's Committee on Trusteeship present four names to the board for election.

"The board is delighted to welcome these new members who bring an impressive array of accomplishments, a broad range of perspectives and experiences, and a deep commitment to the well-being of Stanford," said Steven A. Denning, chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees. "We thank the Stanford Alumni Association for its thoughtful deliberations that led to the selection of these trustees."

Mary Barra

Barra, who became the first female CEO of a major global automaker when she took the helm at General Motors in January 2014, is also a member of its board of directors.

In 2014, GM, the largest U.S. automaker, reported record global sales of more than 9.9 million vehicles. The Detroit-based company has more than 212,000 employees and, with its partners, produces a range of vehicles in 30 countries around the world.

Before becoming CEO, Barra served as the company's executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing & Supply Chain, and as senior vice president, Global Product Development. In those roles, she was responsible for the design, engineering, program management and quality of GM vehicles around the world, including the award-winning Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the Chevy Silverado.

Since starting her GM career in 1980, Barra has held leadership positions in human resources, manufacturing engineering and competitive operations engineering. She also served as plant manager of GM's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant.

Barra, who earned an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1990, is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council, which helps shape the school's curriculum and provides counsel on its strategic, operational, and financial direction.

Last year, Barra spoke to GSB students about leadership, the importance of relationships and work-life balance, among many other topics. To facilitate a strong and collaborative relationship between the school and the automaker, Barra also served as GM's Key Executive for Stanford from 2009 to 2013.

Dipanjan "DJ" Deb

Deb is the CEO and co-founder of Francisco Partners (FP), a leading global private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in the technology sector.

Since its launch more than 15 years ago, FP has raised approximately $10 billion in capital and invested in more than 150 technology companies, making it one of the most active investors in the technology industry. The firm pursues investment transaction values ranging from $50 million to more than $2 billion across a wide range of transaction types, customizing its approach as appropriate for each situation.

Prior to founding Francisco Partners in 1999, Deb was a principal with Texas Pacific Group; director of semiconductor banking at Robertson, Stephens & Company; and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Deb, who earned an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1996, is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. He is the former chair of the Stanford GSB Management Board, which provides external perspectives and advice to senior management at the GSB on the key operational issues of the school.

He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science in 1991 at the University of California, Berkeley.

Currently, Deb serves on the boards of two technology companies: Ichor Systems, which is based in Fremont, Calif., and Plex Systems, based in Troy, Mich.  

He also serves on the UCSF Foundation Board, the giving, receiving and investing arm of the University of California, San Francisco; and the Berkeley Engineering Advisory Board of UC Berkeley's College of Engineering.

Deb has served on the boards of several public companies: AMI Semiconductor; Barracuda Networks; NPTest/Credence; SMART Modular Technologies; Ultra Clean Technology; Conexant; Globespan; and ON Semiconductor.

Bradley A. Geier

Geier is the co-founder and co-managing partner of Merlone Geier Partners, a private real estate investment company focused on the acquisition, development, and redevelopment of retail and retail-driven mixed-use properties on the West Coast. The company has corporate headquarters offices in San Francisco and San Diego, and four regional offices in California and Washington.

Previously, Geier held positions at Taubman Centers Inc., which owns, manages and leases shopping centers in the United States and Asia, and Trammell Crow Co., which develops and invests in commercial real estate.

Geier earned a bachelor's degree with departmental honors in history at Stanford in 1979, and an MBA at Harvard University in 1983. 

At Stanford, Geier has played a key role in a broad range of Stanford activities.

He has served as a member of the Bing Overseas Studies Program Advisory Council and as co-chair of the Parents' Advisory Board and of the Class of 1979 – 35th Reunion.

In San Diego, he has been engaged in a variety of volunteer activities on Stanford's behalf. He served as an outreach volunteer for the Office of Undergraduate Admission and for major gifts fundraising. In addition, he helped make the Leading Matters event in San Diego a resounding success. The San Diego event was the second stop in a 17-city tour (2008-2011) that showcased how Stanford is tackling some of the world's biggest problems.

In 2013, Geier received a Stanford Associates Governors' Award, which honors exemplary volunteer service to Stanford over an extended time period.

Geier also is an active community volunteer. He is a lifetime trustee and past president of the board of trustees of The Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif.; a member of the Policy Advisory Board Executive Committee of the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate in the School of Business Administration at the University of San Diego; and a board member of Coaching Corps, which offers afterschool sports programs for girls and boys living in low-income communities.

Christy MacLear

Christy MacLear is the inaugural executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in New York.

The foundation fosters the legacy of Rauschenberg's life and work, and his philosophy that art can change the world. It focuses on three major areas: increasing public access to and scholarship of Rauschenberg's artwork; cultivating emerging and established artists through a residency program at the artist's former home and studio in Captiva, Fla.; and creating philanthropic initiatives that connect art, culture and creativity with important issues, such as education and climate change.

Before joining the foundation in 2010, MacLear was the executive director of The Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site located in Connecticut. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises 14 structures built by architect Philip Johnson between 1949 and 1999, including The Glass House. The site features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions.

MacLear developed the strategy to open the site to the public and create the Center for Modern Preservation at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Earlier, she managed the creation of Chicago's Museum Campus, a park near Lake Michigan that surrounds three museums – the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum of Natural History – and Soldier Field football stadium. MacLear also consulted with the leadership of the Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit, academic medical center. In addition, she served as an early team member of the Walt Disney Development Corporation's new town, Celebration.

MacLear earned a bachelor's degree in urban design in 1988 at Stanford, where she was a member of the women's golf team. She earned an MBA in real estate finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.  

She has served as an outreach volunteer for the Office of Undergraduate Admission in Chicago and New York. She is a member of the Stanford Arts Advisory Council and the Stanford New York Arts Council, where she provided leadership in the creation of an arts internship program for undergraduates in New York City. She recently assisted the new Stanford in New York program by providing connections to leading arts organizations. 

MacLear is a member of the board of directors of the New York Municipal Arts Society and a member of the national advisory council for Cranbrook Academy of Art and Museum in Detroit. She also is a member of the national advisory council for the Headlands Center for the Arts, a multidisciplinary, international arts center located at historic Fort Barry in the Marin Headlands, north of San Francisco.

-30-

Contact

Brad Hayward, University Communications: (650) 724-0199, bhayward@stanford.edu

 

Update your subscription

  • Email: news-service@stanford.edu
  • Phone: (650) 723-2558

More Stanford coverage

Facebook Twitter iTunes YouTube Futurity RSS

Journalist Resources Stanford News Stanford Experts Contact Us

© Stanford University. Stanford, California 94305. (650) 723-2300.