Donald Bren
Chairman
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Donald Bren is Chairman of the Irvine Company, one of the most respected and diversified privately held real estate companies in America. Founded more than 140 years ago, the company is known for its best-of-class portfolio of premier California real estate including office, apartment, retail, resort and new housing properties in Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
Bren is a leader and innovator within the real estate industry, one of the first to combine well-designed homes with such amenities as parks and substantial open space, schools, employment centers and shopping centers to create balanced master-planned communities. Through his accomplishments, he has achieved a reputation as a national expert in the interrelated fields of planning, design, construction, marketing and finance.
Bren is a nationally prominent philanthropist, with special focus on education, conservation and research. His extensive educational and research philanthropy includes funding endowed distinguished professor chairs at Caltech, the University of California, Chapman University and Marine Corps University. At the University of California, his support has created more endowed chairs than any other single donor in UC history. Recognizing his wide-ranging support for the UC system, Bren was awarded in 2004 its highest honor, the University of California Presidential Medal. The Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation also have contributed more than $200 million to support K-12 public schools in Southern California and such institutions as University of California at Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.
Dedicated to preserving environmentally sensitive land on The Irvine Ranch in Southern California, Bren over the years has protected more than half of the 93,000-acre ranch—more than 50,000 acres—as permanent open space, parks and trails. His conservation efforts have protected a wide range of endangered plant and animal species, while expanding the public’s access to and enjoyment of the land. Much of the land has been designated Natural Landmarks by both the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of California. These beautiful, permanently protected lands represent one of the nation’s largest natural and recreational resources located within minutes of millions of urban residents.
Bren is on the board of trustees of the University of California, Irvine Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Orange County Museum of Art and California Institute of Technology. He also is a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Bren holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from the University of Washington.