Helene L. Kaplan

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Helene L. Kaplan
Born1933 (1933)
DiedJanuary 30, 2023(2023-01-30) (aged 89–90)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBarnard College (BA)
New York University (JD)
Occupation(s)Lawyer, executive
EmployerSkadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Known forChairman of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
SpouseMark N. Kaplan
Children2

Helene Lois Kaplan[1] (1933 – January 30, 2023) was an American lawyer and nonprofit executive. She was of counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and was the first person to serve as two-time Chairman of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.[2]

Biography[edit]

Kaplan was born Helene Lois Finklestein.[3] She graduated from Barnard College in 1953 and New York University School of Law in 1967.[2] She was a student of sociologist Mirra Komarovsky at Barnard.[1]

She was a partner of Webster & Sheffield before joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in 1990.[4] She retired from the practice of law in 2012.[5]

She was named a director of the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1980 and held the title of chair from 1985 to 1990.[6] She also was elected vice-chair twice, serving in that capacity from 1981 to 1984 and from 1998 until 2002. She was elected chairman in 2002 and served until her retirement on March 1, 2007.[7] She is one of the only two honorary trustees of the foundation, alongside Newton N. Minow.[8]

In addition to her non-profit and legal careers, she was a trustee of Barnard College and served as the chairman of its board of trustees.[9][10] She was also a trustee and chairman of Mount Sinai School of Medicine.[4] She was also a trustee of the New York Foundation from 1976 to 1986,[11] a former director of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1994 to 1996,[12] a former trustee of the American Museum of Natural History,[13] the Mitre Corporation,[14] and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation from 1981 to 1997.[15] In 1990, she was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[5] She is a trustee emeriti of the Institute for Advanced Study,[16] The Commonwealth Fund,[17] and the J. Paul Getty Trust.[18]

She has also served as a director of various companies, including ExxonMobil,[19] MetLife,[20] The May Department Stores Company,[21] JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor Chemical Bank,[22] and Verizon Communications.[23]

From 1986 to 1990, she served as a member of the U.S. Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on South Africa.[24][25]

Kaplan was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from Columbia University in 1990 and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2001.[2]

She was also one of the first women to be admitted to the Century Association in 1988, along with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Brooke Astor.[26]

Personal life and family[edit]

Kaplan was married to fellow Skadden lawyer Mark N. Kaplan and the couple had two children.[1][14][27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Rosalind (2004-11-03). Changing the Subject: How the Women of Columbia Shaped the Way We Think About Sex and Politics. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-50114-9.
  2. ^ a b c "Carnegie Corporation - About". 2007-02-03. Archived from the original on 2007-02-03. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  3. ^ "Barnard Magazine Summer 2010 by Barnard College - Issuu". issuu.com. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  4. ^ a b "Helene Who?". Law.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  5. ^ a b "Helene L. Kaplan". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  6. ^ "Carnegie has Chairman of Board". The New York Times. 1985-02-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  7. ^ York, Carnegie Corporation of New. "Carnegie Corporation Of New York Announces New Chair And Elects New Member To Board Of Trustees". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  8. ^ York, Carnegie Corporation of New. "Trustees". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  9. ^ Arenson, Karen (2008-01-29). "Barnard Names New President". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  10. ^ Honan, William H. (1993-06-29). "Barnard's President To Head Museum Of Natural History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  11. ^ "The Trustees of the New York Foundation". New York Foundation. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  12. ^ "Historical Roster of Directors and Officers". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  13. ^ "Boards of directors - The American Museum of Natural History (4) - FORTUNE". archive.fortune.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  14. ^ a b Humanities. The Endowment. 1985.
  15. ^ "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Helene L. Kaplan". Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  16. ^ "Board of Trustees | Institute for Advanced Study". www.ias.edu. 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  17. ^ "DIRECTORS & STAFF". annualreport.commonwealthfund.org. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  18. ^ "Board of Trustees - About the Getty". About the Getty. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  19. ^ Standlea, David M. (2012-02-16). Oil, Globalization, and the War for the Arctic Refuge. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-8239-1.
  20. ^ "Board of Directors & Executive Officers". ir.metlife.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  21. ^ Office, United States General Accounting (1995). Defense Research and Development: Affiliations of Fiscal Year 1993 Trustees for Federally Funded Centers : Report to the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Defense, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate. The Office.
  22. ^ "EXECUTIVE CHANGES". The New York Times. 1987-11-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  23. ^ Ferguson, Charles H. (2004-04-21). The Broadband Problem: Anatomy of a Market Failure and a Policy Dilemma. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8157-9644-2.
  24. ^ AF Press Clips. Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State. 1985.
  25. ^ Kempster, Norman (1985-12-20). "Panel Named to Study U.S. Policy on South Africa". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  26. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (2016-02-21). "Election of a Female President Opens a New Era for a Former Boys Club". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  27. ^ "Sue Kaplan Bride of David Karnovsky". The New York Times. 1982-08-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.