Mr. Pence is a 1971 graduate of the Washington College of Law. He also obtained his Master’s in Renaissance Literature and Art and Master’s in Literature at American University.
Mr. Pence is the President of The Pence Group, Inc., which, since 1976, has developed individually or with others, thirty-five shopping centers totaling over 6,000,000 square feet of retail space. He is Founder and Managing Member of Grand Duke Hotels, LLC, Chantilly Hotel, LLC, and McLean Hotel, LLC, owners of the 143 room Staybridge Suites in McLean, Virginia and the 233 room Holiday Inn Select in Chantilly, Virginia. He is also the Founder and a principal owner of the Dulles Expo Center, Chantilly, Virginia.
He served as a member (1989-98) of the Board of Trustees of American University, was President and member of the Board of Directors, McLean Youth, Inc. and was a director of the Langley School, McLean, Virginia. He has been a member of the District of Columbia Bar since 1971. He is a member of Congressional Country Club, the Board of Visitors for George Mason University, the Yale University Capital Campaign Executive Committee and the Dean’s Advisory Council, and the Washington College of Law (2004-present). He served as Republican National Committee, Virginia State Finance Chair (2004 cycle); Co-Chair, Republican Regents (2006 cycle), current member of Republican Regents, and NRSC Majority Makers (various cycles).
Mr. Pence was appointed (2008) by President George W. Bush to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he is a member of the Executive Committee, chairman of the Finance Committee, and, with his wife Suzy, a member of the International Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Wolf Trap Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Since 1997 Bob and Suzy Pence have funded study in Italy for over 70 high school, undergraduate, graduate, and law students. In June 2005 the Mayor and City of Venice honored them for promoting a cultural alliance between Venice and the United States. In 2009 he received the Leadership Award from the World Affairs Council/Washington, D.C. The Pences: endowed the naming gift to American University for the Washington College of Law Library; received the 2007 American University President’s Award; sponsored USO Christmas, 2005 dinner and Beach Boys Concert at WRAMC; sponsored Beach Boys, USO 2006 concert at Ramstein AFB, Germany, 2007 Beach Boys WRAMC, and 2007 and 2009 Gary Sinise/Lt. Dan Band WRAMC concerts; and sponsored the December, 2011 "Christmas Concert for the Troops" at the Kennedy Center. They have joined in raising funds for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation.
Mr. Pence earned his B.A. at the University of Maryland (English, 1967); J.D., Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, DC (1971); M.A. (Renaissance Literature and Art, 1997) and M.A. (Literature, 1999) at American University; Yale University, M.A. & M.Phil. (Italian) 2005 and 2003, respectively Yale University, Ph.D., expected December, 2012; Teaching Assistant, Yale University, 2003-05. Lecturer, Georgetown University, Spring 2007, 2008.
Mr. Pence has been married to his wife Suzy for 44 years. They have three sons: Stephen, Geoffrey, and Brian, and eight grandchildren.