Twenty-first Regent (2013-2016)
Barbara Bourgeois Lucas was born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Catonsville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. She graduated from Catonsville High School prior to attending the University of Maryland at College Park and earning her M.A. from The John Hopkins University. In 1975, she married Benjamin F. Lucas II, a military and private-practice attorney.
Early in her career, Mrs. Lucas served as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Equitable Bancorporation, a Baltimore-based bank holding company. Subsequently she held management positions with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, the Maryland Department of Economic & Community Development, Robert Garrett & Sons (now Deutsche Banc Securities), and Blythe, Eastman Dillon, Inc. (now UBS). In 1985, she joined The Black & Decker Corporation, from which she retired in 2006 as Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Investor Relations and Corporate Secretary. She also chaired the Board of Trustees of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center from 2001 to 2004.
MVLA
Past Regents
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association's Regent serves as the head of the board. Each woman is action-oriented and works to preserve and restore George Washington's Mount Vernon.
Vice Regent for Maryland
Mrs. Lucas was elected Vice Regent for Maryland in 2008 and immediately went to work on behalf of a number of important Mount Vernon initiatives.
She worked tirelessly to promote Mount Vernon’s teacher programming, soliciting numerous Maryland-based corporations and foundations, as well as friends and former business associates. Her efforts helped turn the Maryland Teachers Institute into the second most successful campaign ever for teacher programs and one of Mount Vernon’s largest teacher endowments.
Mr. and Mrs. Lucas were always faithful attendees and supporters of the Life Guard Society’s social events, using them as a way to introduce their many friends to Mount Vernon. Mrs. Lucas also was an enthusiastic champion of the Association’s long history of protecting the view from George Washington’s piazza towards the Maryland countryside. Her efforts contributed enormously to increasing public awareness of this important priority and to the growth of Mount Vernon’s viewshed revolving fund.
As Chairman of the Search Committee, Mrs. Lucas led the team responsible for the hiring of Mount Vernon’s tenth President and CEO, Curt Viebranz. She also spearheaded the comprehensive updating and restatement of the Association’s bylaws and the restructuring of MVLA Council meetings.
Mrs. Lucas was a champion of the Association’s long history of protecting the view from George Washington’s piazza towards the Maryland countryside. (MVLA)
Regent
Mrs. Lucas was elected Regent in 2013, just five years after joining the Board. As Regent, she immediately set out to strengthen the estate’s infrastructure, management team, digital outreach, and finances and operations. Her term was distinguished by transformative enhancements to Mount Vernon’s website and digital resources, as well as the renovation and expansion of the Anne Pamela Cunningham building.
She also had the pleasure of being Regent when many esteemed visitors came calling. Mrs. Lucas served as a gracious host to His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Her Royal Highness, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall of England, as well as their Majesties, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Through a number of years of great change and expansion, and under her astute leadership, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association met the many challenges of this fast-paced world, while remaining true to the organization’s mission and traditions.
As Regent, Mrs. Lucas had the pleasure of hosting many esteemed visitors to Mount Vernon, including His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Her Royal Highness, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall of England. (MVLA)