Clemson Grad Named President of Orange Bowl Committee

Jan. 29, 2007

Miami, FL – Thomas D. Wood, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Thomas D. Wood & Company, was installed as the 69th President & Chairman of the Orange Bowl Committee (OBC) Thursday, January 25th, during an evening gala reception held at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

Wood is a second generation Orange Bowl Committee member who was first elected to the OBC in 1995. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Thomas D. Wood, Sr., a senior OBC member, who has served on the Committee since 1974 and was elected OBC President for 1989-90. His brother, Steven H. Wood, also serves on the Orange Bowl Committee, having been elected to membership in 1992. Wood, Jr. and his wife, Kimberly, are the proud parents of four children: Ashlee (18), Courtney (13), Tommy (9) and Carly (6).

The gavel was passed to Wood by Albert E. Dotson, Jr., who served as President during the OBC’s most-recent Festival in 2006-07.

Wood will preside over the Orange Bowl Committee for the 2007-08 Festival, which includes the 74th Annual FedEx Orange Bowl, the 14th Annual MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic and the ninth season of the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance. The FedEx Orange Bowl will be played Jan. 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens.

“I am both honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as the President of the Orange Bowl Committee for the 2007-08 Festival,” said Wood. “My family has been a part of the Orange Bowl Festival for more than three decades so I have a great respect for this organization. The Orange Bowl Committee has been making both an economic and social impact in South Florida for the last 73 years and I look forward to building on that tradition. This is an important year as we gear up for the 75th anniversary, double hosting and the national championship game in 2009.”

Fellow OBC member S. Daniel Ponce (1994) moves into Wood’s previous role of Chairman-Elect and will serve as the 70th President & Chairman during the 2008-09 year and the Committee’s heralded 75th Anniversary. Phillis Oeters (1998) serves as first Vice-Chair and will become President & Chair of the 2009-10 Orange Bowl Festival. Eric L. Poms enters his second year as Chief Executive Officer in 2007-08 and marks his 15th year overall with the Committee. The remaining seats on the OBC Board of Directors will be filled following elections during the first Committee meeting of the calendar year.

Wood, a native Miamian, received his undergraduate degree from Clemson University in South Carolina in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Administrative Management. He earned his Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Finance from Florida International University in Miami in 1984

As President and CEO of Thomas D. Wood and Company, he is responsible for overall mortgage loan production and the supervision of all aspects of servicing operations, day-to-day management functions, investor relations and all accounting functions. Additionally, Wood is the Chief Operating Officer of Colliers Abood Wood-Fay Real Estate Group and serves on its Board of Directors as well as being a Principal of the firm.

In addition to his educational endeavors, Wood has been very involved in community and civic organizations and professional affiliations. He has been involved with Alonzo Mourning Charities, UM Sylvester Cancer Research Center, Project Newborn – Infants in Need and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society, where he was President of Directions of the American Cancer Society. His professional affiliations include the Mortgage Bankers Association, where he has continued to serve on the Income Property Finance Committee and the Asset Administration Committee. Wood also serves as President of the Strategic Alliance Mortgage Group, a twenty-one member national organization that originated over $ 18 billion dollars of commercial mortgage loans in 2006. His real estate affiliations include the Industrial Association of Dade County, the International Council of Shopping Centers and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.