IRVINE, CA-Emile Haddad, president and CEO of FivePoint Communities, has been elected incoming chairman of the board of trustees for the University of California, Irvine Foundation. Haddad will begin a three-year term as chairman on June 1, 2014, leading the direction and business affairs of the UC Irvine Foundation.

The foundation is a community-based organization that supports the university through private philanthropy and personal advocacy. Its 54-member board of trustees is composed of Orange County business and community leaders, noteworthy alumni and representatives of the university administration and faculty. Haddad will work with current chairman Hazem Chehabi, M.D., who is entering the final year of his three-year term, to ensure a smooth transition.

“Emile will become chairman at an exciting time,” said Chehabi in a prepared statement. “The university will celebrate its 50^th anniversary in 2015 and is expected to complete its $1-billion fundraising campaign that same year. Emile has the expertise needed to guide the foundation through this dynamic environment. Few leaders can match his intelligence, worldliness and business acumen.”

With more than 30 years of business experience, Haddad oversees FivePoint Communities, one of the state's largest real estate development companies, which manages master-planned communities in Newhall, Valencia, Irvine and San Francisco. He was previously chief investment officer at Lennar Corp. and founding executive at Lennar Homes of California.

Haddad has also been an active supporter of UC Irvine for many years. He joined the foundation board in 2009 and currently chairs its strategic-planning committee. He also serves on the Dean's Leadership Council for the School of Social Ecology and the Center for Real Estate advisory board at the Paul Merage School of Business.

Haddad tells GlobeSt.com, “It's an honor to be associated with UC Irvine, which has established itself as a premier global university and an institution vital to the future of Orange County. UCI and the broader UC system are among California's proudest achievements and provide an unmatched education to tens of thousands of students. I am committed to the path that Dr. Chehabi and the board have charted; my goal as chairman is to see that the university's growth continues on a steep incline as it begins the next 50 years.” 

As GlobeSt.com reported in May, Haddad spoke to us in May about Great Park Neighborhoods here, saying, “Great Park Neighborhoods represents a very different approach to residential development with a number of aspects that make it unique. For builders, FivePoint Communities was able to eliminate much of the traditional risk by delivering developed homesites with approved plans. For buyers, that means carefully planned and integrated neighborhoods in a distinctive American Heritage design and amenities such as quality schools and parks built on a much faster timetable. In addition, we have collaborated closely with the local city officials to build the surrounding infrastructure that benefits the Orange County Great Park and provides long-term public benefits.”