News Release
April 11, 2017
Press contact: Rachel Flor (617) 514-1662
rachel.flor@jfklfoundation.org
www.jfklibrary.org
Kennedy Library Foundation Board Chairman Kenneth R. Feinberg to Step Down After JFK Centennial Celebration
BOSTON, MA – The Board of Directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that Chairman Kenneth R. Feinberg will step down at the end of 2017, which marks the conclusion of the celebration of the John F. Kennedy Centennial. Feinberg, one of the nation's leading experts in mediation and alternative dispute resolution, served as Special Master for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and oversaw the distribution of The One Fund Boston for victims of the marathon bombing. He was unanimously elected Chairman of the Board in November 2009 and has served as a member of the Board since 2005. The board will choose Feinberg’s successor in June 2017.
“For far longer than he has chaired the Kennedy Library Foundation, Ken Feinberg has been a tireless champion of this institution and of the ideals at the heart of my father’s legacy,” said Caroline Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and Honorary President of the Foundation. “He is a true patriot who has answered the call to service time and again, always with skillful leadership and boundless energy, wisdom, and generosity. My family and I will always be grateful for his extraordinary dedication to community and country, and for his enduring friendship.”
“It has been one of the great honors of my professional life to serve the Kennedy Library Foundation and to steward the important work of preserving and expanding access to President Kennedy’s public legacy for future generations,” said Feinberg. “I leave with the deepest respect and admiration for my colleagues on the board and staff, whose unmatched professionalism and dedication have made the Centennial celebration such a tremendous success. I will be forever grateful to Caroline Kennedy, Ed Schlossberg, and the Kennedy family for their unwavering support and confidence, and I will long cherish their sustaining friendship.”
During Feinberg’s tenure on the Board of Directors, he led the establishment of a $10 million dollar board-designated trust for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award; oversaw the celebration of the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s administration; raised critical funds to support the launch of the largest presidential digital archive and the redesign of the Library’s museum exhibitions; spearheaded the passage of national legislation to establish the John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission; and hosted thought leaders, elected officials, dignitaries, and heads of state from around the world.
About Kenneth R. Feinberg
Feinberg was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to be Special Master of the US Government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund which distributed nearly $7 billion to more than 5,000 victims and families of victims of 9/11. Working pro bono for 33 months, he developed the regulations governing the administration of the fund and administered all aspects of the program, including evaluating applications, determining appropriate compensation and disseminating awards. Three years later, Mr. Feinberg agreed to administrate the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, set up for the benefit of victims' families in the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting.
In July 2009, Mr. Feinberg was appointed by the Obama Administration to oversee the compensation of top executives at companies which received federal bailout assistance. As the Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation, popularly called the 'pay czar', Mr. Feinberg announced in late October 2009 that the Treasury Department would slash compensation for the 25 highest-paid executives at the seven firms that received the largest chunks of federal bailout money.
Additionally, Feinberg currently serves as the government-appointed administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund.
In April 2013 Kenneth Feinberg was asked by Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to oversee the distribution of more than $60 million donated to The One Fund Boston, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established to provide compensation to those individuals injured as a result of the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings.
About the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides financial support, staffing, and creative resources for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The private financial support provided by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation enables the federal government to expand the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s research and archival capacity, to undertake marketing and public information projects, to offer intern and research fellowship programs, to enhance its museum and exhibits, and to offer nationally recognized educational and public programming.
By sponsoring and administering programs such as the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, the New Frontier Award, and the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students, the Foundation is united with the Library in a common mission to perpetuate President Kennedy's ideal that political and public service be conducted and exemplified as an honorable and patriotic profession.
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