Draft:Carl Thoma
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Comment: It is a complete puff piece built on manufactured and paid for PR non-references. No indication of significance. scope_creepTalk 08:04, 7 February 2025 (UTC)
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Carl Thoma | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Oklahoma State University Stanford Graduate School of Business |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder and managing partner, Thoma Bravo |
| Spouse |
Marilynn Thoma (m. 1970) |
| Children | 2 |
Carl D. Thoma (born 1948) is an American businessman[1][2] and art collector.[3][4] He is co-founder and managing partner at Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm established in 2008 with Orlando Bravo, specializing in enterprise software and technology. He also co-founded its predecessor firms, including Golder Thoma & Co., and GTCR. Thoma and his wife, Marilynn, fund art and education initiatives[1] through the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation.[4][5]
Early life and education
[edit]Carl Thoma grew up in Boise City, in the Oklahoma panhandle.[5] He completed his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University in accounting and agricultural economics, and his MBA from Stanford Business School.[4]
Career
[edit]Private equity
[edit]Thoma moved to Chicago in 1974 and began working at First Chicago Equity Group.[6] In 1980, Thoma and Stanley Golder created the Chicago buyout firm, Golder Thoma & Co., where Thoma was later chairman.[7] The company was renamed Golder, Thoma & Cressey in 1984, and after the promotion of Bruce Rauner to partner, it became Golder Thoma Cressey Rauner (GTCR).
In 1998, the four partners split, and Thoma and Bryan Cressey created Thoma Cressey Equity Partners. Thoma hired Orlando Bravo, who would go on to build the firm's software strategy.[8] In 2007, the firm announced that it would split in two, with Thoma and Orlando Bravo managing a new firm focusing on software and business services.[9] In 2008, the new firm began operating under the name Thoma Bravo.[10]
As of 2025, Thoma continues to be a managing partner at Thoma Bravo, alongside other managing partners Seth Boro, Orlando Bravo, Scott Crabill, Lee Mitchell and Holden Spaht.[11]
Thoma has been called "one of the deans of the buyout business"[8] and a "private-equity pioneer".[12]
Art collecting
[edit]Thoma and his wife Marilynn own an art collection with more than 1,600 pieces.[1] They began collecting in 1975.[2] The Thoma family lends their pieces to museums across the United States.[3]
Winemaking
[edit]In 1998, the Thoma family bought a 110-acre property in Dallas, Oregon, and established Van Duzer Vineyards, which cultivates 84 planted acres.[13]
Board memberships
[edit]Thoma is a board member of the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, New Mexico School for the Arts, the Phoenix Art Museum, and SITE Santa Fe.[14]
Personal life
[edit]Carl met his wife, Marilynn, at Oklahoma State University, and they married in 1970.[3] They have two children and split their time between Dallas and Santa Fe.[6][2][15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Villa, Angelica (14 October 2021). "Collector's Corner: Carl and Marilynn Thoma Are Unafraid to Buy-and Conserve-Art That's Tough to Care For". ARTnews.
- ^ a b c Zastudil, Nancy (11 July 2016). "Collecting: Carl & Marilynn Thoma". Art ltd. magazine. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Bennett, Megan (8 September 2017). "'A Really Arty Family' Champions Its Passions". Albuquerque Journal. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Adeniji, Ade (21 March 2018). "Thoma: Meet an Art-Collecting Couple Committed to Visual Arts". Inside Philanthropy.
- ^ a b Evans, Murray (18 July 2024). "Longtime OSU Donors Funding a Scholarship Program for Students in Rural Northwest Oklahoma". The Oklahoman.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (13 December 2014). "Carl Thoma Pursues the Art of the Deal". Crain's Chicago Business.
- ^ Lipper, Arthur III; Ryan, George (1984). Venture's Guide to Investing in Private Companies: A Financing Manual for the Entrepreneurial Investor. Homewood, Ill.: Dow Jones-Irwin. p. 183. ISBN 0870944800..
- ^ a b "Carl Thoma". Forbes.
- ^ "Private-Equity Firms to Separate Funds". Chicago Tribune. 21 August 2021.
- ^ Gara, Antoine (7 December 2021). "Buyout firm Thoma Bravo goes from niche to big league". Financial Times.
- ^ "Thoma Bravo Team". Thoma Bravo.
- ^ Marek, Lynne (18 September 2020). "This big-time private-equity player is heading west as it grows". Crain's Chicago Business.
- ^ Mamula, Patty (1 November 2019). "Wind in Their Sales". Oregon Wine Press.
- ^ "Carl Thoma". Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. University of Chicago. 24 August 2023.
- ^ Anspon, Catherine D. (18 June 2024). "Your Exclusive Peek at Dallas' Thoma Foundation, One of America's Most Important Private Collections". PaperCity Magazine.