Industry
Thomas L. Ward
Managing Director
The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship
Starting February 1, 2008, the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality has a new Managing Director – Thomas L. Ward '81.
As the managing director, Tom will work with school faculty, alumni and industry partners to provide students with opportunities to learn about and practice entrepreneurship. Tom will introduce students to hospitality entrepreneurs and encourage them in their pursuit of entrepreneurial endeavors.
"I am very pleased to be joining the world’s preeminent hospitality management education program," said Ward. "Over the last century entrepreneurs have powered the global growth of our industry, with much of that growth coming through the enterprising work of Cornell alumni. I look forward to working with our faculty, our alumni and other successful hospitality entrepreneurs to expand our current programs to provide distinctive leadership in the field."
With almost three decades of leadership in entrepreneurial, corporate, military and university settings, Ward brings an ideal mix of experience and know-how to his position. A native Ithacan, he is a 1981 graduate, with distinction, of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, and a 1990 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He spent five years in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer, served as mergers and acquisitions director at BTG, Inc., launched several companies, was chief operating officer for Wilmington Finance Inc., and has worked as a consultant to Fannie Mae.
"Tom Ward brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial, corporate, military, and university leadership experience. He’s led a number of successful companies and has served as an executive-in-residence at a leading university," said School of Hotel Administration Dean and E.M. Statler Professor Michael D. Johnson. "Under Tom’s direction, we are confident that our school will continue to build the institute into a global leader in entrepreneurship education in the hospitality field."