Kenneth Lerer
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Lerer is an American businessman and media executive. He is the chairman and co-founder of The Huffington Post
, a liberal
/progressive
American news website and content aggregating blog
, headquartered in New York. He is the General Partner of Lerer Media Ventures, an angel fund in New York City, Vice-Chairman of Betaworks and Chairman of BuzzFeed
. He is a past Executive Vice President of AOL Time Warner and was a founding partner of New York based corporate communications firm Robinson, Lerer, and Montgomery.
Lerer has taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
, University of Pennsylvania
and New York University
, where he taught courses on the media and American corporations. He served as Chairman of the Public Theater
in New York for 10 years, and is now its Chairman Emeritus. He is also on the boards of HealthRight International
, the Association to Benefit Children, and the Bank Street College of Education
. He has two children: a son, Benjamin, who started an online men's newsletter called Thrillist.com and is also a General Partner in Lerer Media Ventures; and a daughter, Isabel. He and his wife Katherine Sailer are active fundraisers for the Democratic party. According to the New York Times, on April 9, 2007, they co-hosted a $2,300/plate fundraiser for Barack Obama
at their Central Park West
apartment in New York.
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
/progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
American news website and content aggregating blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, headquartered in New York. He is the General Partner of Lerer Media Ventures, an angel fund in New York City, Vice-Chairman of Betaworks and Chairman of BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed is a website that combines a technology platform for detecting viral content with an editorial selection process to provide a snapshot of "the viral web in realtime." Cofounded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti , BuzzFeed is located in SoHo, New York.-Homepage content:The BuzzFeed homepage consists...
. He is a past Executive Vice President of AOL Time Warner and was a founding partner of New York based corporate communications firm Robinson, Lerer, and Montgomery.
Lerer has taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he taught courses on the media and American corporations. He served as Chairman of the Public Theater
Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as The Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers. It is headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library in the East Village...
in New York for 10 years, and is now its Chairman Emeritus. He is also on the boards of HealthRight International
HealthRight International
HealthRight International is a global health and human rights organization that works to build lasting access to health for excluded communities. HealthRight was founded in 1990 by pioneering physician and human rights advocate Dr. Jonathan Mann, who championed the principle that health is a human...
, the Association to Benefit Children, and the Bank Street College of Education
Bank Street College of Education
Bank Street College of Education is located in Manhattan, New York City.-History:Bank Street was founded in 1916 by Lucy Sprague Mitchell as the "Bureau of Educational Experiments"....
. He has two children: a son, Benjamin, who started an online men's newsletter called Thrillist.com and is also a General Partner in Lerer Media Ventures; and a daughter, Isabel. He and his wife Katherine Sailer are active fundraisers for the Democratic party. According to the New York Times, on April 9, 2007, they co-hosted a $2,300/plate fundraiser for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
at their Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
apartment in New York.