Chair, Milken Institute
“Milken’s impact on the fields of finance, medical research, public health and education is undeniable. He founded the Milken Family Foundation in 1982, and since then it has worked with more than 1,000 organizations around the world. He established the Milken Institute in in 1993; it hosts more than 250 events a year, including the Milken Institute Global Conference.
What’s the best advice you ever got? From my father: He told me that the American Dream cannot flourish unless everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to achieve it and pursue a life of meaning and purpose.
What’s your favorite film? Just before my 10th birthday, in 1956, MGM released “Forbidden Planet,” a sweeping story of interstellar travel to a lost civilization on a distant world. Its major lesson feels especially prescient today: technology without humanity is useless. I was enthralled. This was the first film to breathe life into the themes of my favorite sci-fi books and comics.
What’s at the top of your bucket list? I have no bucket list, but some of the things I’m most focused on are the advancement of medical research to address all life-threatening diseases, opening our forthcoming Center for Advancing the American Dream, and spending more time with my grandchildren.
What’s the best thing about living in Los Angeles? Southern California is a place where aspirations become industries and ideas become reality. It’s truly an international city where we’re reminded every day of the rich value of immigration from all parts of the world. People have worried about my hometown since long before I was born, and they’ll continue to do so into the future. I don’t worry. Los Angeles will be fine. Our policymakers will make missteps along the way, but the energy and creativity of our people will carry us through.
YEARS ON LA500: 9
