Derek Bryson Park, Ph.D. is an American investment portfolio manager and banker who is currently Principal at Wilmington Capital Securities, LLC, with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) serving as clearing partner.
In the securities industry, Park has served as President of Mahler & Emerson Inc., an affiliate of Brean Murray, Carret & Co., with JP Morgan serving as clearing partner. He has also served as Managing Director in the Fixed Income and Structured Finance Division at Lehman Brothers, Managing Director of Rafferty Holdings, President of Cohane Rafferty Capital Markets, Inc., and Managing Director of the Potomac Funds, later renamed Direxion Funds, a leading provider of leveraged index and alternative-class mutual fund products.
In 1999, Park was honored to bring his expertise to the public sector when President Bill Clinton appointed him Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank, where he remained during the George W. Bush presidency. From 2000 to 2010, Park was appointed Acting Chairman of the New York Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the nation’s second largest issuer of municipal debt after the State of California. Dr. Park was also named Director of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) from 2000-2005, at which time he played a major role in a myriad of projects that would change the face of New York City, including the design and construction of baseball stadiums for both the Yankees and the Mets, and the largest redevelopment project in U.S. History — the renovation of Times Square.
By the end of 2003, having achieved national prominence in both the private and public sector, Park was named Vice Chairman at Southwest Security, a Federal Reserve Board regulated bank holding company controlling United Mississippi Bank and other entities. He then served as a Director on the First Franklin Bank Product Innovation Board of Directors for First Franklin Financial Corp in San Jose, California.
Widely respected and trusted for his expertise in the U.S. financial industry, Dr. Park is a former arbitrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), otherwise known today as FINRA, as well as the New York Stock Exchange, and The Chicago Board of Trade.
Park earned his Ph.D. from the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science in International and Developmental Administration / (public finance) in 1982, and successfully completed the International Housing Finance Program, The Wharton Real Estate Center, University of Pennsylvania in 2001.
Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman, philanthropist, politician, and media mogul. He was born on February 14, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts. Bloomberg is best known as the founder of Bloomberg L.P., a global financial services, software, and media company.
After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1966, Bloomberg began his career at Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street investment bank. He later founded his own company, Innovative Market Systems, which eventually became Bloomberg L.P. The company’s success made Bloomberg one of the wealthiest people in the world, with a net worth of over $50 billion.
In addition to his business ventures, Bloomberg has also been active in politics. He served as the Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, where he implemented several initiatives to improve public health, education, and environmental sustainability. He also ran for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2020.
Overall, Bloomberg is a highly successful businessman and public figure who has made significant contributions to various industries and causes.
Lamar Hunt was an American businessman and sports enthusiast who was born on August 2, 1932, in El Dorado, Arkansas. He was the son of oil tycoon Haroldson Lafayette Hunt and his wife, Lyda Bunker Hunt. His family was one of the wealthiest in America, and he grew up in luxury.
Hunt graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1956 and began his career in the oil business. However, he had a deep passion for sports, particularly football, and in 1959, he founded the American Football League (AFL), which was a rival to the National Football League (NFL) along with becoming the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
Hunt’s AFL was initially met with skepticism and resistance from the NFL, but he persisted and eventually, the two leagues merged in 1970, creating the modern-day NFL that we know today. Hunt was also responsible for creating the Super Bowl, which has become one of the most-watched sporting events in the world.
Aside from football, Hunt was also involved in other sports. He was the founder of the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City), a Major League Soccer team, and was instrumental in bringing professional soccer to the United States. He was also a co-founder of the World Championship Tennis tour, which helped to popularize professional tennis.
In addition to his contributions to sports, Hunt was also a successful businessman. He was the founder and CEO of Hunt Oil Company, which was founded in 1955. The company is one of the largest privately owned oil companies in the world. Hunt was also involved in real estate development, and he founded the Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development Company.
David Rockefeller is an American banker and philanthropist who played a significant role in shaping the global economy and politics of the 20th century. Born into the influential Rockefeller family, he inherited a legacy of wealth and power. Rockefeller started his career in finance, joining Chase National Bank (later known as Chase Manhattan Bank) in 1940. He eventually became the CEO and chairman of the bank, leading it to become one of the largest financial institutions in the world.
