Donald L Bren's Kevo

From his website:
For more than 45 years, Donald Bren, chairman of the board of directors of The Irvine Company, has been deeply involved in California real estate as a master planner, master builder and a long-term investor.

Mr. 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.

Mr. Bren’s vision and expertise are guiding the creation of the nation’s premier master-planned community on The Irvine Ranch� in central Orange County, 93,000 acres stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the inland mountains of the Cleveland National Forest.

Under Mr. Bren’s leadership, The Irvine Company steadily has evolved from a nationally recognized community developer to a real estate investment company of significant size and diversity. Most of The Irvine Company’s land and property holdings are in Orange County, but the company also owns investment properties in Los Angeles, San Diego and Silicon Valley. The company’s portfolio includes approximately 400 office buildings, 40 retail centers, 90 apartment communities, two hotels, five marinas and three golf clubs.

Mr. Bren has been at the forefront of efforts to preserve environmentally sensitive land in Southern California, a commitment that was recognized in 2006 with the designation of The Irvine Ranch's protected parks and open spaces as a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. In 1990, he announced the creation of an “uncommon alliance” with The Nature Conservancy to manage the company’s wilderness land and improve habitat for a variety of sensitive species.

In 1996, under a creative, voluntary agreement with the federal, state and county governments, The Irvine Company agreed to set aside more than 21,000 acres of precious open space habitat for endangered and threatened plant and animal species.

In 2001, the company donated 11,000 acres of environmentally diverse land in the north portion of The Irvine Ranch to be protected forever as permanent open space. That donation brought to 50,000 acres the total amount of land permanently protected for open space and recreation on The Irvine Ranch – more than half of the entire 93,000-acre ranch. Mr. Bren also has committed $50 million for the long-term management, preservation and restoration of the natural resources on the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve�, as well as increased public access to the lands.

“We want to produce a great urban culture that balances high-quality development and environmental sensitivity to yield a quality of life unmatched anywhere,” he once told Fortune magazine.

In addition to his preservation efforts, Mr. Bren has made education his other philanthropic priority, with major contributions to local K-12 schools and to the University of California - the Irvine and Santa Barbara campuses in particular. In 2006, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Mr. Bren 8th on its annual list of "The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists" in the country. Also in 2006, The Los Angeles Times placed him atop its list of the 100 most influential people in Southern California. And in 2007, Mr. Bren was elected a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Fellows are elected from throughout the world through a highly competitive process, and are chosen for their major and lasting contributions to their disciplines and society. Mr. Bren was elected in the category of Business, Corporate and Philanthropic Leadership – Private Sector.

Born in Los Angeles, Mr. Bren was raised in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He earned a degree in business administration and economics from the University of Washington where he also pursued business school graduate studies. Following school, he served for three years as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Mr. Bren began his business career in 1958 by founding the Bren Company, which built homes in Orange County. In 1963, he formed the Mission Viejo Company and, as president, began the master planning and development of the 11,000-acre new community of Mission Viejo in Orange County.

In 1967, Mr. Bren sold his interest in the Mission Viejo Company to focus his attention on the Bren Company (subsequently renamed California Pacific Homes), which has built residential communities in Orange County, Los Angeles, Ventura County, San Diego and Northern California.

In 1977, Mr. Bren joined a group of investors to purchase The Irvine Company from the Irvine Foundation. His 34 percent share of the company made him the largest shareholder. He became a member of the company’s executive committee and vice chairman. In April 1983, Mr. Bren purchased additional outstanding shares from shareholders to secure ownership of 92 percent of the company and was elected chairman of the board. He became the company’s sole shareholder in July 1996.

Describing his mission for The Irvine Company, he says, “As master builders, we are blending architectural and planning skills, plus business and financial disciplines, to produce superbly balanced communities. I consider The Irvine Company land a quintessential opportunity and challenge for anyone in real estate.”

Mr. Bren’s personal commitment to improving education has led to significant support for local K-12 schools on The Irvine Ranch. The Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation collectively have committed more than $200 million to public schools on The Irvine Ranch and to institutions of higher education. These charitable gifts have supported a diverse group of initiatives, such as elementary school science enrichment programs in local schools and the Educational Excellence Program, which recognizes and rewards outstanding students, teachers and principals.

In 2006, Mr. Bren announced the creation of a 10-year, $20 million Excellence in Education Enrichment Fund for fourth through sixth grade art, music and science programs in the Irvine Unified School District. Mr. Bren's gift will assure dedicated funding to support more than 30 distinguished "specialist teachers" in art, music and science. As a consequence, Irvine schools will offer the finest, most comprehensive and sophisticated enrichment curriculum of any district in the state.

At the University of California, Mr. Bren has contributed more to support endowed chairs than any other single donor in UC’s history. Privately and through the Donald Bren Foundation, The Irvine Company and related entities, he has directed more than $60 million to support faculty and programmatic excellence at UC.

