philanthropy
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Lisa Palmer and the home-field advantage
The Regency Centers CEO spent years learning how places work. Her longest-running investment began on a Virginia softball field, with her mother watching from the sidelines.
Thomas Eymond-Laritaz and the problem that arrived before the company
An engineer by training, Thomas Eymond-Laritaz worked in government offices and Ukrainian philanthropy before founding Highgate. His first assignment arrived eight days before the company was registered.
Christopher G. Sheeron Put Two Careers Under One Roof
Before founding Grayson & Co., Christopher G. Sheeron worked on both the message and the people delivering it. His Washington firm grew from the decision to bring those two careers together.
Jeffrey Hecktman and the Value of a Second Act
A family-business restructuring gave Jeffrey B. Hecktman the idea for Hilco. Nearly four decades later, a new majority owner and a $20 million Chicago gift reveal where he wants the work to lead.
Todd Dipaola and the trouble with taking credit
From grocery-list apps to AI, Todd Dipaola has kept returning to one awkward question: did the advertising actually work? His second turn as InMarket CEO puts that question back on his desk.
Rebecca Reeve Henderson and the business of a good introduction
A chance encounter after a layoff gave Rebecca Reeve Henderson her first client. A decade later, she sold the agency that helped tell the story of Slack and a changing workplace.
David Li and the summer that did not last
After CMC Materials was sold to Entegris, David Li announced plans for a summer of downtime. His next chapter runs through a family research legacy, a classroom and the reshaping of Ingevity.
Ben Kovler and the value of an unfinished puzzle
A riddle book, a bourbon family history and a cannabis company: the Green Thumb founder has spent years working out when to make a move - and when to leave a piece on the table.
Jeff Stoops and the value of staying on the line
A lunchtime phone call took a Florida lawyer into the cell-tower business. Over the next quarter century, Jeff Stoops helped turn SBA Communications into an international landlord for the wireless age.
Alan Trefler and the art of the next move
At 19, he tied for first at the World Open. Five decades later, the Pegasystems founder is still working on a harder problem: getting people, and their software, to change their minds.
Why George Ruotolo Still Wants Your Friends in the Room
For more than five decades, George C. Ruotolo Jr. has worked on the delicate business of asking people to give. His enduring concern is the volunteer who believes in a cause, writes a check, and would rather do almost anything than ask a friend for money.
Luke Hillier and the art of the handoff
Before he helped build Mythics, Luke Hillier learned how government buys. His career has since carried him from Oracle software and military equipment to a more personal question: how do you put opportunity within someone else’s reach?
Chuck Bennett's Business Begins Before the Bell
Before co-founding CORE IR & PR, Chuck Bennett sold financial information and built a membership business for brokers. His career now sits at the meeting point of company stories, capital-market relationships and the patient work of getting people to listen.
Charles Best and the price of a pear
A Bronx teacher persuaded his colleagues to try a new website with his mother’s roasted pears. The experiment became DonorsChoose - and changed how strangers could help a classroom.
Pony Ma and the art of starting over
He helped turn a desktop messenger into Tencent. Then he backed the teams that built its mobile future. For Ma Huateng, staying useful has meant giving the next idea room to grow.
Henry Kaestner and the trouble with owning everything
He helped build Bandwidth, then began asking what the money was for. From college T-shirts to faith-driven investing, Henry Kaestner keeps returning to a question that a successful business cannot answer by itself.
Whitney Williams and the Art of Getting People in the Same Room
Before Whitney Williams advised philanthropists or ran for governor, she persuaded a university to offer a class. Her career has kept returning to that same question: who needs to be brought together to make something happen?
Sarah Adolphson and the Homework That Never Quite Ended
A college reporting assignment introduced Sarah Adolphson to West Hollywood. Peace Corps service, Hollywood philanthropy and a city council campaign followed - but the question of how to serve a community kept bringing her back.
Claudia Castillo Ross and the art of making room
From fashion magazines and San Francisco publicity to a working vineyard in Knights Valley, Claudia Castillo Ross has kept returning to a familiar question: how do you bring people together?
Jerry Yang and the value of a good guide
He helped people find their way around the web. Three decades after Yahoo began, Jerry Yang is still making introductions - between founders and capital, Asia and America, and old ink and new audiences.
Li Yu and the bank that kept him busy
An accountant’s route into banking became a commitment spanning more than three decades. At Preferred Bank, Li Yu’s story runs through customer relationships, difficult loans and a million-dollar gift to music education.
Dave Duffield and the trouble with being finished
He built PeopleSoft, started over with Workday, and then founded Ridgeline. For Dave Duffield, success keeps creating the same awkward question: what should he build next?
Rob Sands and the fine print of a $4.75 billion bet
A lawyer joined his family’s wine business and helped turn it into a major American beer supplier. Rob Sands’s career runs through Mexican breweries, a family handover, and a second act in education.
Daniel O’Day and the Art of Starting Again
Three decades at Roche took Daniel O’Day across countries, functions and assumptions. At Gilead, and now through a family scholarship at Georgetown, the question is who gets the next opportunity.
Tina Johnson and the value of showing up again
The Publix adviser’s story runs through corporate finance, university boardrooms and a check presented in Huntsville. At the University of South Florida, her support for accounting students has continued long after her own graduation.
Christopher Albrecht and the problem with a paper fortune
A career across banking, brokerage and insurance brought Christopher Albrecht to Sun Life Singapore. His recurring question: how can a family keep its wealth useful when circumstances change?
Tony Ressler and the price of being seen
He built his career in the bond market. Buying the Atlanta Hawks gave the Ares co-founder a different kind of exposure - and a city with opinions about how he should spend his money.
Jay Schottenstein keeps going back to the floor
He learned retail in the family stores. Decades later, the American Eagle Outfitters chairman and CEO is still working through the same problem: how to grow a business without losing sight of the person buying the jeans.
Robert Dumas and the business of belonging
After 28 years at Mercer, Robert Dumas joined Sun Life to help deepen its place in Quebec. His work across finance, museums and community boards raises a practical question: what does it take for a company to belong somewhere?
Bill Hornbuckle’s first Vegas bet broke down in Connecticut
A $100 station wagon failed to get Bill Hornbuckle out of his home state. A borrowed van got him to Las Vegas, where the future MGM Resorts CEO began a career measured in hotel shifts, opening nights and opportunities passed along.