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NMH Magazine : Spring 2006
A Deep and Comfortable Chair by Mary Seymour
It’s a blustery March day in Boston, and NMH’s new chairman of the board of trustees, Mark Chardack ’73, is patiently posing for photographs on a wharf near his office. The wind is gusting, the sun is in his eyes, yet he’s smiling easily, without irony or excess, fully focused on the task at hand. He’s crisply attired in a deep-blue suit, a white shirt, and a nautical red tie that complements the harbor setting. He looks like a high-octane businessman, which is exactly what he is—and he looks like the kind of fellow who takes his responsibilities seriously, which he does. But there’s another side of him, evident in the weathered barn jacket and crumpled baseball cap that he carries. When he puts these on, you can see a hint of the boy inside and a puckishness at play in the edges of his smile. “You know, at NMH you get your power from your mind, not your clothes,” he says lightly.
Chardack knows something about powerful minds. He’s CFO and senior operations officer of Lextranet, a Boston firm that manages databases for mega-size legal cases. He’s got an MBA in finance from New York University, a master of technology degree, an advanced certificate in IT management, and he’s halfway through a master’s in accounting (to help while away his downtime on airplanes).
He’s served on the NMH Board of Trustees for 12 years, including a decade as chair of the finance committee. Chardack has worked with three heads of school—Jacqueline Smethurst, Richard Mueller ’62, and Tom Sturtevant—and ushered NMH through two strategic plans. His motivation for what amounts to a second job (his trustee commitment takes about 15 hours each week) is pure and simple. “I’ve fallen in love with the institution,” Chardack says. “I had a deep affection for it after graduating, but I’ve grown to love it.”
You came to NMH in fall 1971. Why’d you choose it?
I was in a large public school in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. I wanted to see a bigger world, so I asked my parents to send me to boarding school. We looked at all the possibilities and picked NMH. In hindsight, it was the right choice because both my parents were in public service. My father was a decorated MASH surgeon and a chief surgeon in the VA. My mother was an operating room nurse and a captain in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II; she was one of the first nurses into the concentration camps. She’s buried at Arlington. So in terms of service, there was some DNA that manifested itself later in life for me. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, believe me.
What was your experience like?
I came to NMH during its first year of coeducation, which I think all the students welcomed. When I look back, that time was tough because the Vietnam War was going on. For a lot of students, not just here but around the country, the willingness to be part of an institution wasn’t present—my generation was shaped by the tail end of the counterculture movement. But I enjoyed the school: it helped me become a citizen in the most meaningful sense of the word. And I’m still here.
When did you begin volunteering for the school?
I reconnected with NMH in 1984, when I was applying to business school. I called Dr. Jones [former president of NMH] and asked him to write a reference letter. He said, “Hell, I won’t write the letter—I’ll just pick up the phone and call the guy!” Around 1991 I was asked to become a class officer, and I accepted. Then Jacqueline Smethurst asked me to be president of the Moody Society, so I did that for two years. In 1994 I was invited to join the board of trustees, and in about a year’s time I became chair of the finance committee.
What does chairing the finance committee involve?
It means being the ultimate steward in terms of allocating NMH’s financial resources. The chair works closely with administrators to develop the annual budget, which drives everything—hiring, buildings, programs. For the transition to one campus, I worked with senior administrators on an elaborate financial model of the school. We still use that model.
How has our endowment changed?
When I came on as trustee, the endowment was between $35 million and $40 million. Now it’s $140 million. It needs to go to $300 million—$200 million would be a good ten-year target. That discussion is ongoing.
Describe the current board.
First of all, enormous credit goes to my predecessor, Bill Rhodes ’53, whose hard work has brought us to this point. He’s been an invaluable chairman. As for the board, its collective ability to navigate tough issues and work together is remarkable. Right now we’re very focused on making the transition a reality and being proper stewards of the Northfield campus.
How did you react when you were asked to become chairman?
I said, “I have to talk to my wife.” We have a six-year-old and an eight-year-old, I’m caring for my 92-year-old dad, and I’m in the air all week as it is. Being chair will take me out of the house even more. But she was supportive, and fortunately the folks I work with are understanding.
Does the job keep you awake at night?
All the time.
What are your goals for the future?
To execute on the transition and get the school into a comprehensive capital campaign; to preserve intergenerational equity (guaranteeing the same or better education to future students); to make sure the school remains true to providing academic excellence, care, and community.
What have been your best moments at NMH?
The best moments are today, when I run on the Miller Track and round the third corner with its view out over the valley.
Describe yourself in five words.
High energy, grounded, humble, reflective, committed.
What would you most like to say to alumni?
NMH exists because of their generosity. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
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