John Bernstein

Vulcan hired an experienced philanthropic executive as chief financial officer to help the multifaceted business and philanthropic entity advance on the vision Paul Allen left for his empire. John Bernstein was most recently the chief operating officer of the Ford Foundation, the philanthropy established in 1936 by Edsel Ford, son of automaker Henry Ford. With more than $13.8 billion in assets at the end of 2017, the New York-based foundation is second in size only to the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation among U.S. philanthropies. Bernstein, who began Jan. 2 2020 at Vulcan, leads both its finance and information technology departments. Bernstein’s appointment gives two glimpses into the evolution of the Allen empire and philanthropic mission since his death Oct. 15, 2018. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, technology and real estate investor, art and memorabilia collector, and owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, pledged to give away the majority of his wealth, estimated at more than $20 billion.