John A. Thain, a member since 2001, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CIT Group, Inc. The former Chief Executive Officer of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., he has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. and President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., after becoming a partner in 1988 and Managing Director in 1996. He was co-head of the firm's European operations based in London. He received a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University.

His memberships include: MIT Corporation; INSEAD - U.S. National Advisory Board; James Madison Council of the Library of Congress; Federal Reserve Bank of New York, International Capital Markets Advisory Committee;French-American Foundation; Governor of New York Presbyterian Foundations, Inc.; and Trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.