A. W. (Tom) Clausen
In 1995 the Clausen Center for International Business and Policy was established with the generous support of Peggy and Tom Clausen. The center's creation was another example of Tom's belief in trying to make the world a better place.
As a child in Hamilton, Illinois, Tom Clausen aspired to become a “transnational citizen.” He has more than achieved that goal, visiting 119 nations during his banking and public service career, and exercising his leadership skills to improve the lives of countless individuals around the world.
After graduating from Carthage College in 1944 (Then located in Carthage, Ilinois, but now situated on the shore of Lake Michigan in Kenosha, Wisconsinin.), Mr. Clausen earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota.
He entered Bank of America’s executive training program in 1949, and in 1970 was elected president and chief executive officer of BankAmerica Corporation. He led the bank through dramatic growth from 1970 through 1981 before leaving the bank during the Reagan administration to serve as President of the World Bank. In 1986, he returned to BankAmerica as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retiring in 1990.
Mr. Clausen is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School and a recipient of the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota, the Carthage Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the California Industrialist of the Year Award. He is the recipient of honorary degrees from Carthage, Gonzaga University, Lewis and Clark College, the University of Notre Dame, the University of the Pacific, and the University of Santa Clara. He has been awarded the prestigious University of California–San Francisco Medal and the Carthage Flame. Mr. Clausen has been a trustee or director of numerous educational, foreign policy, or economic organizations—including the Haas school and Carthage College; the Asia Foundation; the Committee for EconomicDevelopment; Population Action International; and the International Center for Economic Growth.
Mr. Clausen is immediate past Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Northern California. He is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and the Korea–U.S. Wiseman Council. He is advisor to the Japan Foundation’s Center for Global Partnership. He has received awards from the governments of Italy, Japan, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, and Venezuela.
Mr. Clausen and his wife, Helen, reside in Hillsborough, California. He has grown sons, Eric and Mark.
In addition to supporting the Clausen Center at Haas, Tom Clausen has endowed the A.W. Clausen Center for World Business at Carthage College.
