James R. Monson, '76

School of Business Community Partner | James R. Monson
Titles and Organizations

Retired

Biography

Jim Monson is a seasoned executive with 30+ years of experience and a knack for anticipating future trends in market sentiments and technology. After receiving his BS from George Mason in ’76, he rose to the position of corporate controller of Rolls-Royce, with day-to-day responsibility for financial operations and information systems. After a number of years his interests charted a path more towards emerging technologies and less to the world of finance. That path earned him a master's degree in information systems from George Washington University in 1993. Monson spent his remaining career in executive positions at GTE, and as chief information officer at Wall-Data/NetManage, Intermec/Honeywell, Entex/Siemens, Rent-A-Center, and Corelink/Blue Cross Blue Shield. His entrepreneurial spirit also led to the raising of venture capital to start two e-commerce companies. He has been an active board member of the Seattle, Austin, Northwestern Pennsylvania technology councils and the Society for Information Management. He is a passionate Patriot with many family members and close friends as alumni going back to 1973 when his brother graduated just one year after the university’s independence. Then, main campus was just the “Quad." His Patriot spirit has also pledged funding for the establishment of an endowment for scholarships for future students of the business school. He currently lives in Lynchburg, VA and enjoys woodworking, home renovations, and duffing around the golf course.