Villanova University Announces the Election of Four New Members to its Board of Trustees

The Very Rev. Barnaby Johns, OSA, Kristin E. Reed, David K. “Duke” Reyes and Robert F. Tyson join the University’s Board of Trustees

VILLANOVA, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Villanova University today announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Trustees. The Very Rev. Barnaby Johns, OSA, Kristin E. Reed, David K. “Duke” Reyes and Robert Tyson joined the 38-member Board, effective Jan. 1.

“Father Barnaby, Kristin, Duke and Bob exemplify the spirit of servant leadership at the heart of Villanova’s Augustinian mission,” said Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “Each brings a unique perspective shaped by faith, professional excellence and a deep commitment to education and community. I am grateful for their willingness to serve and look forward to the insight and guidance they will bring to the Board as we build on Villanova’s momentum and plan for the future.”

NEW MEMBERS, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Very Rev. Barnaby Johns, OSA, is Prior Provincial of the Augustinian Province of St. Augustine in California. Father Johns grew up in Worcestershire, England, and attended The Oratory School in Oxfordshire. Following a gap year in Pakistan, he earned his bachelor’s degree and then spent three years teaching English at a high school in Osaka, Japan. During a retreat in Nagasaki in 1997, he met The Rev. Tom Purcell, OSA, of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, who introduced him to Augustinian community life. From 2000 to 2004, Father Johns worked in communications in London before beginning formation with the British Province, living and studying in Edinburgh, Racine, Wis., London and Rome. He completed a pastoral year in San Diego and later taught at St. Augustine High School in San Diego and Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, Calif.

Father Johns was solemnly professed in 2015 and ordained into the priesthood in 2020. In 2024, he was elected Prior Provincial of the Augustinian Province of St. Augustine in California. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Anglia University in Cambridge, a master’s degree in Scripture from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and a master’s degree in Catholic School Leadership from the University of San Francisco.

Kristin E. Reed ’88 CLAS has an extensive history of philanthropic leadership across educational and nonprofit organizations. She began her career in sales and marketing in New York City before relocating to the Boston area. She remains active in commercial real estate and began overseeing her family’s properties in 2006. From 2008 to 2018, Reed served on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Newport County, and would go on to serve as board president from 2018 to 2020. In 2022, she chaired the organization’s first capital campaign, which raised $17 million in private philanthropy. From 2012 to 2018, she was a trustee of St. Sebastian’s School, focusing on development initiatives. She also served on the Westwood Educational Foundation, holding roles as a board member and board president.

Reed is a former member of the Villanova University President’s Advisory Council and served as the New England regional co-chair for the University’s previous comprehensive campaign, For the Greater Great. She graduated from Villanova in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Reed and her husband, Tyson ’88 CLAS, split their time between Gulf Stream, Fla., and Newport, R.I., with their three children, Jacalyn ’15 CLAS, Tyson Jr. ’19 CLAS and Patrick ’21 VSB.

David K. “Duke” Reyes ’79 VSB is Chief Executive Officer of Reyes Holdings, LLC, a global leader in the production and distribution of food and beverage products with operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia Pacific. Reyes Holdings’ three primary business units include Reyes Beverage Group, the Martin-Brower Company, LLC, and Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling. The company manages transportation and logistics, equipment leasing and real estate development.

Reyes has served on the boards of the University of Chicago Medical Center, Georgetown University School of Business, Georgetown University, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Los Angeles YMCA, Chicago Big Shoulders Fund and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Villanova University in 1979 and a JD from Georgetown University in 1982. He is a member of the Washington, D.C., Bar Association. He resides in Palm Beach, Fla., with his wife, Pam, and is the father of three daughters.

Robert F. Tyson ’86 VSB, ’89 JD is a trial lawyer and the founding partner of Tyson & Mendes, a national law firm with more than 280 attorneys. He has spent more than 35 years trying catastrophic injury, wrongful death and high-exposure jury trials and is widely known for his work in Howell v. Hamilton Meats, a multibillion-dollar case he argued and won before the California Supreme Court. Tyson is a bestselling author, co-founder of the insurtech company Schaefer City Technologies and co-founder of the defense consulting firm Apex Defense Consulting. He is a member of the Century Club of San Diego, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes the annual PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Tyson has also served as president of the San Diego chapter of the Villanova University Alumni Association and as a member of the President’s Advisory Council at Villanova University.

A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Tyson graduated in 1986 with a degree in Finance from the Villanova School of Business and earned his JD from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law in 1989. He and his wife, Jenny, reside in La Jolla, Calif., and have three children, Faith ’26 VSB, Bobby ’28 CLAS and Mary, a current student at Texas Christian University.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.