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.