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January 26, 2009
Emory appoints two new trustees

By Beverly Clark

Thomas D. Bell, a corporate management leader, and Robert C. Goddard III, an Atlanta-based real estate investor, have been elected to the Emory University Board of Trustees. Both have been actively engaged in the community, including having served together on the board of Emory Healthcare. They will be welcomed as term trustees at the Board of Trustees’ meeting in February.

Bell is chairman and CEO of Cousins Properties, one of the country’s top diversified development companies. Bell spent 10 years at the marketing and communications company Young & Rubicam Inc., where he retired as chairman and CEO. A leader in corporate management and governance, Bell previously served as vice chairman of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, president and CEO of the Hudson Institute, and chairman of the board for the Center for Naval Analysis.

Bell is a member of several boards, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Regal Entertainment Group, AGL Resources and the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation. During the Reagan administration, he chaired the Committee on the Next Agenda, which focused on prioritizing issues for the president’s second term.

Goddard is chairman and CEO of Goddard Investment Group LLC, a privately held firm investing in commercial real estate primarily in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Denver and Miami. He also is chairman of Post Properties Inc., a leading developer and operator of upscale multi-family communities throughout the United States. Previously, he was chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based NAI/Brannen Goddard Company.

Goddard has held posts on the board of directors of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Ballet and the Georgia Special Olympics. He also has been active in the Society of International Business Fellows and the Chief Executives Organization. He currently serves on the board of the Pittuloch Foundation.

“Bell and Goddard bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the Board of Trustees,” says Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary of the University. “Both care deeply about the power of community and the promise of education — Emory will benefit greatly from their increased commitment and contributions.”

The 39-member Board of Trustees oversees the governance and long-range fiduciary health of the University. New term trustees serve a six-year initial term; a four-year renewable term may follow. Term trustees are selected by the Governance, Trusteeship and Nominations Committee and submitted to the Board of Trustees for consideration and approval. Final approval rests with the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church.