Ron Terwilliger

J. Ronald (Ron) Terwilliger (born September 1941) is the Chairman Emeritus and retired Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow Residential. He is primarily known for being the principal owner of the Atlanta Dream, a franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Background

Terwilliger graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1963 with honors.^[1][2] After serving five years in the United States Navy, he attended Harvard University where he received his MBA with High Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Business, and was elected a Baker Scholar.^[1][3] Terwilliger has two children, both girls. He has two granddaughters and two grandsons, his first grandchild being born in 1998.

Career

Since 1986, he has been the head of Trammell Crow Residential, the largest developer of multi-family housing in the United States.^[1][4] His tenure as Chief Executive officer at the company lasted from 1986 until 2008. At Crow Residential, Terwilliger is responsible for all residential development and operations conducted there, in 23 offices throughout the United States.^[1]

Chairs/Boards

Ronald Terwilliger was elected as Chairman of the board at Enterprise Community Partners, Inc on June 23, 2010, succeeding Norman Rice. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Enterprise Community Partners since 2007, and as of 2010 serves as co-chair of the Enterprise Real Estate Leadership Council. Terwilliger is also the chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential. He has also served as Chairman Emeritus for the Wharton Real Estate Center.^[1][5] Additionally, he also served as Chairman of Urban Land Institute where he currently serves on the Governance Committee, and as Chairman of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership. He has served as Vice Chairman on the International Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity.^[1]

Terwilliger serves as a Director of the Naval Academy Foundation, Subcommittee Chairman of the Naval Academy Athletic Committee and served as Chairman of the National Association of Homebuilders Multifamily Leadership Board.^[1]

Awards

Terwilliger received the Hearthstone Builder Humanity Award in 2006 for his commitment to housing related charities. In 2008, he was elected into the National Association of Homebuilder's Hall of Fame in recognition of his efforts to advance housing opportunities for all Americans. He also has received the ULI Atlanta Community Achievement Award and the ORT Award.^[1]

Philanthropy

One of Terwilliger's philanthropic contributions includes his charitable efforts in the city of Atlanta together with Mayor Shirley Franklin.^[6] In 1998, he also was elected as the Head of the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization supported by its members, where he held his position as Chair until 2001.^[7]

Terwilliger's largest philanthropic efforts have gone towards helping Habitat for Humanity International. He has served on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity since October 2000, and appointed chair of the board in 2007, holding the highest-ranking volunteer position within the organization worldwide, and also the largest individual donor of all past and current board members, having cumulatively donated $3 million up to that point. In 2009, Terwilliger donated again to Habitat for Humanity, in the sum of $100 million, making it the largest donation from an individual in Habitat for Humanity's history. His donation went towards helping an estimated 60,000 low-income families around the world to improve their housing, and also towards establishing the J. Ronald Terwilliger Leveraged Impact Fund, which makes annual distributions to help support affordable-housing efforts.

As part of his charitable contribution towards the organization, he has travelled extensively with them to Asian Tsunami-affected areas in Thailand and Indonesia, and also to help with the hurricane damage in the U.S. Gulf Coast.^[6][8]

Sports

Terwilliger describes himself as a "sports nut". He played baseball and basketball at the Naval Academy,^[9] and he currently serves a subcommittee chair of the Naval Academy's Athletic Committee. He has also owned the Atlanta Attack, a franchise of the Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008), bailing out after losses exceeded $1 million.^[9] Terwilliger also led an investment group that made a bid for ownership of the Atlanta Braves in 2006.^[10]

Terwilliger is primarily known for being the principal owner of the Atlanta Dream, a franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).In 2007, Terwilliger was approached by a committee wanting to bring a WNBA franchise to Atlanta. Terwillinger began exploring the idea and in October 2007 in a press conference in Atlanta, WNBA President Donna Orender named Terwillinger the owner of the franchise that was to become the Atlanta Dream.^[11][12]

Terwilliger paid $1 million upfront for the Dream. He will pay another $1 million between 2009 and 2012 and pay $8 million in annual installments beginning in 2012.^[9]

Since his investment in the WNBA, the city of Atlanta has had the highest TV ratings for WNBA games over the last few seasons, according to its president, Donna Orender.^[13]

References