Michael Milken

Mike Milken has been at the forefront of successful initiatives in medical research, education, public health and access to capital for more than five decades. In 2026, Forbes ranked Mike No. 19 on its list of America’s Greatest Innovators, individuals who “best embody the nation’s creative spirit.” In 1982 he formalized his philanthropy by co-founding the Milken Family Foundation, and a decade later founded the Milken Institute, which in addition to its Global Conference each spring in Los Angeles, hosts more than 250 events globally. Mike also founded and chairs FasterCures, which works to speed progress against all life-threatening diseases, and the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University was established in 2014. His latest book, Faster Cures: Accelerating the Future of Health, chronicles his personal journey and progress in medical research and public health. The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream – housed in an historic Washington, DC building complex across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and Treasury – celebrates the ideal that everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, should have the opportunity to pursue a meaningful life. As a financier, Mike revolutionized modern capital markets by pricing and rewarding risk more efficiently; the thousands of companies he financed created millions of jobs. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he earned his M.B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He and his wife Lori have been married since 1968 and have been members of the Giving Pledge since the organization’s founding in 2010; they have three children and 10 grandchildren. More information is at www.mikemilken.com.

Mr. Milken is Chairman of the Milken Institute and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation. Widely recognized for his half-century of leadership in medical research and public health—Fortune magazine called him “The Man Who Changed Medicine”—he is currently focused on global efforts to speed solutions for the Covid-19 crisis.

Beginning in 1969, Mr. Milken financed thousands of companies that collectively created millions of jobs. His philanthropy began in the early 1970s and initially focused in such areas as childhood neurological disorders, breast cancer, melanoma and a range of public health programs. When the coronavirus pandemic swept the world in 2020, Mr. Milken redirected the efforts of his medical foundations, the Milken Institute’s 10 centers and the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University to address the crisis. This includes connecting industry, public health schools and government agencies to expedite treatments and address shortages; providing policy recommendations; and disseminating accurate information.

Mr. Milken graduated from Berkeley with highest honors and earned his MBA at the Wharton School, where he was a Joseph Wharton Fellow. He and his wife, Lori, who are members of the Giving Pledge, have been married since 1968. They have three children and 10 grandchildren.