Officers

John M. Fahey, Jr., Chairman
Chairman and CEO, National Geographic Society
John Fahey was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the National Geographic Society in January 2011. He is also chairman of the executive committee of its board of trustees. During his tenure, Fahey has led an evolution of the National Geographic Society, including its entry into cable television with the National Geographic Channels, currently available in 37 languages in more than 380 million homes in 163 countries; the international growth of National Geographic magazine, now published in English and 33 local-language editions; and the extension of National Geographic content into virtually every aspect of digital media. In addition, Fahey has guided the significant expansion of the Society’s Mission Programs during the past decade, including the creation of the National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, Fellows and Emerging Explorers programs.

Patrick F. Noonan, Vice Chairman
Chairman Emeritus, The Conservation Fund
Patrick Noonan is founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Conservation Fund, which under his leadership has pioneered a new approach to conservation based on collaboration, not confrontation.

Daniel C. Edelson, Ph.D., Executive Director
Vice President, Education Programs, National Geographic Society
Textbook author, software developer, and educational researcher Danny Edelson has dedicated his career to improving young people’s understanding of the world they live in and their role in determining its future. In his position as vice president for education, he oversees National Geographic’s outreach to educators and its efforts to improve geographic education in the United States and abroad.

Members

Brendan Bechtel
Principal Vice President & Project Manager, Bechtel Corporation
Brendan Bechtel is the Project Manager for Bechtel's Queensland Curtis LNG project near Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. In the past he has worked in a variety of field and corporate assignments with Bechtel, predominantly in the energy and civil infrastructure sectors.

Jack Dangermond
President of Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri)
Jack Dangermond, founder and president, leads Esri, the leading developer of geographic information systems (GIS) software, in its mission to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them.

Terry D. Garcia
Executive Vice President for Mission Programs, National Geographic Society
Terry Garcia is responsible for the Society's core mission programs, including programs that support and manage more than 400 scientific field research, conservation, and exploration projects annually. In addition, he oversees the Society's Explorers-in-Residence and Emerging Explorers programs, geography and science education programs, geography competitions, development office, exhibitions, live events, and the arts media program, which includes the All Roads film and photography program.

Gilbert M. Grosvenor
Chairman Emeritus, National Geographic Society and Education Foundation
Gilbert M. Grosvenor retired as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, a position he had held since 1987, but is still an active member. He was president of National Geographic from 1980 to 1996, the fifth generation of his family to have served in that position. Grosvenor has distinguished himself as the nation’s leading advocate for returning geography education to America’s schools.

Charles O. Holliday, Jr.
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bank of America
Chad Holliday has served as chairman of the board of directors of Bank of America since September 2009. He is the former chairman of the board of directors of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., a position he had held for approximately 10 years. He is a founding member of the International Business Council and has served in leadership positions in a number of other organizations, including Catalyst, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunities for women and business.

Tim Kelly
President, National Geographic Society
Tim Kelly was appointed president of the National Geographic Society in January 2011. He served previously as president and CEO of the National Geographic Global Media group and president and CEO of National Geographic Ventures (NGV). When he first arrived at National Geographic in 1985, Kelly created the award-winning Explorer series. Kelly also created the National Geographic Cinema Ventures (NGCV) group, which is responsible for distribution to both theatrical and giant-screen movie outlets around the world.

Gary E. Knell
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Public Radio
Knell, whose career in public media spans nearly three decades, joined NPR on December 1, 2011. He became CEO of Sesame Workshop – a collaborative, multimedia organization that maximizes the educational power of media to help children and families reach their highest potential – in 2000. He first joined Sesame in 1989, and became COO in 1998. During his tenure, the organization has expanded its revenue base, audience and global recognition. Knell also has been instrumental in focusing the organization on Sesame Street's worldwide mission, including the creation of groundbreaking co-productions in South Africa, India, Northern Ireland and Egypt.

Gerry Lenfest
Gerry Lenfest is a retired cable TV executive and founder of Lenfest Communications, Inc, which became one of the top twelve cable television companies in the United States. He served in the United States Navy aboard destroyers and retired with the rank of Captain. Lenfest serves on several corporate and not-for-profit boards

Lyle Logan
Managing Director, Global Financial Institutions Group
Before joining Global Financial Institutions Group, Lyle was the Managing Director, Institutional Sales and Client Servicing for Northern Trust Global Investments, the asset management arm of Northern Trust Corporation. He holds a B.A. degree in Accounting and Economics from Florida A&M University and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from the University of Chicago.

Julie McGee
Julie McGee is a retired executive with significant management experience in educational publishing in both print and digital formats. Most recently, she served as group CEO for six companies that were part of Harcourt, a division of Reed-Elsevier, and previously held similar positions at McGraw-Hill, Scholastic, and Houghton Mifflin. She has also taught at the Stanford University Publishing Course. Ms. McGee has served on the board of DeVry Inc (NYSE) since 1994 and is chair of its compensation committee. She is also on the board of Haights Cross.

Floretta Dukes McKenzie, Ed.D.
Floretta McKenzie is the founder of The McKenzie Group, Inc., an educational consulting firm, and served as president for the firm prior to working for the American Institute for Research (AIR). Before founding The McKenzie Group in 1988, Dr. McKenzie served as superintendent for the District of Columbia Public Schools for seven years. She currently serves on several corporate and not-for-profit boards.

William K. Reilly
Senior Advisor to TPG Capital, LP
William Reilly is a Senior Advisor to TPG Capital, LP, an international investment partnership.  During his tenure with TPG, he was the is a Founding Partner of Aqua International Partners, LP, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in companies engaged in the water sector.  Mr. Reilly served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and President and Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund.  He is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of World Wildlife Fund, Chairman of the Board of the ClimateWorks Foundation, Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University, Co-Chairman of the Bipartisan Policy Center Energy Project, Co-Chairman of the Board of the Global Water Challenge, and a Director of the Packard Foundation.

Alex Trebek
Host, Jeopardy!
Alex Trebek has hosted Jeopardy! since 1984, and has served as Host of the National Geographic Geography Bee since 1989, as well as the National Geographic World Championship Geography Bee since 1993. He has won 5 Emmys as Outstanding Game Show Host.

Anthony Williams
Executive Director, Corporate Executive Board
Tony Williams is the former Mayor of Washington, D.C. He also serves as the William H. Bloomberg Lecturer in Public Management at the Harvard Kennedy School. During his two terms as Mayor, he is widely credited with leading the comeback of Washington, restoring the finances of our nation’s capital and improving the performance of government agencies. Before his election as Mayor, he was the independent Chief Financial Officer of the District from 1995 to 1998, working with and on behalf of local officials, the D.C. Financial Control Board, and the U.S. Congress. In addition to his work on company boards, Tony devotes his attention to issues of education and the environment, serving on the board of Fight for Children and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Members Emeriti
Martha E. Church, Ph.D.
James C. Kautz