Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham has been elected chairman of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF) Board of Trustees. Melody Barnes, co-director of the University of Virginia’s Democracy Initiative, co-founder of MB2 Solutions, and a professor of practice at the UVA Miller Center, serves as vice chairman.
“Under Jon and Melody’s leadership, we have a unique opportunity to bring Jefferson forward into national dialogues on a wide range of topics,” said Leslie Greene Bowman, TJF president and CEO. “We are fortunate to have them leading the board at a time when Jefferson’s vision, voice and complexity speak clearly to our current challenges.”
Meacham, of Nashville, Tennessee, is a contributing writer to the New York Times Book Review and contributing editor at TIME. A former executive editor at Random House and editor at Newsweek, Meacham is a regular guest on Morning Joe and other broadcasts. He is also the author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.
Barnes, of Richmond, Virginia, served as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council from 2009 to 2012. Under her leadership, innovative new policies, practices and partnerships were initiated to address significant national challenges, including education and health care.
Monticello has also welcomed David Landin of Richmond, Virginia, to the board of trustees. Landin is Special Counsel at the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. He is a past president of the Virginia Bar Association, a member of the Order of St John, and is also CEO of The Landin Company, which specializes in group self-insurance. Landin and his wife, Susan, have also co-chaired the Monticello Summit, recognizing donors whose leadership gifts to the annual fund have advanced Monticello’s mission of preservation and education.
Melody Barnes
David Landin