For the past year and a half, Thomas Caleel has been a tireless VP of Professional Events for the Wharton Club of Northern California, and we will miss him as he transitions back to his new life in Philadelphia on Wharton's campus. The message below is from Anjani Jain, Vice Dean for the Wharton Graduate Division announcing Thomas' recent appointment to the position of Director of Wharton MBA Admissions and Financial Aid.

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A search committee headed by Peter Degnan evaluated and interviewed a large number of candidates and presented to Dean Harker and me a short list of very strong front-runners. The invited candidates also met with a group of 15 students and the entire staff of the MBA Admissions office. After extensive consultations with the Committee and other stakeholders, we are delighted to appoint Thomas to this position.

Thomas' professional career so far has been characterized by his uncommon entrepreneurial energy and dynamism. As a successful entrepreneur, venture financier, and chief executive, Thomas' professional experience has been wide ranging and internationally diverse. As a student at Wharton he demonstrated exemplary leadership and won the 2003 Wharton Way Leadership Award. As an alum he now returns to his alma mater with great enthusiasm and a sense of privilege at the opportunity to help shape Wharton's future.

Thomas began his career at Heritage Finance & Trust, a private financial group based in Geneva, Switzerland. As Director of the Moscow Representative Office during 1995-1998, Thomas established and built the company's presence in this rapidly growing market. He also participated in a variety of private equity transactions across several former Soviet Republics.

Between 1998 and 2001, Thomas was a co-Founder of BCI Private Capital, a holding company in Denver, Colorado. Through BCI, he served as Managing Director of International Development for Caleel+Hayden, a start-up manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of premium skincare products. During his time at Caleel+Hayden, sales grew from zero to over $20 million annually, and the firm grew to 180 employees across 20 countries. While at BCI, Thomas participated in the acquisition or founding of several new product lines and new businesses and served as the interim CEO of a Russian-Swiss technology venture that delivers medical information to remote disaster areas as well as mobile phones.

After his graduation from Wharton, Thomas worked at Cagan McAfee Capital Partners, a private equity firm in Californias Silicon Valley, where he performed financial analysis for portfolio companies and raised public and private funds across the energy, recycling, and life sciences sectors. He also served on the Board of Directors of several CMCP portfolio companies.

Thomas received his MBA from Wharton in 2003 with a major in finance. While at Wharton, he was a Leadership Fellow, Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee, a Graduate Assistant in the Admissions Office (reading applications and conducting interviews), and a member of the Deans Graduate Student Advisory Committee. Thomas received a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994.

Thomas is an accomplished horseman and has played polo in professional level tournaments in the U.S. and abroad. He is fluent in Russian, proficient in Italian and French, and is working on his Spanish. His return to Philadelphia does deprive the Wharton Club of Northern California of a Vice President, but the Club leaders agree the move is in Wharton's larger interest!

It is a matter of considerable pride for us to have attracted alumni to a number of senior administrative positions at the school (Evan Wittenberg, WG02; Jennifer McElrath, WG'85, and Kristi Aiello, WG01 being the most recent in the Grad Division). My thanks to Peter Degnan and the entire committee for devoting countless hours to conduct a careful and thorough search.

I also wish to take a moment to acknowledge with gratitude the wonderful leadership, commitment, and integrity that Rose Martinelli has brought to her years of service at Wharton. She remained on board till the end of April and helped guide Thomas' transition into the position. She leaves behind a shining legacy of inspirational leadership and carries the fond gratitude of the entire Wharton community.

With best regards,

Anjani