David Rubenstein
David Rubenstein is a renowned investor, philanthropist, author, and historian, best known as the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful global private investment firms. Since co-founding Carlyle in 1987, Rubenstein has helped build the firm into a global alternative asset management leader, overseeing approximately $465 billion in assets under management across 33 offices worldwide. Earlier in his career, Rubenstein practiced law in Washington, D.C., served as a domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter, and held the role of Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. Beyond finance, Rubenstein is widely recognized as a pioneer of “Patriotic Philanthropy,” dedicating significant resources to education, culture, historic preservation, and civic institutions. He is an original signer of The Giving Pledge and has received numerous honors for his charitable impact, including the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the Museum of Modern Art’s David Rockefeller Award, among many others. Rubenstein holds several prominent leadership positions, serving as Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington, and the University of Chicago. In addition to his role at Carlyle, he is also the Chairman, CEO, and Principal Owner of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles.
David Rubenstein Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman
Academic History
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J.D., Law
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B.A., Political Science, Magna Cum Laude
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Chairman of the Board, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Chairman of the Board, Council on Foreign Relations
Chairman of the Board, Economic Club of Washington
Chairman of the Board, University of Chicago
Trustee, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Trustee, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Trustee, Institute for Advanced Study
Member, American Philosophical Society
Chairman, Harvard Global Advisory Council
Board Member, World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community
At The Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein played a foundational role in shaping the firm’s long-term, institutionally focused investment model, serving pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, and large family offices across the globe.
He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in private equity and alternative asset management, helping professionalize the industry and expand its role within global capital markets.
Under Rubenstein’s leadership, Carlyle developed a reputation for deep expertise in government-related industries, including defense, aerospace, and energy, while also becoming a global leader in large-scale buyouts and private market investing.
The firm expanded significantly across Asia, Europe, and emerging markets, transforming Carlyle into a truly global investment platform.
MEDIA PRESENCE & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Rubenstein is a widely respected thought leader in investing, leadership, history, and public policy, and has been profiled in many of the world’s leading media outlets.
His work and insights have appeared in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, The New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Fox Business, Business Insider, and more.
He is the creator and host of “The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations” on Bloomberg Television, where he conducts in-depth interviews with prominent CEOs, investors, policymakers, historians, and cultural leaders.
In addition, Rubenstein is the author of five books published by Simon & Schuster, four of which are New York Times best sellers, including The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians (2019); How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers (2020); The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream (2021); How to Invest: Masters on the Craft (2022); and The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency (2024).
PHILANTHROPY & PATRIOTIC LEGACY
Beyond finance, Rubenstein is one of the most prominent and impactful philanthropists in the United States.
He has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to support education, cultural institutions, civic life, and historic preservation.
A pioneer of Patriotic Philanthropy, Rubenstein has made transformative gifts supporting the restoration and preservation of many of America’s most important landmarks and institutions, including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon, Arlington House, Iwo Jima Memorial, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the National Zoo, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, among others.
He has also loaned to the U.S. government rare and historic documents from his personal collection, including copies of the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, the first printed map of the United States (the Abel Buell map), and the Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in America.