UVA alumnus and McIntire School of Commerce Foundation Board of Trustees Member Thomas Baltimore was recently selected by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans to receive its Horatio Alger Award. Chairman, President, and CEO of Tysons, VA-based Park Hotels & Resorts, Baltimore joins 11 other American corporate, civic, and cultural leaders who will be formally recognized during the 78th Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, DC, April 3-5, 2025.
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a nonprofit educational organization, gives its annual award to individuals who overcame challenges to succeed, hold a lifelong commitment to higher education, serve as role models, and personify the American Dream through their tenacity and compassion. Since 1947, more than 750 people from a wide range of professional backgrounds have received the prestigious award, including such figures as Buzz Aldrin (Class of 2005), Maya Angelou (Class of 1992), Dwight D. Eisenhower (Class of 1961), and Oprah Winfrey (Class of 1992).
Baltimore has long been known for his determined work ethic and an unwavering perseverance in the face of adversity—qualities that have supported his path from modest beginnings to leading a $9 billion lodging real estate investment trust.
Born in Front Royal, VA, to hardworking parents who tirelessly labored to surmount financial struggle for their five children, Baltimore himself worked many jobs as a child and realized that he could break the cycle of poverty through education. A first-generation college student at UVA, he earned his B.S. in Commerce from McIntire in 1985 and returned to Grounds to earn his MBA from the Darden School of Business in 1991.
A highly engaged member of McIntire and the UVA communities, Baltimore has participated in the Commerce School’s Black Alumni and Student networking event and has been a regular guest lecturer at Darden, which honored him with its 2020 Charles C. Abbott Award. In addition to serving on McIntire’s Foundation Board of Trustees as a Board of Visitors Representative, Baltimore also serves on the board of University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO), the entity that manages the University’s endowment, and is a member of the UVA Real Estate Group.
Since 1984, the Horatio Alger Association has awarded annual need-based scholarships to high school students with promise who overcome significant obstacles and demonstrate a commitment to continuing their education and making a unique contribution to society. All told, over the last 40 years, association members have donated more than $265 million in scholarship funds to 37,000 students.
