Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc., has been appointed a member of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents. President Barack Obama signed the resolution Sept. 29 appointing him as a citizen regent. Lynton’s six-year term begins immediately.
The 17-member Smithsonian Board of Regents includes nine citizen members, three members of the House of Representatives and three members of the Senate, as well as the chief justice of the United States and the vice president, both ex officio voting members. The Board of Regents is the governing body of the Smithsonian Institution.
Lynton takes the board position vacated by France Córdova, who served from 2009 to March 2014, when she was sworn in as director of the National Science Foundation. The Board of Regents meets four times a year at the Smithsonian. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. presides over the meetings as chancellor, and John McCarter is the Chair of the Board.
Throughout his tenure at Sony Entertainment Inc., Lynton has emphasized environmental sustainability, resulting in recognition from the Environmental Media Association and Habitat for Humanity among others. Before joining Sony, Lynton worked for Time Warner Entertainment Co. in various capacities and chairman and CEO of Pearson PLC’s Penguin Group. Lynton also served as president of the Walt Disney Company’s Disney Publishing, which he started, and Disney’s Hollywood Pictures.
Lynton received a Bachelor of Arts in history and literature from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Lynton and his wife, Jamie Alter, have three children.
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SI-387-2014
Linda St. Thomas
202-841-2517
