David Rubenstein

David Rubenstein began his career in government, serving as a domestic policy advisor during the Jimmy Carter administration. In 1987, he co-founded The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm based in Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, the firm expanded into one of the world's largest investment companies. Beyond his financial career, he is the principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball franchise.

Rubenstein holds significant leadership positions across multiple major American institutions. He serves as the chairman of the National Gallery of Art, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. His academic governance experience includes serving as the chair of the University of Chicago's board of trustees and as the former chairman of the board of trustees at Duke University.

In the civic and cultural sectors, Rubenstein served as the chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2010 to 2025. He has held the position of co-chair of the board at the Brookings Institution and chaired the Smithsonian Institution's board of regents. He is also a member of the North American Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission.