New Members Appointed to University of Virginia Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the Darden School Foundation announced today the election of five new members to the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees. The new trustees will serve three-year terms, effective immediately.

“John Fowler, Lem Lewis, Rick Paschal, Bill Utt and Tom Watjen are invaluable additions to our board,” said Phil Knisely, chairman of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees. “Their business experience and leadership will allow them to meaningfully contribute to Darden’s mission of developing principled leaders for the world of practical affairs.”

John Fowler is vice chairman of investment banking at Wells Fargo, headquartered in New York. He held previous positions as vice chairman of investment banking at Deutsche Bank, head of Healthcare Services Banking at JPMorgan and head of Healthcare Banking at Salomon Brothers. Mr. Fowler was also president of Large Scale Biology, a publicly traded biotech company, a founding partner of Bio-Strategic Directors, a biotech consulting firm, and managing partner of Baycrest Capital, a private equity investment firm. He has served on various corporate boards of directors, including as lead director of Beverly Enterprises, Large Scale Biology Corporation and Optical Dynamics. He has also served on various not-for-profit boards, including Project Reach Youth and Project HOPE. Mr. Fowler holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Virginia and received an MBA from Darden in 1984. Mr. Fowler serves as the chairman of Darden’s Corporate Advisory Board and will serve as an ex-officio trustee of the Darden School Foundation.

Lemuel Lewis is the president of Local/Weather.com, a web-based, privately held media company in Suffolk, Virginia. He previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Landmark Communications Inc., a privately held media company. Mr. Lewis serves as chairman of the board, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and director of Dollar Tree Stores Inc., as well as Markel Corporation. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Darden in 1972.

Rick Paschal has been the vice president and chief financial officer for the International and U.S. Wholesale & Global Licensing Divisions of Coach Inc. since 2007 and senior vice president since 2010. Prior to joining Coach, Mr. Paschal served as CFO and vice president of global finance at Godiva Chocolatier Inc., vice president and chief financial officer of Nestle Ice Cream Company Inc. and has held positions in the U.S., Europe and Asia with The Pillsbury Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola International and Southeast Bank N.A. He received his B.S. from the University of Virginia and his MBA from Darden in 1989. Mr. Paschal serves as the chairman of Darden’s Corporate Advisory Board and will serve as an ex-officio trustee of the Darden School Foundation.

Bill Utt has been president and chief executive officer of KBR since 2006 and chairman since 2007. KBR is a global engineering, construction and services company supporting the energy, hydrocarbon, government services, minerals, civil infrastructure, power and industrial markets. Mr. Utt serves on the National Petroleum Council, which provides advice and analysis to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He has been chairman of the Electric Power Supply Association, and has held other leadership positions with the organization. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia and received an MBA from Darden in 1984.

Tom Watjen is president and chief executive officer of Unum, a Fortune 250 company and a leading provider of employee benefits in the U.S. and U.K. Prior to joining the company, he was a managing director at the investment banking firm of Morgan Stanley & Co. Mr. Watjen was also a partner with Conning & Co. and worked in corporate finance and investments for Aetna Life and Casualty. He serves on the board of directors of SunTrust Banks Inc. and The Financial Services Roundtable. Mr. Watjen received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Virginia Military Institute in 1976 and an MBA from Darden in 1981.

“We are excited to have John Fowler, Lem Lewis, Rick Paschal, Bill Utt and Tom Watjen join our ranks of trustees. Our volunteer trustees play a significant role in supporting the Darden School’s goal of providing the world’s best educational experience to MBA students and executive education participants,” said Trip Davis, president of the Darden School Foundation and senior associate dean for external relations. “They also set the tone for our high-engagement model with alumni and corporate partners, and we are so grateful for their hard work and dedication.”