William J. Poorvu is a successful real estate investor, developer, educator, and writer. He is the Head of the Harvard Business School’s real estate program, and is the school’s Adjunct Professor in Entrepreneurship, Emeritus for the Class of 1961. He was the first adjunct professor at the school, the first adjunct professor with a named chair, and the first non-tenured professor to attain Emeritus status. He oversaw the real estate courses there for 35 years, and he also served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Design. In the business world, Poorvu has been a managing partner in a variety of real estate companies. He was a co-founder, Vice Chair and Treasurer of Boston Broadcasters, Inc. (1963-1982) and was a co-founder and Chair of The Baupost Group L.L.C. (1982). He also served as an Independent Trustee of the MFS Group of Mutual Funds, and as a board member of a number of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT). Today he serves as the Co-Chair to the Board of Advisors for The Baupost Group. Poorvu was educated at Yale University, where he received his B.A. in 1956, and Harvard Business School, where he received his M.B.A. in 1958. He formerly served as a member of the Yale University Investment Committee and the Yale University Council. An active member in his community, Poorvu is a Life Trustee, former Vice Chair, and former Treasurer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was also the Vice Chair of the National Public Radio Foundation and a Trustee and Treasurer of the Gardner Museum. He is currently a member of the Carnegie Corporation Investment Committee.