Trustee, alumnus René F. Jones to be honored at Wall Street Council event
University Trustee René F. Jones, a 1986 Boston College alumnus who is one of the nation’s banking and finance leaders, will be honored at the 35th annual Boston College Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner, which will take place April 23 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
Organized by the Wall Street Business Leadership Council—a network of more than 2,000 BC alumni, parents, and friends who work in and represent the New York financial community—the dinner provides financial aid for BC’s Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, a four-year honors program that combines rigorous coursework, community service, international experience, and internships. The dinner has raised more than $57 million in endowed scholarship funds.
At the event, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., will present the President’s Medal for Excellence to Jones—who is co-chair of the Boston College Soaring Higher capital campaign—in recognition of his life’s work and contributions to society.
Jones is chairman and chief executive officer of M&T Bank, a diversified, community-focused banking franchise with $200 billion in assets and a network of more than 1,000 branches across the eastern United States. Before being named chairman and CEO in December 2017, he served as chief financial officer from 2005 to 2016, responsible for managing the financial actions of the company. In 2005, he was named to M&T’s Management Group, a group of senior executives responsible for the company’s strategic direction.
Jones participates in several organizations to help advance the industry, including as vice chair of the Bank Policy Institute, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, of which he is a director. He is also active in the community, serving on the boards of Boston College, ACV Auctions, and the Pan-Mass Challenge, as well as on the advisory council of the University at Buffalo.
As one of only a few Black CEOs in the Fortune 500, Jones is passionate about equity of opportunity, both in and outside the company. He serves as a steward of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism and on the capital advisory committee of Aux21, a seed-stage firm investing in the future of global commerce with a focus on companies led by immigrant founders.
A native of Ayer, Mass., Jones received a bachelor of science degree in management science from Boston College. He began his career in accounting at the Boston-based office of Ernst & Young, and later at a private equity firm, and went on to receive a master of business administration degree from the University of Rochester.