Richard D. Parsons joined The Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees in 2008. He served as the Board Chair from June 2016 – May 31, 2021.
Mr. Parsons is the Senior Advisor of Providence Equity Partners LLC. He served as Chairman of the Board of Citigroup Inc. until May 2012. Before taking the helm at the financial giant, Mr. Parson’s served as Chairman of the Board of Time Warner, from May 2003 to January 2009. From May 2002 to December 2007, he served as Time Warner’s Chief Executive Officer.
As CEO, Mr. Parsons led Time Warner’s turnaround and set the company on a solid path toward achieving sustainable growth. In its January 2005 report on America’s Best CEOs, Institutional Investor magazine named Mr. Parsons the top CEO in the entertainment industry.
Before becoming Time Warner’s CEO, Mr. Parsons served as the company’s Co-Chief Operating Officer, overseeing its content businesses-Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Warner Music Group and Time Warner Book Group-as well as two key corporate functions: Legal and People Development.
Mr. Parsons joined Time Warner as its President in February 1995, and had been a member of the company’s Board of Directors since January 1991. As President, he oversaw the company’s filmed entertainment and music businesses, and all corporate staff functions, including financial activities, legal affairs, public affairs and administration.
Before joining Time Warner, Mr. Parsons was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dime Bancorp, Inc., one of the largest thrift institutions in the United States. Previously, he was the managing partner of the New York law firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler. Prior to that, he held various positions in state and federal government, as counsel for Nelson Rockefeller and as a senior White House aide under President Gerald Ford. Mr. Parsons received his undergraduate education at the University of Hawaii and his legal training at Union University’s Albany Law School.
Mr. Parsons’ civic and nonprofit commitments include Co-Chairman of the Mayor’s Commission on Economic Opportunity in New York; Chairman Emeritus of the Partnership for New York City; Chairman of the Apollo Theatre Foundation and service on the boards of The National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Teach for America. He also serves on the board of Estée Lauder, Lazard, and Madison Square Garden.