Tim Busch
Timothy R. Busch is an American conservative Catholic attorney, businessman, and philanthropist from Orange County, California.[1][2][3]
Early life
[edit]Busch grew up in Clinton, Michigan as the second of six children in a devoutly Catholic family.[1] His father, Joe, founded and operated a chain of upscale supermarkets, Busch's Fresh Food Market.[1] He received his bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and his J.D. degree from Wayne State University Law School.[1] In 1982, Busch moved to southern California.[1] He married his wife, Steph, in 1985.[1] he has a son, Garrett, and a daughter, Mackenzie.[4] Busch lives in Nellie Gail Ranch, Laguna Hills, and has a second home at the Reserve Country Club in Indian Wells, California.[4][1] He is a devout Catholic and active in Legatus and a number of other Catholic organizations and charities.[1][4]
Career
[edit]Busch is the founder of the Busch Firm, a financial services company that specializes in high net-worth estate planning.[1] The Busch Firm also handles real estate and business transactions.[1] Busch also founded the Pacific Hospitality Group which owns and manages eight hotels in California.[1] As of 2019[update], Busch is the CEO.[1] Busch and his brothers own the supermarket chain founded by their father.[1]
Philanthropy
[edit]In 2011, Busch joined the Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer to create the Magis Institute, an organization dedicated to exploring the intersection of faith and reason.[1] In 2011, he founded the Napa Institute with Spitzer in an effort to train Catholic leaders to defend the faith in an increasingly secular society.[1] The Napa Institute is known for its annual conferences at a California wine spa that aims to blend "conservative theology and libertarian economics, with an emphasis on apologetics, sexual ethics and countercultural anti-secularization", and has been linked to ultraconservative critics of Pope Francis.[5]
In 1992, Busch and his wife founded St. Anne's School in Laguna Niguel.[1] They also started JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano.[1] In 2016, Busch's charitable foundation, the Busch Family Foundation, gave $15 million to The Catholic University of America.[1][6] Busch helped bring in an additional $32 million in gifts that were used in part to renovate Maloney Hall, and to turn it into a home for the renamed Tim and Steph Busch School of Business.[6][7][8][9][1][10] The building has been described as "Harvard on the outside, Google on the inside",[8] as well as "one of the premier academic buildings in Washington, D.C. if not the country".[9] In 2016, Busch finished serving on the board of the university for 12 years.[1][6] He also served on the board of visitors of the business school.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Graves, Jim (May 19, 2016). "The man behind Catholic U's largest donation ever". The Catholic World Report. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ "Tim Busch, conservative activist-philanthropist, rejects anti-Francis label". National Catholic Reporter. June 12, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Napa, Koch funding sparks backlash from Notre Dame professors". National Catholic Reporter. December 16, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Timothy R. Busch". Acton Institute. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ Munster, Ben; Roberts, Hannah (May 1, 2025). "The ultra conservatives wanting to make the Vatican great again". Politico. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c Anderson, Nick (April 19, 2016). "With record $15 million gift, Catholic University renames business school". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Catholic University Receives $47 Million for Business School, Academic Programs". The Catholic University of America. April 19, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Curry, Thomas (January 31, 2019). "Maloney Hall Officially Opens to Students". The Tower. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Goldchain, Michelle (November 10, 2016). "Maloney Hall, CUA's up-and-coming business home, on track for fall 2019 opening". Curbed. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ Garvey, John. "Maloney, Milestones, and More". Catholic U. No. Spring 2019. The Catholic University of America. p. 5.