ACTA names two distinguished higher ed leaders to board of directors

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is pleased to announce the addition of two exceptional new members to its board of directors: Robert McDowell and Carl Menges. Both men have a strong interest in improving the quality of higher education—and bring years of service as higher education trustees.

“At a time when higher education is faced with challenges of quality and cost, these experienced trustees will help ensure ACTA remains in the forefront of efforts to restore academic excellence and accountability,” said ACTA president Anne Neal in announcing their election to the board.

Mr. Menges has a long-standing interest in history and the founding of the United States. In 2001, he sponsored a conference at Hamilton College on Alexander Hamilton. The Many Faces of Alexander Hamilton (NYU Press, 2006) derived from that conference and is dedicated to Mr. Menges. He is a founding board member of the Alexander Hamilton Institute which is featured in ACTA’s Intelligent Donor’s Guide to College Giving.

Mr. Menges was also Director, Tiedemann Investment Group; Trustee and Chairman of the Planning Committee of Hamilton College; Trustee of the Boys Club of New York; and Treasurer and Trustee of Allen Stevenson School. He is a Life Trustee of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and Member, Investment and Budget Committee, Council on Foreign Relations, and a Trustee of the New-York Historical Society. Menges received his A.B. cum laude in 1951 from Hamilton College and his M.B.A in 1953 from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Robert McDowell recently retired from his position as vice president for Information Worker Business Value at Microsoft Corp, after more than 40 years of experience in the information technology industry.

He has written several articles on the impact of information technology on business and has been quoted in many business and technology publications, including Fortune Magazine, InformationWeek and Computerworld. He is the author of the book, Driving Digital, which focuses on how companies can take advantage of the e-business era. His second book, In Search of Business Value: Ensuring a Return on Your Technology Investment, deals with how to translate technology investments into business value. He has lectured at professional association meetings, universities and technology conferences around the world.

McDowell has served on the board of directors of Visio Corp., Entevo Corp. and the Virginia Military Institute Foundation and served as a member of the Virginia Commission on Information Technology. He was a member of the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute and serves on the board of the International Advisory Board of Scottish Enterprise. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Virginia Military Institute and a Master of Science degree in business administration from Boston University.