Below is a press release issued today by The Jefferson Council.
The Jefferson Council (TJC), a nonprofit alumni association formed to preserve Thomas Jefferson’s legacy of freedom and excellence at the University of Virginia, is very pleased to announce that Joel Gardner has agreed to succeed Tom Neale as the president of The Jefferson Council.
Gardner is a double Wahoo — BA and Law — with a long history of commitment to the university. He has been a long-time supporter of TJC who shares our commitment to restoring intellectual diversity, civil dialogue, and a return to Mr. Jefferson’s core vision for our University. He has an extensive working knowledge of TJC’s Board members and accomplishments and will work closely with Neale to ensure a smooth transition over the next few months.
Neale has served as president for over two years and will remain an active TJC Board member. He accepted the position as chair of the Alumni Free Speech Alliance four months ago, a vibrant organization of alumni groups aligned with TJC whose mission is to “focus on supporting free speech, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity at their colleges and universities.” Under Neale’s leadership, The Jefferson Coucil was a core founder of AFSA in 2021 along with four like-minded alumni chapters: Cornell, Davidson, Princeton, and Washington and Lee. AFSA has now grown to twenty-seven chapters. Neale will continue in this role, ensuring that TJC’s accomplishments are shared across the AFSA chapters along with select national media outlets.
“Joel and I have become great friends over the past four years as we helped grow TJC,” said Neale. “I cannot think of a better person to lead us to greater heights.”
Joel’s dedication to the well being of the University has always been a priority in his life, and he looks forward to continuing these efforts in his new role as president of The Jefferson Council.
Please join us in congratulating Joel. This is yet another positive development for The Jefferson Council as we continue our fight to return Mr. Jefferson’s University to its core values.
More about Joel Gardner:
Joel Gardner arrived on the Grounds in 1966 from a public high school in NYC as a total outsider. He quickly fell in love with the University, a love affair that has lasted a lifetime. He graduated in 1970 with an honors degree in history with a record as a prominent student leader. He was honored with membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the Z Society, TILKA, the Raven Society and ODK National Leadership Fraternity. He was also a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity.
After serving on active duty with the US Army Reserves, he returned to UVA Law School where he was an editor of the Law Review, a member of The Order of the COIF, and served on student council with Larry Sabato. After graduation, he practiced law with a major Wall Street law firm and then segued into investment banking. He spent the next thirty years as a corporate finance banker specializing in transactions with the Pacific Basin.
While no longer in Charlottesville, Joel never truly left the University. He has served on four University boards — including being a founding member of the Rotunda Society Board — has chaired more than a half dozen fundraising efforts, and most recently served on the University’s Committee on Free Expression and Free Inquiry. He has been a UVA parent twice and is the author of From Rebel Yell to Revolution, which tells the story of the momentous four years in UVA’s history while he was an undergraduate. He has traveled around the country giving book talks to numerous UVA alumni clubs. He has also published a number of articles dealing with UVA for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. Joel was actively involved in the creation of The Jefferson Council and served on its first Executive Committee.
