Shari Patrick Named General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Rockefeller Foundation

NEW YORK, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that Shari L. Patrick has been named General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Foundation, effective immediately. As General Counsel, Patrick will have principal responsibility for legal matters involving the Foundation. She will also serve as Corporate Secretary to the Foundation's Board of Trustees.

Patrick began her legal career as a Litigation Associate with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where she was from 1982 to 1988. She spent the next eight years (1988 to 1996) at Home Box Office, initially as a Senior Counsel, Litigation, and later as Senior Counsel, Film Programming. From 1996 to 2003, Patrick was with Comedy Central as General Counsel and Head of Legal and Business Affairs. Most recently, from 2006 to mid-2007, she was counsel to NBC Universal Inc. on corporate transactions and media law matters.

Commenting on Patrick's appointment, Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, said, "The Foundation is delighted to welcome Shari Patrick's wise counsel, extensive experience and solid judgment. She will be a valued addition to our management team."

Patrick said, "I'm thrilled to be named General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Rockefeller Foundation. It's an especially dynamic and interesting time to be at this innovative institution. I look forward to assisting colleagues here advance the Foundation's important work."

Patrick graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.A. degree with high distinction in 1979. She received her J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1982. Patrick is admitted to practice before the Bar of the State of New York and is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

The Rockefeller Foundation was established in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller, Sr., to "promote the well-being" of humanity by addressing the root causes of serious problems. The Foundation supports work around the world to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and to help ensure that globalization's benefits are more widely shared. With assets of nearly $4 billion, it is one of the few institutions to conduct such work both within the United States and internationally.