John Thornton is founding chairman of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public media organization with a mission — through its journalism and through on-the-record, open-to-the-public events — to promote civic engagement on public policy, politics, government and other
matters of statewide concern.
Thornton has been a software and media investor at Austin Ventures since 1990
and was the managing partner of the firm from 2005 to 2008. AV is the largest
non-coastal venture capital firm in the United States, with $4 billion under
management. Prior to joining AV, Thornton was with McKinsey & Co., where he served clients in the U.S. and Europe.
He serves on the advisory boards of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of
Texas at Austin and the New American Foundation. He is a co-founder of the
Austin Entrepreneur’s Foundation; a former trustee of Ballet Austin, where he co-chaired a
successful capital campaign; a former trustee of the Austin Museum of Art,
where he chaired strategic planning; and a former trustee of Trinity
University.
He graduated first in his class from Trinity University, and he received an
M.B.A. from Stanford University.
