Peter C. Goldmark Jr.
Peter Carl Goldmark Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1940 |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, publisher, environmentalist, government official |
| Years active | 1960s–2010 |
| Known for | Chairman and CEO of the International Herald Tribune; President of the Rockefeller Foundation; Director of climate and air program at Environmental Defense Fund |
Peter Carl Goldmark Jr. (born December 2, 1940) is a former journalist and publisher recognized for his dedication to social and environmental concerns. He concluded his career in 2010 as the director of the climate and air program at the Environmental Defense Fund. Goldmark’s past roles include chairman and CEO of the International Herald Tribune, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and budget director for the State of New York. Throughout his professional journey, he oversaw budgets worth billions and was a leading voice advocating for environmental responsibility and social progress.
Personal life
Goldmark is the son of Peter Carl Goldmark, famed for inventing the LP record and pioneering practical color television, and Frances Trainer. He completed his secondary education at Choate Rosemary Hall in 1958 and graduated from Harvard University in 1962. Subsequently, he spent two years teaching at the Putney School in Vermont, where he met his spouse, Aliette Marie Misson. Since his period at the Rockefeller Foundation, Goldmark has resided in Brooklyn, New York.
Career
Goldmark’s professional path started within state governments in Massachusetts and New York before progressing to philanthropic leadership as president of the Rockefeller Foundation. He later transitioned into journalism with roles at Newsday and the International Herald Tribune, culminating in leadership at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Governmental positions
Early in his career, Goldmark held influential government posts, including heading the Massachusetts Department of Human Services at age 30. From 1975 to 1977, he served as budget director for the State of New York under Governor Hugh L. Carey, playing a critical role in resolving fiscal crises affecting both the state and New York City. For eight years, he was executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he transformed it into a vital engine for regional economic growth. Additionally, Goldmark collaborated with New York officials such as Mayor John Lindsay, acting as chief of staff in 1970, later becoming New York City’s budget director by 1975, and co-chairing Governor Eliot Spitzer’s transition team.
Philanthropic organizations
In 1988, Goldmark assumed the presidency of the Rockefeller Foundation as its eleventh leader, managing assets totaling $1.7 billion. During his tenure, the foundation’s endowment increased by $1 billion while emphasizing initiatives like educational reform and support for women and disadvantaged groups. He stepped down from this role in 1997. His board memberships included positions with the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the National Commission on Civic Renewal.
Journalism
Goldmark was senior vice president at Newsday, part of the Times Mirror Company, from 1985 to 1987. After leading the Rockefeller Foundation, he served as publisher of the International Herald Tribune from 1998 until 2003. By 2012, he maintained a presence in journalism by contributing weekly columns to Newsday covering diverse subjects.
Environmentalism
Following his publishing career, Goldmark directed climate and air programs at the Environmental Defense Fund, working on initiatives across India, Mexico, Brazil, China, and the United States. He championed sustainable development policies that linked global climate change challenges with financial strategies, technological innovation, and institutional responsibilities. Upon retiring from EDF in 2010, he voiced frustration that his generation had failed to address major environmental issues adequately, criticizing U.S. governmental inertia while expressing hope that other populous nations would take action before irreversible harm ensues.
Honors and legacy
Goldmark was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 1977. From 1981 through 1994, the French-American Foundation recognized him four times as one of its "Young Leaders," a program designed to promote exchange between rising figures in France and the United States.
He earned the Wilson Wyatt National Award for Urban Revitalization and was honored with induction into the French Legion of Honor. Goldmark has served as a visiting professor at prestigious institutions such as the Harvard Kennedy School, Yale University, Brandeis University, and Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. Moreover, he holds lifetime membership in the Council on Foreign Relations.
See also
External links
- 1941 births
- Living people
- American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
- American environmentalists
- Massachusetts secretaries of health and human services
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey people
- Presidents of the Rockefeller Foundation
- Harvard University alumni
- People from Brooklyn
- Young Leaders of the French-American Foundation