Early Life:
– Born in Puerto Rico of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage
– Raised in South Orange, New Jersey
– Attended Columbia High School, graduating in 1962
– Graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. degree
– Attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Career:
– Legal aid lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut
– First executive director of the Connecticut Elections Commission
– Served in various roles at Times Mirror Companies
– Named publisher of Knight Ridder’s El Nuevo Herald
– Became CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Honors and Distinctions:
– Received honorary degrees from Wesleyan University, The George Washington University, University of Miami, and Mercer University
– Received a Maria Moors Cabot citation from Columbia University
– Honored with the John W. Gardner Leadership Award by Independent Sector
– Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
– Received distinctions from organizations like American Jewish Committee and Stephens College
Board Memberships:
– Member of the board of AMR Corporation (American Airlines)
– Previously served on the boards of PepsiCo, AOL, Norwegian Cruise Lines, SnagFilms, and the Citizen Advisory Committee of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
– Served as board chairman of PBS, the Newseum, and the World Wide Web Foundation
– Member of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board
– Member of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank
Impact and Initiatives:
– Focused Knight Foundation on maintaining a healthy democracy through informed and engaged communities
– Led efforts in digital transformation of journalism and citizen engagement
– Significant philanthropic funder of the arts to bind people to their communities
– Founded the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
– Involved in the Grand Bargain that saved the Detroit Institute of Arts during bankruptcy
Alberto Ibargüen (born February 29, 1944) became President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami, Florida in 2003. He is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald in Miami, Florida. Under his leadership, The Miami Herald won three Pulitzer Prizes; El Nuevo Herald won Spain's Ortega y Gasset Prize for excellence in journalism. Ibargüen was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2022. As of March 2023, Ibargüen announced his intention to retire as Knight Foundation CEO.
Alberto Ibargüen | |
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| Born | February 29, 1944 San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (JD) |