Mimi Haas
Miriam Lurie Haas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Billionaire shareholder of Levi Strauss & Co. |
Miriam "Mimi" Lurie Haas (born 1946) is a prominent American billionaire entrepreneur and the widow of Peter E. Haas, who was the great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss, the founder of the denim company Levi Strauss & Co.
Early life
Miriam Ruchwarger, born in 1946 in New Jersey to Jewish parents who fled Yugoslavia, grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and the suburbs surrounding Washington D.C., where her father practiced psychiatry. She completed her secondary education at Oxon Hill High School in 1964 and later obtained a degree in political science from George Washington University.
Career
Since August 1981, Haas has held the position of president at the Miriam and Peter Haas Fund.[1] In July 2004, she became a member of Levi Strauss & Co.'s board of directors, taking over the role of chairman emeritus previously held by her late husband.[1]
By February 2024, Haas occupied the roles of vice chair on the board of trustees and chairperson of the painting and sculpture committee at the New York Museum of Modern Art, as well as vice chair at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.[2]
Haas owned close to 17% of Levi Strauss & Co. in 2019, reaching billionaire status when the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. Her share decreased to about 11% by 2024. Forbes assessed her net worth at $1.4 billion in 2021.[3]
Personal life
On June 12, 1968, she wed Brian Lurie, whom she met during an American Friends of the Hebrew University program in Israel. Rabbi Brian Lurie served as president of San Francisco’s Jewish Community Federation and is a board member of the New Israel Fund. They have two sons: Ari Lurie and Daniel Lurie, who has served as mayor of San Francisco and was formerly CEO of Tipping Point Community.
Her marriage to Peter E. Haas lasted from 1981 until his passing in 2005. He played a significant leadership role in Levi Strauss's expansion and was an influential figure in civic activities throughout the Bay Area.
As of early 2024, Miriam Haas lives in San Francisco. In 2010, she acquired a residence at 834 Fifth Avenue in New York from Charles R. Schwab for $12.5 million.
Around 2024, she contributed $1 million toward her son Daniel Lurie’s campaign for mayor of San Francisco, marking one of the largest donations ever recorded for a candidate committee within the city.