Martin Trust ME'56

Martin TrustMr. Trust is the President of Samtex (USA), LLC. Samtex is a holding company that owns equity positions in companies that manufacture apparel and other products related to the clothing industry.

Formerly, Mr. Trust was President and Chief Executive Officer of Mast Industries, Inc. and served on the Board of Directors of Limited Brands from 1978 until 2003.

Mr. Trust has specialized in the area of international and domestic trade, especially as it relates to the apparel and textile industry. He has served as Cleared Advisor to the United States Department of Commerce on textile trade issues and also served on the Trade Advisory Committee for Africa. In 1994, the Government of Sri Lanka recognized Mr. Trust's long-standing involvement in the industrial development of Sri Lanka by naming him "Ranjana."

Mr. Trust is on the Board of Virtusa Corporation, and also serves on the Boards of numerous civic, health care, and charitable organizations.

Mr. Trust received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union and his Master's degree in Industrial Management from the Sloan School of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Member of The Cooper Union Board since 1989

Term ends: 2013

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.