Michael B. Kim, Haverford College alumnus, founder-chairman of one of Asia’s largest private equity firms, and best-selling novelist has been appointed chair of the Haverford College Board of Managers.
Haverford College announced on March 6 (local time) that Kim will lead the board of trustees as chair of the Board of Managers beginning in July.
Founded in 1833, Haverford College is a prestigious private college in eastern Pennsylvania of the United States with a strong undergraduate focus on the liberal arts, including the humanities, social sciences, basic sciences, and engineering. It is considered a “Little Ivy League” college in the United States along with Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Wesleyan.
Some Koreans have already served on the boards of U.S. colleges. But Kim will become the first Korean-American to serve as the chair of a board at a prestigious college in the United States.
Haverford’s Board of Managers, which sets core rules for the college’s governance, research areas, and the management of the college’s resources, is comprised of 30 managers including the chairman of the board and the college president. Kim served as a member of Haverford’s Board of Managers from 2005 to 2017.
“It means a lot to have Kim as chairman of the Haverford Board of Trustees,” said Haverford College President Wendy E. Raymond. “Kim’s passion for the liberal arts, his ethical leadership, and the stature of Haverford as an institution of higher education make him a natural leader of Haverford College. I look forward to going on our next journey with Kim.”
“I am very excited to return to the Haverford College Board of Managers and work with President Wendy Raymond and other leaders at Haverford,” Kim said. “I will focus on our core missions of pursuing academic excellence and creating a special value-driven community on stable financial footing.”
Chairman Kim, in addition to being an investor, philanthropist, and novelist, serves as a board member of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, the New York Public Library, and Harvard Business School. He is also the chairman of the MBK Scholarship Foundation.