Mike Thonis

Mike earned a BS, summa cum laude, in geology from Syracuse University, an MS in geology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard University.

Prior to business school, he worked as a geotechnical consultant for Stone & Webster. After business school, he worked as a consultant at Bain & Company before joining Harvard Management Company in 1979. As director of research, Mike helped guide Harvard’s endowment-investment program. He later became managing director and chief financial officer at Harvard Private Capital Group, the private equity investing arm of the university. In 1998, he co-founded that firm’s successor, Charlesbank Capital Partners, where he serves today as managing director and chief operating officer.

While Mike’s daily work prevents him from more fully pursuing his passion for geology, in his spare time he has managed to read nearly all GSA periodicals and participate in GSA field trips. His other outdoor pursuits include hiking and kayaking. In this spirit, he has initiated a fundraising program for the Boston Museum of Science focused on geologically oriented mountain climbs.

Mike also serves on the Board of Visitors at Syracuse University and the Board of Overseers at the Boston Museum of Science. He lives in Wellesley, MA, with his wife and three boys.

gsaf@geosociety.org (800) 472-1988 x 1054GSAF - P.O. Box 9140 - Boulder, CO 80301