AOL Names Its Board of Directors
New Board Establishes Strong Foundation in Leadership and Governance
with Diverse Range of Talents from Internet, Media, Marketing,
Entertainment and Finance
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AOL today named nine members to serve on its Board of Directors, drawing
on leaders with expertise in Internet, Media, Entertainment and
Marketing, as well as Finance. Among the directors named are: Richard
Dalzell, Karen Dykstra, William Hambrecht, Patricia Mitchell, Michael
Powell, Fredric Reynolds, James Stengel and Jim Wiatt. They will join
the AOL Board when the separation from Time Warner is complete, with AOL
CEO Tim Armstrong serving as Chairman of the Board.
?AOL is very fortunate to have an exceptional group of proven leaders to
serve on our board of directors. AOL is on a mission to help create the
future of media and content and the AOL Board will play a central part
in helping us focus the strategy and also operate the company with the
highest ethical standards,? said Armstrong. ?These individuals bring
independent judgment and a dedication to building shareholder value, and
they will be a tremendous resource for our company, our employees, and
our future.?
Board members named to date:
Richard L. Dalzell
Richard Dalzell was Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
of Amazon.com, Inc., until 2007. Previously, Dalzell served in numerous
other positions at Amazon, including Senior Vice President of Worldwide
Architecture and Platform Software and Chief Information Officer from
2001 to 2007, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer from
2000 to 2001 and Vice President and Chief Information Officer from 1997
to 2000. Prior to Amazon, Dalzell was Vice President of the Information
Systems Division at Wal-Mart from 1994 to 1997. Dalzell holds a B.S. in
engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point.
Karen E. Dykstra
Karen Dykstra is a partner at Plainfield Asset Management LLC, and has
been Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Plainfield
Direct Inc. since 2006. Plainfield Asset Management LLC manages
investment capital for institutions and high net worth individuals based
in the United States and abroad. Plainfield Direct Inc. is a business
development company managed by Plainfield Asset Management. Prior to
joining Plainfield, Dykstra was the Chief Financial Officer of Automatic
Data Processing, Inc., a provider of transaction processing and
information-based business solutions, from 2003 to 2006. Dykstra serves
on the boards of Plainfield Direct Inc., Gartner, Inc. and Crane Co. She
received a B.S. in accounting from Rider University and a M.B.A. from
Fairleigh Dickinson University.
William R. Hambrecht
Bill Hambrecht founded and has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of WR Hambrecht + Co since 1998. WR Hambrecht + Co is a financial
services firm specializing in Internet and auction processes and
providing underwriting and advisory services for technology and
emerging-growth companies. Before that, Hambrecht co-founded Hambrecht &
Quist. In 2007, Hambrecht co-founded the United Football League, which
premiered in October 2009. Hambrecht has served as a director of
numerous private and public companies and currently serves on the board
of Motorola, Inc. He graduated from Princeton University.
Patricia E. Mitchell
Patricia Mitchell has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of
The Paley Center for Media, a global non-profit cultural institution
dedicated to the discussion of the cultural, creative and social
significance of television, radio and emerging platforms, since 2006.
The Center also convenes executives of global media companies on
business issues and subjects of mutual interest, providing a neutral
non-competitive forum. Before that, Mitchell was President and CEO of
the Public Broadcasting Service from 2000 to 2006, where she oversaw the
digital conversion of 359 public television stations and development of
a system-wide digital content initiative. For more than two decades, she
was an award-winning journalist and producer, serving as reporter,
anchor, talk show host, producer and executive for three broadcast
networks and several cable channels. She has served as President of Time
Inc. Television and CNN Productions, and was a partner in an independent
production company which focused on women?s programming. Mitchell serves
on the board of Sun Microsystems, Inc. She holds a B.A. in English/drama
and a M.A. in English literature from the University of Georgia.
Michael K. Powell
Michael Powell has served as a Senior Advisor to Providence Equity
Partners, a private equity firm focused on media, entertainment,
communications and information investments, since 2005. Powell is also
Chairman of the MK Powell Group, which focuses on strategic advice in
the areas of technology, media and communications. Previously, Powell
served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 2001 to
2005. He also served as the Chief of Staff of the Department of
Justice?s Antitrust Division and was an associate with the law firm of
O?Melveny & Myers LLP. Powell serves on the boards of Cisco Systems,
Inc. and Education Management Corporation. He was also named Chairman of
NTT DoCoMo?s 5th U.S. Advisory Board. Powell has a B.A. in government
from the College of William and Mary and a J.D. from the Georgetown
University Law Center.
Fredric G. Reynolds
Fredric Reynolds was with CBS Corporation and its predecessor companies
from 1994 until he retired in August 2009. Reynolds was Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of CBS Corporation from 2005 to
2009. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Viacom Television Stations Group of Viacom, Inc., and President of the
CBS Television Stations Division of CBS, Inc. Before that, he was
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Viacom, Inc.,
CBS Corporation and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Reynolds joined
Westinghouse from PepsiCo Inc. Reynolds serves on the board of Kraft
Foods Inc. A certified public accountant, Reynolds holds a B.B.A. in
finance from the University of Miami.
James R. Stengel
James Stengel has been President and Chief Executive Officer of The Jim
Stengel Company, LLC, a think tank and consulting firm conducting
proprietary research, generating thought leadership and applying a new
framework to drive business growth, since 2008. Stengel is also
currently an adjunct marketing professor at UCLA?s Anderson School of
Management. Stengel worked at Procter & Gamble from 1983 to 2008,
holding a variety of positions including Global Marketing Officer from
2001 to 2008. Stengel serves on the board of Motorola, Inc. He holds a
B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College and a M.B.A. from Pennsylvania
State University?s Smeal School of Business.
James A. Wiatt
Jim Wiatt has been an independent consultant since June 2009. Wiatt
served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the William Morris
Agency from 1999 until 2009, overseeing all areas of the entertainment
company, including motion picture, television, music, publishing,
theater, digital, sports marketing, business development, investments
and corporate consulting. Before joining WMA, Wiatt was Co-Chairman and
Co-CEO of International Creative Management, a talent management
company. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Wiatt is a
member of the Board of Councilors of the USC School of Cinematic Arts,
former Chairman and current member of the Board of the Los Angeles
Police Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of the Music Center of
Los Angeles.
On May 28, 2009, Time Warner Inc. announced that its Board of Directors
had authorized management to proceed with plans for the complete legal
and structural separation of AOL from Time Warner. Following the
proposed transaction, AOL would be an independent, publicly traded
company. Time Warner has indicated that it aims to complete the proposed
transaction around the end of this year.
About AOL
AOL is a leading global Web services company with an extensive suite of
brands and offerings and a substantial worldwide audience. AOL?s
business spans online content, products and services that the company
offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. AOL is focused on
attracting and engaging consumers and providing valuable online
advertising services on both AOL?s owned and operated properties and
third-party websites. In addition, AOL operates one of the largest
Internet subscription access services in the United States, which serves
as a valuable distribution channel for AOL?s consumer offerings. AOL LLC
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
AOL
Tricia Primrose
703-265-2896
tricia.primrose@corp.aol.comor
Alysia
Lew
212-652-6376
alysia.lew@corp.aol.comRead more