Rockefeller’s influence extended beyond the banking sector. He was actively involved in politics and foreign affairs, serving as an advisor to several US presidents.
He played a pivotal role in fostering economic relations between the United States and various countries, particularly those in Latin America. Rockefeller was also instrumental in the establishment of organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, which aimed to promote international cooperation and understanding. David Rockefeller’s life and career symbolize the intersection of finance, politics, and philanthropy, leaving a lasting impact on the global stage.
Roger Charles Altman is an American investment banker, the founder and senior chairman of Evercore, and a former Democratic politician. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Carter administration from January 1977 until January 1981 and as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton administration from January 1993 until he resigned in August 1994.
Altman was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, and was raised in Boston as a Catholic. His father died when he was 10 years old and his mother raised Altman and his brother as a single mother. He attended the Roxbury Latin School.
He attended Georgetown University, where he met future President Bill Clinton, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967. In 1969 he earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, but took time off in 1968 to work in Indiana organizing volunteers for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign.
After graduating from business school in 1969, Altman began working at Lehman Brothers, where he grew close to chairman Peter G. Peterson. In 1974, he was made general partner at the age of 28—the youngest in Lehman’s history. He left Lehman in 1977 to serve as Assistant Secretary for Domestic Finance in the U.S. Treasury from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter, for whom he had fundraised when Carter was Governor of Georgia, and campaigned for in 1976, as well as working on his transition team. As Assistant Secretary, Altman played a consequential role in negotiating the Federal Government’s $1.5 billion bailout of the Chrysler Corporation.
In 1981, he returned to Lehman Brothers, where he became the co-head of investment banking and served on the board of the company and the management committee. In 1987, Altman joined the Blackstone Group as vice-chairman and head of its mergers and acquisitions advisory business. During the Reagan-Bush years, he fundraised for Democratic politicians such as Vice President Walter F. Mondale, and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. He also advised two New York City Mayors, Ed Koch and David N. Dinkins.
When Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, he urged U.S. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen to take Altman on as his Deputy Secretary. He was confirmed in January 1993. Once on the job, Altman was viewed as he favorite to succeed the 73-year-old Treasury Secretary, and he played a large role in some of the Clinton administration’s biggest legislative victories, such as the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 and the approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He was associated with the moderate economic policies of the Clinton administration and had a reputation as a “deficit hawk.”
In 1995, instead of returning to Blackstone, he co-founded Evercore, an independent investment banking advisory firm in New York City, and currently serves as its chairman. By 2014, Evercore was “a major player,” and its investment management arm had more than $14 billion in assets under management, with its investment banking advisory arm boasting $1.5 trillion in announced transactions. Evercore advised General Motors through its bankruptcy, and was paid $46 million by GM pre-bankruptcy.
In 2010, Altman returned to the private sector and joined BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investment management firms. He served as the Chairman of BlackRock’s Financial Markets Advisory Group, which provided advice to governments and central banks around the world. Altman retired from BlackRock in 2019 but remains active in the business and political communities.
Altman is also a philanthropist and has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution. He has written extensively on economic and financial topics and is widely respected for his expertise in these areas.
Frank Purdue was an American businessman who founded Perdue Farms, one of the largest poultry companies in the United States. He was born in 1920 in Salisbury, Maryland, and grew up on a farm where his parents raised chickens. Purdue attended Salisbury University before serving in World War II as an Army Air Corps pilot.
After the war, Purdue returned to Salisbury and started his own chicken farm, which he called the Perdue Farms. He began selling his chickens to local grocery stores and restaurants, and soon expanded his business to include processing and packaging operations. Purdue’s commitment to quality and innovation helped him build Perdue Farms into a major poultry company, known for its strict standards and innovative products.
