Michael Milken

Mr. Milken is Chairman of the Milken Institute and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation. Widely recognized for his half-century of leadership in medical research and public health—Fortune magazine called him “The Man Who Changed Medicine”—he is currently focused on global efforts to speed solutions for the Covid-19 crisis.

Beginning in 1969, Mr. Milken financed thousands of companies that collectively created millions of jobs. His philanthropy began in the early 1970s and initially focused in such areas as childhood neurological disorders, breast cancer, melanoma and a range of public health programs. When the coronavirus pandemic swept the world in 2020, Mr. Milken redirected the efforts of his medical foundations, the Milken Institute’s 10 centers and the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University to address the crisis. This includes connecting industry, public health schools and government agencies to expedite treatments and address shortages; providing policy recommendations; and disseminating accurate information.

Mr. Milken graduated from Berkeley with highest honors and earned his MBA at the Wharton School, where he was a Joseph Wharton Fellow.