William Oberndorf

William Ernst Oberndorf is an American businessman, philanthropist, and education advocate.

William Oberndorf
Born
William Ernst Oberndorf
NationalityAmerican
Alma materWilliams College
Stanford Business School
OccupationPhilanthropist, Hedge fund manager

Career

Oberndorf attended University School in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Williams College in 1975. He received an MBA from Stanford Business School in 1978.[1] Oberndorf was inspired to become an investor by Warren Buffett.[2] In 1989, Oberndorf founded the investment firm SPO Partners.[3] Oberndorf was a major investor in Voyager, which created a literacy curriculum that was implemented by Florida Governor Jeb Bush.[4]

Oberndorf has served on the boards of numerous companies, including Calpine, Aggregates USA, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Equity Funds, Plum Creek Timber, Voyager Learning Company, Taft Broadcasting, and Wometco Cable Television Corporation.[5]

Other activities

Oberndorf and his wife Susan Oberndorf are active philanthropists who have donated millions of dollars to education-related causes and institutions.[6] Oberndorf currently serves as chair of the UCSF Foundation, which raises money to support the University of California, San Francisco’s mission of advancing health worldwide.[7] In 2010, Business Insider named Oberndorf one of the top ten university endowment managers.[8]

The Oberndorfs are strong supporters of school choice and have made a number of large donations to organizations designed to “bring about systemic and sustainable reform by promoting broad-based parental choice that aids low-income families.” In 2013, the couple made grants to two Bay Area public charter schools, KIPP Bay Area Schools and Gateway Public Schools, and donated $100,000 to the Foundation for Excellence in Education.[9] Other educational institutions that have received donations from the Oberndorfs include Marquette University, Williams College, and Stanford University.

Oberndorf is a major political donor who has contributed funds to national and California-based initiatives and candidates. Oberndorf was a prominent supporter of California Proposition 32, an effort to reform the political influence of teacher’s unions.[10] In 2016, Oberndorf donated $49,999 to Proposition Q, a ballot measure prohibiting tents on public sidewalks that was passed by voters.[11]

Oberndorf has also made significant contributions to help protect the environment, Susan Oberndorf is a current trustee of the Environmental Defense Fund.[12]

A registered Republican, Oberndorf donated over $1 million to the California Republican Party and its candidates between 2001 and 2011.[13] He was a major backer of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012, but ultimately donated to Barack Obama’s campaign prior to the 2008 election.[14] Oberndorf has also donated to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California.[15]

In 2016, Oberndorf was one of several high-profile Republican donors who refused to support Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.[16][17][18] Oberndorf said he would not vote for Trump, telling the New York Times, “If it is Trump vs. Clinton... I will be voting for Hillary.”[19][20] Earlier in the 2016 presidential cycle, Oberndorf co-hosted two fundraisers for Jeb Bush [21] and played a major role in discouraging Romney from running for president for a third time.[22]

References
  1. "William Ernst Oberndor". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg. October 16, 2015.
  2. Lowenstein, Roger (July 24, 2013). Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist. Random House. p. 275. ISBN 978-0804150606. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. Lattman, Peter (September 28, 2010). "Bill Patterson, Investor and Philanthropist, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  4. "Charitable Profile of Bill Oberndorf '75".
  5. "William E. Oberndorf Joins Calpine's Board of Directors". Businesswire. 5 January 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  6. "Charitable Profile of Bill Oberndorf '75".
  7. "About the UCSF Foundation".
  8. Leah Goldman (January 29, 2011). "The 10 Best University Endowment Managers". Business Insider.
  9. Edward W. Morley (May 16, 2018). "The Charitable Profile of Bill Oberndorf '75". Eph Blog.
  10. Federal Election Commission Individual Contributions query
  11. "San Francisco homeless: New plan to clear tents off streets". BBC. November 21, 2016.
  12. "EDF".
  13. Novak, Bob Biersack Viveca and Tucker, Will (August 1, 2015). "A few new donors-but not many-among megadonors to presidential super pacs". OpenSecrets.org.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. Novak, Bob Biersack Viveca and Tucker, Will (August 1, 2015). "A few new donors-but not many-among megadonors to presidential super pacs". OpenSecrets.org.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. Federal Election Commission Individual Contributions query
  16. Lah, Kyung (May 31, 2016). "Republicans for Hillary?". CNN.
  17. Balluck, Andrew and Rachal, Maria, Republican exodus from Trump grows, The Hill, 8/10/16
  18. Blake, Aaron (November 7, 2016). "78 Republican politicians, donors and officials who are supporting Hillary Clinton". The Washington Post.
  19. Martin, Jonathan and Burns, Alexander (November 7, 2016). "Key G.O.P. Donors Still Deeply Resist Donald Trump's Candidacy". The Washington Post.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. Martin, Jonathan and Burns, Alexander (May 5, 2016). "These Wealthy People Refuse to Give Donald Trump Money. Here's Why". The New York Post.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. Andrew Balluck And Maria Rachal (August 10, 2016). "Republican exodus from Trump grows". The Hill.
  22. Lah, Kyung (May 31, 2016). "Republicans for Hillary?". CNN.
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