Under Purdue’s leadership, Perdue Farms became one of the largest poultry companies in the United States, with annual revenues of more than $6 billion. Purdue was known for his relentless focus on quality and his dedication to his customers, employees, and the environment. He was also a pioneer in the use of antibiotics in chicken farming, which helped to reduce disease and improve the health of the birds.
Purdue passed away in 2005 at the age of 84. His legacy lives on through Perdue Farms, which remains one of the most successful and respected poultry companies in the world.
Henry R. Silverman was born in 1940 in New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Silverman began his career as a lawyer in New York City, focusing on corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. In 1985, he joined the hospitality company CUC International as its CEO and led the company through a period of rapid growth and expansion. Under his leadership, CUC International became a major player in the travel and hospitality industry, acquiring companies such as Avis Rent A Car, Budget Rent A Car, and Days Inn.
In 1997, Silverman orchestrated the merger of CUC International with HFS Inc. to create Cendant Corporation, a global travel and real estate services company which he built into a multibillion-dollar business. As the CEO of Cendant, Silverman continued to acquire companies, including online travel agency Orbitz and hotel reservation system Galileo International.
John S. Callon was an American businessman and the founder of Callon Petroleum Company, an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in Natchez, Mississippi.
Born in 1920, Callon grew up in Natchez and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was decorated with battle stars for his participation in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Southern France, Italy and Okinawa.
In 1950, Callon purchased his first oil and gas leases in Mississippi, which eventually led to the formation of Callon Petroleum Company building Callon Petroleum into a publicly traded New York Stock Exchange company. The company focused on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the Gulf Coast region, and went public in 1973.
Under Callon’s leadership, the company grew rapidly and expanded its operations to other parts of the United States and internationally. In 1995, Callon stepped down as CEO of the company, but remained involved as Chairman of the Board until his death in 2006.
In addition to his efforts in the United States, van Munching played a crucial role in expanding Heineken’s global presence. He formed partnerships with various distributors and established a strong distribution network, allowing Heineken to enter new markets worldwide.
Van Munching’s business acumen and dedication to promoting Heineken resulted in significant growth for the brand. He successfully transformed Heineken from a relatively unknown Dutch beer into a globally recognized and respected beer brand.
Leo van Munching continued to lead Leo van Munching & Co. as its chairman until his retirement in 2003 leaving behind a lasting legacy in the beer industry and paving the way for Heineken’s continued success. Today, Heineken is one of the largest and most renowned beer brands globally, thanks to the efforts of Leo van Munching.
Lee Iacocca was born on October 15, 1924, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Italian immigrant parents. He grew up in a working-class family and developed a strong work ethic from an early age.
Iacocca graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in industrial engineering in 1945. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University in 1946.
In 1946, Iacocca joined Ford Motor Company as an engineer. His biggest achievement at Ford was the development and introduction of the Ford Mustang in 1964. The Mustang became an instant success and is still considered an iconic American car today.
Despite his success, Iacocca faced some setbacks at Ford. In 1970, he was passed over for the position of Ford’s president, which led him to consider leaving the company.
However, in 1978, he was appointed president and CEO of Chrysler Corporation, which was on the brink of bankruptcy at the time.
Under Iacocca’s leadership, Chrysler made a remarkable turnaround. He implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures, secured government loans, and launched successful marketing campaigns. He also played a key role in the development of the minivan, which became one of Chrysler’s best-selling vehicles.
After his retirement, Iacocca remained active in various business ventures and philanthropic activities. He played a significant role in the renovation of the Statue of Liberty during the 1980s. As the chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Iacocca led a successful fundraising campaign to restore and renovate the iconic landmark. He managed to raise over $350 million from private donors, corporations, and the general public.
Under Iacocca’s leadership, the foundation not only raised the necessary funds but also oversaw the complex restoration process. The statue underwent a comprehensive renovation that included cleaning, repairing, and replacing damaged parts. The original copper skin was preserved, and a new staircase was installed to allow visitors to access the crown.
Iacocca’s contribution to the renovation of the Statue of Liberty helped ensure that this iconic symbol of freedom and democracy would be preserved for future generations to admire and appreciate.
