Ten New Trustees Join the George Mason University Foundation Board for Fiscal Year 2027
New brand logo display on the quad framed by student organization and club benches. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding
The George Mason University Foundation (GMUF) welcomes 10 new members to its Board of Trustees, with their terms beginning in July 2026. The new trustees bring distinguished experience throughout our community and deep commitment to seeing George Mason thrive.
“We enthusiastically welcome these new trustees, leaders who bring with them knowledge from their diverse industries and experiences, and look forward to working together and empowering possibility at George Mason,” said Trishana E. Bowden, GMUF president and George Mason’s vice president for advancement and alumni relations. “The trustees are key to the crucial work of the foundation and continuing the success of the university.”
Trustees:
Bob Amani, BA Public Administration ’91 – Bob Amani holds more than 30 years of experience in the government contracting and consulting sector in Washington, D.C., including his current role as chief transformation officer at Edgewater Federal Solutions. His expertise is enterprise transformation, digital strategy, cybersecurity, and management consulting. Amani was previously a leader at Accenture, and he was instrumental in several George Mason initiatives such as the 2023 Accelerate Investor Conference and the College of Engineering and Computing Hackathon. He earned a BA in public administration and a Schar School of Policy and Government certificate from George Mason, as well as an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
Mark W. Atwood – Mark Atwood is a seasoned legal expert with more than 45 years in aviation regulatory law. He is senior counsel at Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC in Washington, D.C., where he represents clients including U.S. and foreign airlines, charter operators, airports, and manufacturers before U.S. government agencies and courts. Atwood is a dedicated philanthropist, serving as a trustee at Pender United Methodist Church, board member at Travelers Aid International, judge for the prestigious Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, volunteer with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and co-founder and board chair of the Chris Atwood Foundation, an organization named after his son which offers substance use and mental health support. Atwood holds a BA from Loyola College and a JD from the University of Southern California.
Stefan Becker, BS Decision Science and Management Information Systems ’92, MBA ’94 – Stefan Becker serves as the president, CGI Germany, where he is responsible for the strategic and operational activities of the business region, and has held multiple leadership roles with the global information technology and business consulting services firm over the course of his 30+ years in the global IT services industry. His expertise covers digital transformation, process optimization, and data analytics. A member of the Costello College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, Becker holds a BS in business and an MBA from George Mason.
Jim E. Boyer, BS Biology ’94 – Jim Boyer is a medical oncologist and hematologist with more than 24 years of experience specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of familial colorectal cancer, thrombocytopenia, inflammatory breast cancer, and breast cancer. He is on staff at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. A supporter of George Mason University Life, Boyer helped establish the Jeremy Lee Starns Memorial Scholarship Endowment in memory of a fellow fraternity member. Boyer is a board member of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation, the 1455 Literary Arts, Paramount Theater, and Piedmont Court Appointed Special Advocates. A Phi Beta Kappa Society member, he earned a BS in biology from George Mason and MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Mary Sanders Jones – Mary Sanders Jones retired after an impressive 40-year career with the Union Pacific Corporation, the largest freight railroad company in the United States. Her last role as vice president and treasurer involved significant interaction with shareholders, debt investors, and financial institutions. She is a trustee of the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust and is involved in community organizations in Nebraska and Virginia. Jones is an active supporter of George Mason’s arts programs and is a member of the Mason Arts board. She holds a BA in English from Carleton College and MBA from Columbia University.
Michael Ly, BS Accounting ’12, MS ’13 – Michael Ly is an experienced auditing professional, with the current role of director of private, assurance services, at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He received the Costello College Prominent Patriot Award in 2020 in recognition of his service with George Mason’s Habitat for Humanity chapter and Theta Alpha chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for financial information students and professionals. A certified public accountant, Ly is the treasurer of Ascend Greater Washington and a friend of the board for the Costello College of Business Alumni Chapter. He holds a BS and MS in accounting from George Mason.
Laura A. Odell – Laura Odell serves as deputy director, information technology and systems division, at the nonprofit Institute for Defense Analyses. She is a recognized leader, trusted White House advisor, and frequent speaker on topics related to information technology-enabled data analytics, acquisition procurement regulation, and compliance. For her pioneering work with artificial intelligence-enabled decision making, Odell won the Andrew J. Goodpaster Award for Excellence in Research; she also was honored with a Spark Award by the Society of Women Engineers for her contributions to the advancement of women in engineering. Odell holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, as well as MS degrees in contract acquisition management and in business administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Anne Osterman – Anne Osterman is George Mason’s dean of libraries and university librarian. She holds more than 20 years of academic library experience including roles at Virginia’s academic library consortium, VIVA; American University; and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has published widely about cooperative acquisitions and collection development, collection assessment, and e-resource management. Osterman is the chair of Washington Research Library Consortium Library Directors and secretary-treasurer of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries board. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English, classical civilization, and religion from Florida State University; a MS in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and a MS in statistics from American University.
Marcus J. Perry, BA Government and Politics ’93, MBA Banking, Finance, and Securities Law ’00 – Marcus Perry is an accomplished banking professional, currently serving as senior vice president and commercial group leader at Atlantic Union Bank. With more than 30 years in the banking industry, Perry’s expertise is commercial banking, corporate lending, strategic leadership, mergers and acquisitions, and regional market development. A member of the Thumbs Up for Adam Advisory board and involved with the George Mason Alumni Association, he earned a George Mason BA in government and politics and an MBA with a concentration in banking, finance, and securities law. Perry is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
Jaqueline R. Scott – A distinguished attorney, Jaqueline Scott is the co-founder and president of Washington, D.C.’s FortneyScott, LLC. Many of her clients are federal government contractors, and she is a frequent lecturer on international labor and employment law issues. She is the immediate past president and current revenue director at Union Internationale des Avocats (International Association of Lawyers). Scott is a former U.S. member and first vice president of the United Nations (UN) Administrative Tribunal, an independent appellate forum for UN employees’ claims. A member of the American Employment Law Conference, she earned a BA in English language and literature/letters and JD from Vanderbilt University, a LLM in taxation from New York University School of Law, and a LLM in international law, international arbitration and international taxation from Georgetown Law.
