Lee Thomas ’76 brings broad experience as a practice leader of a multinational professional services firm, corporate and community board member and financial consultant to the trustees’ leadership role.
The Baldwin Wallace University Board of Trustees has a new chair with deep leadership experience at a top global professional services firm and on corporate and community boards. Lee Thomas ’76 began his three-year term as BW Board Chair in April and has served on the board since 2002.
Thomas is a retired managing partner of the Cleveland office of Ernst & Young (EY), a current board and audit committee member for independent public companies and a financial consultant.
His expertise is gleaned from leading a practice within a multinational organization and through his work on various boards. He possesses deep experience in corporate governance, international business, risk management and audit committees.
In addition, the 1976 BW accounting and math graduate has strong ties to his alma mater, spending eight years as executive-in-residence in BW’s Carmel Boyer School of Business, member of the accounting advisory board and guest lecturer.
Thomas earned six varsity letters in football and baseball in his time as an undergraduate at BW. After graduation, he spent 38 years at EY serving multinational clients and as managing partner of the Cleveland office.
"Baldwin Wallace is fortunate to have committed trustees like Lee who generously offer their time, talents and resources to support the institution," said BW President Bob Helmer. "Lee is already focused on making a positive impact on his alma mater in this new role as board chair, and we are confident we will benefit from his leadership."
While at EY, Thomas served on the boards of Greater Cleveland Partnership, chairing its Air Service Demand Task Force, and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. He is a graduate of Leadership Cleveland.
Since his retirement from EY, Thomas has served on two corporate boards, most recently the Board of Directors and Audit and Risk Management Committee for Alithya Group, a NASDAQ and Toronto Stock Exchange listed company and international leader in strategy and digital technology. He also is a financial consultant to several private companies.
Thomas’s wife, Cathi, is a 1976 graduate of BW.
He succeeds Agnes P. Dover ‘76, senior counsel in the global law firm of Hogan Lovells, LLP, who completed a distinguished three-year term as board chair in April.
