Chapple begins term as Board of Trustees chair

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At Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees annual meeting, held May 10, Chair-elect John H. Chapple ’75 officially assumed board leadership as John A. Couri ’63 completed his term as chair and moved to chair-emeritus status. Additionally, seven individuals were elected voting members, and Richard L. Thompson G’67 was elected as a fourth vice chair.

Chapple, president of Hawkeye Investments in Kirkland, Wash., and former chairman, CEO and president of Nextel Partners Inc., has served on the board’s executive, budget and institutional advancement committees.

Chapple has more than 26 years of experience in the cable television and wireless communications industries. He became the president, CEO and chairman of the board of Nextel Partners and its subsidiaries in 1998. From 1995-97, he was the president and chief operating officer for Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment in Vancouver, B.C., which owned and operated Vancouver’s NBA and NHL sports franchises in addition to the General Motors Place sports arena and retail interests. Chapple also previously served on the senior management team of Rogers Cablesystems, before moving to American Cablesystems as senior vice president of operations from 1983-88. From 1988-95, he served as executive vice president of operations for McCaw Cellular Communications and, subsequently, AT&T Wireless Services following the merger of those companies.

In addition to receiving a bachelor’s degree from SU, he completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program. He is the past chairman of Cellular One Group and the Personal Communications Industry Association, and is past vice chairman of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. He also has served on the board of governors of the NHL and NBA. He is on the board of directors of Cbeyond Communications Inc., a publicly traded, Atlanta-based, integrated service telephony company; Seamobile, a privately held company providing integrated wireless services at sea; and Telesphere, a privately held VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) company; and serves on the advisory board of Diamond Castle Holdings LLC, a private equity firm based in New York City.

At SU, Chapple serves on the advisory board for the Maxwell School. In May 2006, he established and endowed the Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy in the Department of Political Science at the Maxwell School. The Chapple Family Professorship was created to carry on the long tradition of the Maxwell School of encouraging undergraduates to learn and think about their roles as citizens in a democracy.

The seven new trustees are Steven W. Barnes ’82, David B. Falk ’72, Winston C. Fisher ’96, Sharon H. Jacquet ’72, Robert R. Light ’78, Michael G. Thonis ’72 and Samuel J. Zamarripa G’78.

Barnes, of Dover, Mass., is a managing director at Bain Capital, one of the world’s leading private investment firms. In his work with Bain Capital Private Equity, he has held senior operating roles of several Bain Capital portfolio companies, including CEO of Dade Behring Inc., president of Executone Business Systems Inc. and president of Holson Burnes Group Inc. Bain Capital affiliates manage more than $50 billion in assets and focus on investment activities that include private equity and venture capital, as well as long/short public equity, credit products and global macro hedge funds.

At SU, Barnes serves on the Whitman School Corporate Advisory Council, lectures on campus, and is a qualified investor with the Orange Value Fund.

Falk, of Rockville, Md., is chair of Falk Associates Management Enterprises (FAME). He has represented more NBA first-round draft selections, lottery picks, Rookies-of-the-Year and All-Stars than anyone else in the athlete management business.

After earning an economics degree at SU and a law degree at The George Washington University, Falk began his career representing professional athletes with ProServ, where he rose to vice chairman. In 1992, he formed FAME to provide specialized and personal representation service to an elite clientele of NBA superstars. In 1985, he negotiated Michael Jordan’s groundbreaking deal with Nike — the most successful endorsement relationship in history — coining the nickname “Air Jordan” in the process. Falk also negotiated the then-highest contracts in NBA history for Patrick Ewing and Danny Ferry, and secured professional sports’ first $100 million contract for Alonzo Mourning.

In 1998, Falk sold FAME to SFX Entertainment, where he served on the board of directors and as chairman. As chairman of SFX Sports Group, he oversaw the acquisition of a dozen sports agencies that enabled SFX to represent about 20 percent of MLB and NBA players. Falk stepped down as chairman in 2001 to pursue other interests. In January 2007, Falk re-launched FAME and today serves as its founder and CEO.

In April 2008, Falk and his wife, Rhonda S. Falk ’74, established the David B. Falk Center for Sport Management through a $5 million gift to the University. The Falk Center for Sport Management is an interdisciplinary research center that will be the focal point of the Department of Sport Management in SU’s College of Human Ecology.

Fisher, of New York City, is a partner in Fisher Brothers, one of New York’s pre-eminent builders, owners and managers of commercial real estate with a portfolio of more than $4 billion in assets. The family-owned real estate business has spanned three generations, and the Fishers are also noted philanthropists. Fisher specializes in financing, acquisitions and development. Fisher also serves as executive vice chairman of the Fisher House Foundation.

For SU, he is on The College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors and the High School for Leadership and Public Service fundraising committee. He funds an annual weeklong residency program in New York City for humanities majors to expose them to opportunities in business. Taking an active role in curriculum planning, Fisher works with the faculty to access alumni speakers and create learning and problem solving opportunities for the students.