Mr. Bren has played an instrumental role in UCI’s ascension into the top ranks of research universities. His philanthropy has established more than 20 endowed chairs, and helped establish the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and Donald Bren Endowment at UCI. Among his other contributions to UCI are major gifts in support of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Bren Events Center, Paul Merage School of Business, Beckman Laser Institute and the University of California, Irvine Foundation. Mr. Bren received the UCI Medal, the campus’ highest honor, in 1989.

In addition, Mr. Bren donated $20 million to help establish the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, a major graduate studies program based at UC Santa Barbara dedicated to the prevention and solution of environmental problems. The gift establishes endowments to support nine distinguished faculty chairs, a visiting professor program and fellowships for students pursuing master’s degrees.

In recognition of his wide-ranging support for the UC system, Mr. Bren was awarded in 2004 its highest honor, the University of California Presidential Medal. “For well over two decades, Mr. Bren’s focus on the creation of endowment funds to support faculty chairs has helped bring to the University of California some of the best researchers and scholars in the nation and the world,” UC President Robert Dynes said at the time of the announcement. “His passionate philanthropy and commitment to educational excellence have helped strengthen the university. We are proud to bestow upon him this honor.”

In addition to UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, he also has funded endowed chairs for Bren Professors at Chapman University, Caltech and Marine Corps University.

Mr. Bren serves on the board of trustees at Caltech and The UCI Foundation.

The Marine Corps University Foundation in 2003 awarded Mr. Bren its most prestigious award, the General Leonard F. Chapman Medallion named in honor of the 24th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Also, in 1998, the Foundation awarded Mr. Bren the Semper Fidelis Award, presented to distinguished Americans whose commitment to excellence embodies those qualities of leadership and character uniquely associated with the Marine Corps.

Mr. Bren also has a long-standing interest in art, history and architecture. He has been a generous supporter in the Orange County community, donating millions in charitable contributions, both personally and on behalf of The Irvine Company. Major beneficiaries include the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Orange County Museum of Art, and a wide range of local charities. He is on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Orange County Museum of Art.

Mr. Bren is an Olympic-class skier, an avid tennis player and a longtime sailor.

"Born and raised in Los Angeles, no one could ever accuse Donald Bren of having a boring life. For starters, his father, Milton Bren, was a recognized Hollywood producer. Also a real estate tycoon, Milton is remembered for his part in the development of Sunset Boulevard. Then there's his mother, Marion. A friend of Nancy Reagan's, she went on to divorce Milton and marry Earle Jorgensen who later became a Reagan cabinet minister. And of course we can't forget Donald's stepmom, Claire Trevor. A well known actress, Trevor won an Oscar for her role in the film 1948, Key Largo. Donald himself was an Olympic class skier and went to the University of Washington on a ski scholarship. He studied economics and business administration.

His career in the business world began in 1958 by founding the Bren Company. The firm built homes in Orange County in California. In 1963, Bren and partner Dick O'Neill formed the Mission Viejo Company. The business planned and developed an 11,000 acre community called Mission Viejo in Orange County. In 1969, O'Neill bought Bren out. In 1977, Bren joined a group of investors to buy the Irvine Company from the Irvine Foundation. They also bought the Irvine Ranch. Bren moved through the ranks quickly becoming a member of the company's executive committee and vice chairman. In 1983, Bren bought a majority of shares and became 92% owner. From there he became chair and by 1996 he was sole share owner. Bren is known as one of the first developers to combine dwellings with amenities such as parks, schools and shopping centers. His reputation is that of a national expert in the fields of planning, design, construction, marketing and finance. Mr. Bren also serves as chairman of Irvine Apartment Communities, a publicly traded real estate investment trust created in December, 1993, to own and operate The Irvine Company's apartment business.



Bren is active in the academic community through extensive donations. He funds the Donald Bren Foundation which donates thousands of dollars each year to charitable organizations. He's also an active conservationist. Bren ranks 48 on the Forbes 400 list for 1998.



http://www.uci.edu/~inform/ucinews/1106feat.html

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/archives/97/lede-9.18.97-1.shtml

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http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/about_bren/bren_history.htm

http://www.uci.edu/~inform/98releases/063tc98.html

http://www.uci.edu/~inform/releases/142re97.html

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http://www.eco.utexas.edu/joe/db/9810w/joe028.html

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http://cgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/archive/1995/950925/950925.campaign96.html"
Work History
"* began his business career in 1958 by founding the Bren Company which built homes in Orange County

* in 1963, he formed the Mission Viejo Company with Dick O'Neill and, as president, began the master planning and development of an 11,000 acre community called Mission Viejo in Orange County

* Mission Viejo has become one of the finest examples of community development in the United States

* in 1969, O'Neill bought Bren out

* sold Bren Co. to International Paper in 1970 of 34 million dollars

* bought back in 1972 for 22 million

* in 1977, Mr. Bren joined a group of investors to purchase The Irvine Company from the Irvine Foundation

* in 1977, bought the Irvine Ranch for $337 million

* became a member of the company's executive committee and vice chairman

* in April, 1983, Bren purchased additional outstanding shares from his partners to secure ownership of 92 percent of the company for $518 million

* was elected chairman of the board

* became the company's sole shareholder in 1996"
Affiliations
* on the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Orange County Museum of Art