This hour-long, one-on-one interview program showcases the life and career of corporate giant, Richard Parsons. Taped live in Washington, D.C. on the campus of The George Washington University at the Jack Morton Auditorium on Saturday, November 15, 2008, this program is the fifteenth in The HistoryMakers’An Evening With. . . series. CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien served as the program’s interviewer.
Born in New York, Parsons went on to become Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, before assuming the chairmanship of Citigroup. The interview covers Parsons’ childhood, the extensive impact of his mentor, Nelson Rockefeller, had on him and his legal and business careers. The life of Richard Parsons is an example that businessmen and women look to for guidance and aspire to become. Produced by The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive, An Evening With Richard Parsons is enlightening and engaging, and provides rich insight into the life of a corporate legend.
The HistoryMakers would like to thank, Richard Parsons, his staff, Soledad O’Brien, our event co-chairs, benefit committee members, volunteers and sponsors for making An Evening With Richard Parsons possible.
Richard D. Parsons is Chairman of Citigroup and former Chairman of the Board of Time Warner, whose businesses
include filmed entertainment, interactive services, television networks,
cable systems and publishing. From May 2002 to December 2007, Mr. Parsons
served as Time Warner’s Chief Executive Officer. He became Chairman
of the Board in May 2003.
As CEO, Mr. Parsons led Time Warner’s turnaround and set the company
on a solid path toward achieving sustainable growth. In the process, he
put in place the industry’s most experienced and successful management
team, strengthened the company’s balance sheet and simplified its
corporate structure, and carried out a disciplined approach to realigning
the company’s portfolio of assets to improve returns. In its January
2005 report on America’s Best CEOs, Institutional Investor
magazine named Mr. Parsons the top CEO in the entertainment industry.
Mr. Parsons joined Time Warner as its President in February 1995, and
has 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 becoming President of 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 non-profit 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 Howard University, the
Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History. He also
serves on the boards of Citigroup and Estée Lauder.
Soledad O’Brien
Soledad O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN: Special
Investigations Unit, reporting hour-long documentaries throughout the year
and filing in-depth series on the most important ongoing and breaking news
stories for all major CNN programs. She also covers political news as part
of CNN’s “Best Political Team on Television.”
O’Brien joined CNN in July 2003 as the co-anchor of the network’s
flagship morning program, American Morning, and distinguished herself
by reporting from the scene on the transformational events that broke
on her watch. Her efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami
in Phuket, Thailand, have earned her numerous awards and critical acclaim.
O’Brien came to CNN from NBC News where she had anchored the network’s
Weekend Today since July 1999. Before Weekend Today, O’Brien anchored
MSNBC’s award-winning technology program The Site. O’Brien
joined NBC News in 1991 and was based in New York as a field producer
for Nightly News and Today. Before her time at NBC, she served three years
as a local reporter and bureau chief for the NBC affiliate KRON in San
Francisco. She began her career as an associate producer and news writer
at the then-NBC affiliate, WBZ-TV in Boston.
Honorary Co-Chairs
Earl Graves, Sr.
Founder, Chairman and Publisher, Black Enterprise Magazine
Robert L. Johnson
Founder & Chairman, RLJ Holdings, Inc
Steven Knapp
President, The George Washington University
Debra Lee
Chairman & President, BET
The Honorable Colin L. Powell
Joseph E. Robert, Jr.
Founder & CEO, J.E. Robert Companies
Event Chair
Vernon E. Jordan
Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Company, LLC
Event Co-Chairs
Antoinette Cook Bush & Dwight Bush
Carol Sutton Lewis & William Lewis
Benefit Committee
Eric Broyles
Ann Jordan
Royal Kennedy & Johnathan Rodgers
Sharon Malone & Eric Holder
Stephanie Phillips & George Murray
Franklin Raines
Janice & Richard Roberts
Keva Sturdevant
Riley Temple
Beatrice & Anthony Welters
Ann Marie & David Wilkins
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