An innovative business leader and pioneering philanthropist in education reform, Lowell Milken serves as chairman of two global corporations—National Realty Trust, the largest property owner of early childhood centers in the U.S., as well as London-based Heron International, a worldwide leader in property development— and serves as chairman of the renowned Milken Family Foundation. His experience in business at the global level informs his strategic vision for the high-caliber educational opportunities vital to equip future generations to compete on the world stage and to secure America’s heritage as a democracy. 

‍

Lowell Milken is a graduate of the California public school system, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley, where he received the School of Business Administration’s Most Outstanding Student award. At UCLA School of Law, he earned his degree with the distinction of Order of the Coif and UCLA Law Review. In 2009 he was UCLA School of Law’s Alumnus of the Year and in 2017 the Education Commission of the States named him the recipient of the James Bryant Conant Award based on his lifetime of contributions to improving education.

‍

Named by Worth magazine as one of America’s most generous philanthropists, Lowell Milken’s ongoing support of UCLA has been exceptional. In addition to the Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits (LMPC), UCLA School of Law established the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy (LMI) in 2011 with Lowell’s historic 10-million-dollar gift. LMI has since become a nationally recognized leader in legal scholarship, new entrepreneurship, and curricula, preparing the next generation of lawyers and leaders in arenas well beyond the legal field. More recently Lowell established the first permanent academic home for the study of Jewish American music in North America in 2020 at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music through the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience. 

‍

As chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation, Lowell Milken’s dedication to education reform has been informed by more than three decades of education research, policy and practice, as well as firsthand visits to thousands of classrooms. In 1985, Lowell developed the Milken Educator Awards, which today is the nation’s most prominent teacher-recognition program. Lowell has also conceived and founded several nonprofit initiatives impacting education reform across the country. More information about these philanthropic initiatives can be found on the Lowell Milken Family Foundation website LowellMilken.org.