Mary Bitterman

Mary G. F. Bitterman is president and trustee of The Bernard Osher Foundation, a philanthropic
organization that supports higher education and the arts. Among the Foundation’s national programs
are baccalaureate scholarships for nontraditional reentry students, lifelong learning institutes for
seasoned adults, and integrative health centers. The Foundation also supports arts organizations
in the San Francisco Bay Area and the state of Maine. Her previous positions include president and
CEO of the James Irvine Foundation, president and CEO of KQED, executive director of the Hawaii
Public Broadcasting Authority, director of Voice of America, director of the Hawaii State Department
of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and director of the East-West Center’s Institute of Culture and
Communication. A former director of Bank of Hawaii, Barclays Global Investors, McKesson, and the
Dillingham Corporation, she currently serves on the boards of the Hawaii Community Foundation, the
Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the Commonwealth Club of California, and the PBS Foundation.
She sits on the advisory councils of Pacific Forum and the Stanford Institute on Economic Policy
Research. She is also a member of the steering committee of Project Dana, a Hawaii-based, volunteer
caregiving project for the frail elderly and disabled. She has produced several documentaries for public television and has written on telecommunications development and the role of media in developing
societies. She is an honorary member of the National Presswomen’s Federation and a fellow of the
National Academy of Public Administration. She holds a PhD from Bryn Mawr College and honorary
doctorates from the Dominican University of California, Santa Clara University, and the University of
Richmond.