John F.A.V. Cecil Elected Trustee of The Duke Endowment

January 7, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jeri Krentz
Associate Director of Communications
The Duke Endowment
704.927.2260
[email protected]
www.dukeendowment.org
John F.A.V. Cecil Elected Trustee of The Duke Endowment
CHARLOTTE, NC – John F.A.V. “Jack” Cecil, president of Biltmore Farms in Asheville, N.C., has been
elected a Trustee of The Duke Endowment.
“With his deep roots in western North Carolina and his long history as a business and community leader,
Jack Cecil has a great understanding of issues that are important to the Carolinas,” said Minor Shaw, the
Endowment’s Board chair. “His perspective and expertise will be valuable to our work, and we are
pleased to add his voice to our Board.”
Cecil has been involved with multiple boards and commissions, including the UNC Board of Governors,
the North Carolina Economic Development Board, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the
Urban Land Institute. He currently serves as Chair of the Institute of Emerging Issues at N.C. State
University, an organization focused on tackling issues that affect North Carolina’s growth and prosperity.
He also serves as a member and past chairman of the Board of Mission Health System and Mission
Hospitals, and serves on the boards of the Research Triangle Foundation, the North Carolina Arboretum
and the SCANA Corporation.
A native of Asheville, Cecil joined Biltmore Farms in 1984 and became president and CEO in 1992.
Established in 1897, Biltmore Farms is a fourth generation privately held community development firm
with a portfolio that includes neighborhood retail centers, corporate offices, hotels, residential
communities, a mixed-use urban village, apartments, and a homebuilding division.
Cecil was formerly associated with Foremost-McKesson, where he was responsible for managing the
company’s dairy operations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He received his Masters In Management
from The American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Ariz., and a B.A. in
Interdisciplinary Studies from UNC Chapel Hill. He and his wife, Sarah, are happily married and have
four wonderful sons.
Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke
Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by
nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has
distributed more than $3 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke
Energy, but all are separate organizations.
###

Download Report