John Scovell has been associated with Woodbine Development Corporation since he founded the company with Dallas businessman Ray L. Hunt in October 1973. Prior to joining Woodbine, Mr. Scovell was a certified public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co., and worked in the area of commercial auditing, handling a number of accounts with real estate companies and financial institutions.

 

Mr. Scovell received a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from Texas Tech University, graduating first in the School of Business Administration in 1968. While at Texas Tech, he was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, elected captain of the varsity football team and served as president of his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta. In 1967, he was one of thirteen scholar athletes selected by the National Football Foundation for a graduate fellowship, received the NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship, and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. He received a master of business administration degree in 1970 from Harvard Business School where he was student athletic chairman as well as Harvard ROTC cadet battalion commander and distinguished military student. 

 

Mr. Scovell’s civic and industry involvement is varied. He is immediate past chairman of the Dallas Citizens Council. Mr. Scovell was the recipient of the Linz Award in 2010. He is a founder and past president of The Real Estate Council of Dallas and currently serves on the Advisory Board. He is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and past board member chairing the Dallas Cowboys preseason charity football game. He is a past member of the Dallas Assembly. Mr. Scovell has also served on the board of directors for JPMorgan Chase and the associate board for the SMU School of Business.

 

He serves as past chairman on the board of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and has served on the Cotton Bowl team selection committee for 30 years. He is a past governor of the Dallas Foundation and past director for the North Texas Commission. He also is a member of the Mayor’s Sports Marketing Advisory Council, Communities Foundation of Texas Advisory Council, State Fair of Texas board of directors and executive committee as well as past board member of the American Cancer Society and chairman of the American Cancer Crusade in 1980. 

 

Mr. Scovell is a past member of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents. He served previously on the Texas Tech Alumni Association National Board of Directors. He is a member of the Texas Tech University Foundation President's Council. He received the University's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1992, was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Honor in 1995, and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of the School of Business in 1997. He was past co-chairman on the National Steering Committee for The Horizon Campaign for Texas Tech University. Mr. Scovell is also a past president of the Dallas Red Raider Club.

 

He is a past chairman of DowntownDallas (formerly the Central Dallas Association) and has completed two terms on the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce board of directors where he served as chairman of the education committee and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and was recipient of the Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce 53rd Annual Distinguished Service Award. He is past chairman of the Dallas Convention Center Expansion Committee. He also served as chairman of the Host Committee for the 1986 NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship and co-chairman of the Dallas 2012 Olympic Committee. Additionally, Mr. Scovell serves his community as a trustee of Children’s Medical Center Foundation and is a past member of the Facilities and Technology Planning Task Force. He currently is a member on the Board of Trustees of the Southwestern Medical Foundation. Mr. Scovell is a past trustee of Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

 

Mr. Scovell, a graduate of Hillcrest High School, was a founding member of Positive Parents of Dallas promoting Dallas public schools. He served on the steering committee of three school bond campaigns and chaired the advisory board for the most recent school bond campaign. On the local level, Mr. Scovell has been active in his neighborhood schools serving as president of the Hillcrest Athletic Association, receiving the president's award. He received the PTA lifetime awards at Preston Hollow Elementary School, Franklin Middle School, and Hillcrest High School. He also served on the Dallas County Community College District Foundation Board.

 

A native Texan, Mr. Scovell and his wife, Diane, have three sons and eight grandchildren. The family is actively involved in Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, where Mr. Scovell serves as an elder.