WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.- The Norton Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees has elected a new member, John L. Townsend III.

Townsend is a philanthropist with more than 30 years’ experience in investment banking as a General Partner and Managing Director at Goldman, Sachs & Co., and in investment management, through which he served as Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Tiger Management.


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He also has extensive experience as a director and trustee with corporate boards, educational institutions, and other civic, religious, and philanthropic organizations.

Born and raised in Lumberton, North Carolina, Townsend graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina, where he earned undergraduate degrees in history and English, and a master’s degree in business.


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Following his undergraduate work, he worked for three years for Townsend Farms. Upon receiving his MBA, he and his wife, Marree, moved to New York, where he joined the investment banking firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. After five years there, he joined Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he became a partner and went on to serve as head of the South Region, co-head of Leveraged Finance, and as a member of the Commitments Committee.

Townsend retired from Goldman Sachs in 2002 to pursue investment, advisory, and philanthropic opportunities, and since 2021, he has served as a director of The Flagler System Inc., the parent company of The Breakers, where he serves as chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

He was a trustee of the University of North Carolina, served as chair of the UNC Investment Fund, and chaired the UNC Management Company.

Townsend is a member of the board of The Ackland Art Museum, which he and his wife have generously supported, and is a member of the board of the Institute of the Arts and Humanities at the University of North Carolina.

He served as co-chair of Greenwich Hospital and is a trustee of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation and the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. He also is a member of the investment committees of the Smith Richardson Foundation and the Virginia Theological Seminary.

Townsend and his wife, Marree, have been married 48 years and are parents to two daughters, Merritt and Louise. They divide their time between Palm Beach and Connecticut. His interests include fitness, skiing, mountaineering, and golf.

“John brings decades of experience from the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds that will bring depth and perspective to our team as we lead the Norton Museum of Art into its 85th anniversary year,” said Bruce Gendelman, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.



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