Leadership and Board

Robert L. (Bob) Thornton III

Chairman, Rising Star Program
Thornton helped launch the internationally recognized Rising Star Program  in its early stages under his leadership as Foundation chairman from 1997 to 2004. An executive officer of the Foundation today, he continues to be a passionate leader of the program.

A retired vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase-Dallas, Thornton serves on various posts for other organizations. He is a trustee of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, a member of the advisory board of the University of Texas Press, and past chairman and honorary director of the Dallas Arboretum. Thornton also serves as chairman of the advisory boards for both MedSynergies, Inc. and Travic Ltd. He is a former director of SMU’s Cox School of Business.

Thornton received the 2000 Linz Award – Dallas’ most distinguished civic award – and the Dallas Historical Society’s 2002 Community Service Award in Humanities. He and his wife, Vera, are avid wildlife photographers and have co-authored Chasing Warblers, (1999) and Chasing Neotropical Birds (2005), both published by University of Texas Press.

Thornton earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.