Jacquet, of Scarsdale, N.Y., joined JPMorgan in 1991 and is now managing director of JPMorgan Private Bank, advising high net worth individuals, foundations and families. She previously held various investment banking positions at JPMorgan Securities and at Morgan Stanley.

She was recognized by Barron’s on its inaugural list of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisers in America in 2006. Selections were made based on assets managed, client satisfaction, community involvement, compliance, experience, and interviews and assessment by coworkers and clients. In 2005, she was named one of the Top 100 Wealth Advisors by Worth Magazine.

She serves as a member of the board of directors and as treasurer for City Harvest in New York City. At SU, she serves on the School of Education Advisory Board and chairs the development committee.

Light, of Encino, Calif., is chief music agent / managing partner for Creative Artists Agency Inc. (CAA) He started out in New York City in the mailroom of International Creative Management, before moving to Los Angeles to join literary/talent agency CAA, where he was a founding agent of the music department. Light is respected throughout the industry for his innovative deal structures and for his ability to foresee and adapt to changes in the music business environment.

At SU, Light serves on the Newhouse Advisory Board and has named a room in honor of his late grandfather and gallery space in honor of his parents. Light has hosted the annual Newhouse Hollywood Seminar and frequently speaks on campus. He most recently served as emcee for SU’s L.A. Campaign kickoff in February 2008. His other philanthropic interests include the Tiger Woods Foundation, pediatric cancer research, and education for abandoned and at-risk children.

Thonis, of Wellesley, Mass., is managing director and chief operating officer of Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC. Prior to co-founding Charlesbank, a leading private equity firm with more than $1.5 billion in assets, Thonis was a managing director at Harvard Private Capital Group, the firm’s predecessor.

Thonis began his tenure at Harvard Management Co. in 1979 as director of research, joining the Private Capital Group in 1991. Before Harvard, he was with Bain & Co., providing strategic planning assistance to large U.S.-based corporations. Until 2000, Charlesbank managed an investment portfolio solely for Harvard University, then broadened its investor base to include many other institutional clients, which today include public and corporate pension funds, banks, insurance companies, endowments and family offices.

Thonis serves on the Board of Visitors for The College of Arts and Sciences and has provided ongoing support to the earth sciences department. He also is on the board of overseers at the Boston Museum of Science and is an active in the Geological Society of America. Thonis holds a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

Zamarripa, of Atlanta, is founder and president of Zamarripa Capital Inc. and Zamarripa Equity Partners LLC, a private equity corporation and partnership focused on lower middle market companies in the Southeast United States.

Zamarripa is formerly a partner and managing director at Heritage Capital Advisors focusing on investments in the U.S. Hispanic market in media and financial services. In 2007, Zamarripa was appointed as a senior advisor to Darby Private Equity, the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, where he developed a business strategy for a U.S. Hispanic investment fund. Zamarripa is a founder and director of United Americas Bank N.A.

He served two terms in the State Senate of Georgia representing the City of Atlanta. He serves on the corporate boards of Assurance America Corp., Diaz Wholesale & Foods Inc., Mi Avenida Publications and Heritage Radio Partners, and has also served on a number of nonprofit boards, including those of The Atlanta Medical Center, The Latin American Association, The Atlanta Speech School, The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Atlanta Public Television. In 2007, he was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Board of Centro Fox, where he is chairman of the policy committee for the presidential library of former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

At SU, he has been active with Coming Back Together reunions and participated in the program for an alumni event in Atlanta in 2007.

Thompson, who joined the Board of Trustees in 2001, has been elected vice chair after serving as a member of the executive and budget committees and serving as the chair of the administrative operations committee. He joins current vice chairs Robert J. Miron, Deryck A. Palmer and Judith G. Seinfeld.

Thompson, of Washington, D.C., is the senior vice president of policy and government affairs for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the Corporate Policy Council and is a member of the Corporate Worldwide Medicines Operating Committee. Prior to this appointment, he was the vice president for government affairs of Squibb Corp. from 1983-89 and director of Washington affairs for Abbott Laboratories from 1978-83.

Thompson has held several senior staff positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, including Republican staff director and counsel to the Government Operations Committee from 1976-78 and minority counsel to the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources, and the Committee on Government Operations, from 1973-76. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which included service in Vietnam, during which he received the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Vietnam Service Medal.

Thompson is a member of the American Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the District of Columbia Bar Association and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thompson has been involved in numerous civic and charitable activities. He is past chairman of the board of directors of Ford’s Theatre and of the Governance Committee and member of the board of directors of Meridian International Center. He is also a member of the Federal City Council. He has served on the board of governors of the Bryce Harlow Foundation, the board of directors for the D.C. Hospice and the executive committee of the Congressional Award Foundation.

For SU, Thompson serves on the Washington, D.C., Advisory Board. He has previously served on the advisory boards of the Whitman School of Management and the Maxwell School. In 2000, Thompson and his wife, Catherine Jean Terry ’66, provided significant funding for the Remembrance Scholarship given each year in memory of those SU students killed on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.