Richard DeWolfe, the chief executive officer of New England’s largest residential real estate firm, was elected chairman of Boston University’s Board of Trustees last week.
Prior to his election as chairman, DeWolfe served as vice chairman of the Board, as well as co-chairman of the Committee on Development and as a member of the Executive Committee. He has been a Board member for seven years.
“I am deeply honored that my fellow Trustees have chosen me as their chairman,” DeWolfe said. “Boston University is a great educational, cultural and economic resource not only for Boston and New England, but for the nation and the world.
“The excellence of our faculty, the strength of our research program, the strength of our research programs and our commitment to the education of future generations of leaders in the professions, in the arts, in business and in public service have placed Boston University at the forefront of American higher education.”
DeWolfe, who will replace Earle Cooley, said his predecessor maintained an atmosphere conducive to scholarship and teaching, taking the University to new heights in fundraising and in building the campus.
“Dick DeWolfe will be a great leader for the Board as it oversees the next stage of Boston University’s development,” said Cooley, who was elected chairman emeritus at Wednesday’s meeting. “I recommended him to my colleagues as my successor because he has the intelligence, vision, imagination and energy to help create the brilliant future that I foresee for the University.”
The incoming chairman is also the chairman and CEO of DeWolfe Companies, Inc., the ninth largest residential real estate firm in the United States with an annual sales volume of more than $6 billion. DeWolfe plans to use his realty background to help the University continue its expansion.
“I intend to dedicate my chairmanship to supporting President Jon Westling, the deans and the faculty as they continue the progress that was begun under the administration of Chancellor John Silber, and to helping the University build the campus that it will need to meet the demands of the 21st century,” DeWolfe said.
DeWolfe, who was born in 1944, graduated from Milton (Mass.) High School in 1962, and from BU in 1971. During the Vietnam War era, he spent four years in the United States Air Force. He was later given a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University.
In 1978, DeWolfe was honored as both the Greater Boston and Massachusetts Realtor of the Year.
He now holds various leadership positions in and around Boston, including the presidency of the Boston Minuteman Council of the Boy Scouts of America and director of the National Conference for Community and Justice.
He and his wife, Marcia, have six children and live in Milton and Falmouth.
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