A seasoned senior executive, Thompson Dean serves as managing partner and CEO of private equity firm Avista Capital Partners, which primarily invests in growing healthcare companies. He obtained his MBA at Harvard Business School, graduating with high distinction as a Baker Scholar. Thompson Dean earned his BA from the University of Virginia (UV), where he was also an Echols Scholar.
UV’s Echols Scholars Program is exclusively reserved for students of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). As the office of admissions endeavors to have a qualitative and holistic evaluation of applicants, there are no strict quantitative measures such as rank in class or SAT/ACT combined score that will guarantee admission to the program. In choosing successful applicants, the office considers intellectual leadership, the potential to tackle complex issues, academic excellence, and intellectual risk-taking.
Echols Scholars are exempt from all competency and area requirements within CAS, are provided an official faculty advisor, and have priority registration within their class year. They also have designated campus housing for their first year, and may undertake the Echols Interdisciplinary Major. Although three small scholarships are available for the scholars, the honors program is not a merit or stipend scholarship. The program is grounded on the Jeffersonian model of critical thinking and freedom of inquiry.
