JOHN PALFREY has been named president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, effective September 1. Since 2012, Palfrey has served as head of school for Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts. During his tenure, the number of faculty members of color has doubled, and the student body has grown more diverse. Before Phillips Academy, he served as the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School. Palfrey is the author or co-author of nine books, most focused on new media and learning. In the nonprofit sector, Palfrey was executive director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society from 2002 to 2008, and was the founding board chair of the Digital Public Library of America. Since 2014, he has been board chairman at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which seeks to foster informed communities, with a focus on transforming journalism in the digital age. Palfrey holds a JD from Harvard Law School, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an AB from Harvard College. At the MacArthur Foundation, Palfrey succeeds Julia Stasch.
Posted March 6, 2019