Lester Crown is Chairman Emeritus of Henry Crown and Company, a family-owned and operated company that includes diversified manufacturing operations and real estate.
Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Crown received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and his MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business.
He previously served as a director of the following: Chicago Pacific Corporation, Continental Bank and Trust Company, Esmark, General Dynamics Corporation (where he also served as chairman of the Executive Committee), 360˚ Communications Company, TransWorld Airlines and former chairman of Material Service Corporation, a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation.
Mr. Crown is actively involved in civic activities. He is a Distinguished Lifetime Director of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and its Foundation and a director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago (past chairman of the Executive Committee). He also serves on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (past Chairman of the Board), the Civic Committee (past chairman) of The Commercial Club of Chicago, and The Jerusalem Foundation. He is a Life Trustee of Northwestern University and The Aspen Institute and a member of the Board of Overseers of the Henry Crown Fellowship Program of The Aspen Institute. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Theological Society and serves on the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University. He is actively involved with the Weizmann Institute of Science and is a Life Member and past Vice Chair of the International Board. He is a member of the International Councillors of the Center for Strategic & International Studies and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Advisors for Brandeis University’s Crown Center for Middle East Studies. He also chairs the Advance Gifts Campaign at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
Mr. Crown is a director of Yankee Global Enterprises LLC and an indirect owner of the Chicago Professional Sports Limited Partnership (the Chicago Bulls).