Charles G. Koch

Charles G. Koch is chairman of the board and CEO of Koch Industries, Inc., a position he has held since 1967. He is renowned for growing Koch Industries from just $21 million in the early 1960s to its current revenues of about $115 billion according to Forbes. He is ranked fourth on Forbes’ list of America’s richest people. He has continuously supported academic and public policy research (including many Nobel Prize winners) for more than 50 years, and has helped build a number of organizations focused on research, policy and education to advance the understanding of the free society. These include the Cato Institute, the Institute for Humane Studies and the Mercatus Center. He supports numerous nonprofits through the Charles Koch Foundation and the Charles Koch Institute, including an organization called Youth Entrepreneurs, which teaches at-risk high school students the values and skills they need to succeed in life. The Charles Koch Foundation supports  more than 250 colleges and universities for more than 400 research and education programs. As a reflection of Mr. Koch’s business leadership and community involvement, he has received numerous honors and awards including several for philanthropic leadership, entrepreneurial leadership and distinguished citizenship. He holds a bachelor’s degree in general engineering as well as two master’s degrees in nuclear and chemical engineering from MIT. He has been married to his wife, Liz, for 43 years. They have two children and two grandchildren.             Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America with annual revenues of about $115 billion, according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, grain processing and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control equipment and technologies; electronic components; commodity trading; minerals; energy; ranching; glass; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $70 billion in acquisitions and other capital expenditures. With a presence in about 60 countries, Koch companies employ more than 100,000 people worldwide, with about 60,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 1000 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service.