José E. Feliciano, James Coulter elected to Stanford Board of Trustees

The Stanford Board of Trustees has elected two new members who will begin their five-year terms on Oct. 1.

The Stanford Board of Trustees has elected two new members, José E. Feliciano, right, and James Coulter. (Image credit: Courtesy José E. Feliciano and James Coulter.)

Both new trustees have co-founded private equity firms and are dedicated to impact investment.

José E. Feliciano is the co-founder and managing partner of the leading private investment firm Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. James G. Coulter is executive chairman and co-founder of the global private investment firm TPG.

“We extend a warm welcome to our two new trustees,” said Board Chair Jerry Yang. “They both are tremendous volunteers to Stanford through their years of service. They bring broad perspectives and deep expertise from their background, career and their Stanford experiences. As trustees, they will continue their commitment to Stanford’s success by adding their voice to the Board’s work in meeting Stanford’s opportunities ahead.”

James G. Coulter

Coulter is also the managing partner of TPG Rise Climate and co-managing partner of The Rise Fund, which together make up the market’s largest impact investing platform.

He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth in 1982 and his MBA from Stanford in 1986.  Coulter worked at the Robert M. Bass Group and Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb before co-founding TPG in 1992.

Much of his time is now focused on impact investment.

“Stanford is trying to bring its knowledge and impact into this environment in a bigger way. This is intersecting at a time in my career when I’m also bringing capital from around the world to address this issue,” Coulter said. “So I think Stanford’s direction aligns with my personal direction, and the work that I’m doing in impact investment I think can be helpful in the discussions that we’ll have as a board and as an institution.”

Coulter has served on the board of directors for more than 35 companies and numerous philanthropic organizations. He previously served on Stanford’s Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2017 and on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees.

“Stanford is a place that is constantly evolving, changing and learning, and so, on a personal basis, I find that really rewarding,” he said.

Coulter described his second term as an “opportunity to serve and an honor,” adding that bringing institutional knowledge and experience can be helpful to the board’s overall work.

“For me, part of the excitement and opportunity is to bring what I learned in my first term, to add to the board’s deliberation a sense of the history and path we’ve traveled as we focus on the opportunities and challenges ahead,” he said.

A familiar name at Stanford, Coulter has served on the 2015-2016 Presidential Search Committee, the Stanford Challenge Leadership Council, the Leading Matters San Francisco Steering Committee, the Stanford Management Company Board of Directors and the Graduate School of Business (GSB) Advisory Council.

Coulter and his wife, Penny, are supporters of the arts at Stanford, the Knight Hennessy Scholars Program and established the Coulter Undergraduate Scholarship Fund. Their three children all graduated from Stanford and the couple lives in San Francisco.

“This is part of a long dedication and focus for me personally on education, impact investigating and a long commitment to Stanford,” Coulter said.

José E. Feliciano

Before co-founding Clearlake in 2006, Feliciano was a partner at Tennenbaum Capital Partners and worked at govWorks, Inc.

Feliciano received his undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1994 and his MBA from Stanford in 1999. He began his career in investment banking in the mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance groups at Goldman, Sachs & Co.

“I’m very excited to have been selected and look forward to working with such a fantastic group of people. I consider my selection as a trustee as a very significant responsibility, as there is nothing more critical than shaping the next generation of leaders in our society,” Feliciano said.

He added that he looks forward to learning more about the institution’s inner workings as well as engaging with fellow board members, the president, faculty and other stakeholders, while also hoping to use his experience in business and investments to benefit the Stanford community.

“As an investor, it is important to identify key drivers of change and growth in order to create better and more sustainable businesses, and I hope to translate that skillset into the academic world,” Feliciano said. “There is a realization today that we can begin to address society’s economic and social inequities through investment in education and entrepreneurship, and that is a message we need to convey to the next generation of leaders. There are very few institutions in the world that have the potential to make such a positive impact on society at large. As such, I’m excited to find ways to leverage the University’s reach and reputation to bring about that positive change.”

Feliciano serves on the boards of directors of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the Robert Toigo Foundation and several Clearlake portfolio companies.

In 2014, Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, co-founded the SUPERCHARGED Initiative (KJSI), a philanthropic grant-making and impact investment organization.

At Stanford, Feliciano serves on the Southern California Advisors Committee, the IDEAL Kitchen Cabinet and the GSB Advisory Council. He also serves as co-chair of the GSB Racial Equity Task Force and applauded Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne’s focus on the university’s IDEAL initiative.

“I’m also looking forward to helping him, Provost Persis Drell and others to continue on that journey to make Stanford an even better institution open and welcoming to all students from diverse backgrounds,” he said.

Feliciano and Jones are supporters of the GSB, where they have established the José E. Feliciano & Kwanza Jones SUPERCHARGED Initiative Faculty Scholar Fund. They have also supported the GSB Dean’s priorities, the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and the Stanford Latino Alumni Club Summit.

Feliciano and Jones live in Los Angeles.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Feliciano said he never envisioned that he’d be doing what he is doing now.

“Now more than ever, I appreciate what Stanford gave me,” he said. “I’m in the fortunate position where I can give back in many ways, and hopefully by serving on the Board I can ensure that Stanford continues to serve students and the greater Stanford community in the same way that made such a difference in my life.”

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