Tim Baxter ’83 Elected Chair of RWU Board of Trustees

BRISTOL, R.I. ­­– Tim Baxter is the new chair of the RWU Board of Trustees, the board announced on Monday. Baxter, who served as vice president of the RWU Alumni Association, will be the first alumnus to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees.

Baxter, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, will become the seventh Board of Trustees chair in RWU history, succeeding Richard L. Bready, the former Nortek Inc. CEO and Chairman who just stepped down after 11 years as board chair.

“Tim Baxter’s election as chair of the Board of Trustees inaugurates an exciting new era in the development of RWU,” RWU Interim President Andy Workman said. “His perspective as an alumnus and his experience at the helm of a major technology company will inform our work to continue the dynamic development that has characterized the University since its inception. I very much look forward to working with him in the coming year.”

“Given my longstanding history with Roger Williams University, I am honored to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees,” Baxter said. “I am committed to the success of the university as it undergoes an innovative transformation with a new campus in Providence and with the construction of a new laboratory building for the School of Engineering Computing and Construction Management. I am personally excited to be involved as RWU provides high-tech and high-impact education that the next generation of students require to be competitive and successful after graduation.” 

As President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, Baxter is responsible for the continued growth and success of Samsung’s more-than-$30 billion consumer and enterprise businesses across Samsung Electronics America and Samsung Electronics Canada. He is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of sales, marketing and leadership experience in consumer electronics, IT and mobile. He joined Samsung in 2006 as executive vice president of sales and marketing for the consumer electronics division of Samsung Electronics America and has held a series of executive leadership positions with Samsung during his tenure.

Prior to joining Samsung, Baxter spent 10 years at Sony Corporation of America, where he rose to become Senior Vice President of strategic marketing. He also spent 13 years at AT&T and Lucent Technologies leading marketing, product management and sales for various categories in their residential phone businesses.

While the role of board chair will be new to him, Baxter has a long relationship with RWU. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1983, he is the father of a 2013 RWU graduate, and he received an honorary degree from RWU in 2015.

“This university took a chance on me as a student, offered me many opportunities and then gave me the post-graduation confidence I needed to be successful,” Baxter said. He said he looks forward to working with the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, and the new RWU President, who will be selected in the coming year.

In 2012, RWU and Samsung partnered to set new standards for “affordable excellence” in higher education. By developing collaborative learning environments, the initiative reduced technology costs for students in the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation and the School of Continuing Studies while providing access to 27-inch LED monitors, Samsung’s cloud access technology and interactive whiteboards.

“By embracing innovative partnerships, RWU is driving the high-tech, high-impact education that prepares the next generation of learners to be the next generation of leaders,” Baxter said. “It is this leadership and collaboration that makes me confident in Roger Williams University’s bright future.”