David Risher

Last updated
David Risher
David Risher (2012).jpg
Born (1965-07-15) July 15, 1965 (age 59)
Washington, DC
Education
OccupationCEO of Lyft
Known forCo-founder and CEO of Worldreader
Parents

John David Risher (born July 15, 1965) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the CEO of Lyft, co-founder of Worldreader, a non-profit organization that aims to get children reading so they can reach their potential, [1] and the co-founder of #HalfMyDAF whose goal is to inspire more philanthropic giving.

Contents

Risher served as an executive at Microsoft Corporation, [2] and was Senior Vice President of US Retail at Amazon.com from 1997 to 2002. [3] In November 2009, together with Colin McElwee, he founded Worldreader. [2] Risher succeeded Lyft co-founder Logan Green as its CEO in April 2023. [4] [5]

Early life and background

Risher was raised by his divorced parents, living primarily with his mother in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

In 1987 he graduated from Princeton University, [6] where he majored in Comparative Literature and wrote his thesis on “The Changing Attitudes towards Language in Samuel Beckett's early Metafiction.”

After graduating from college, he worked at L.E.K. Consulting, [7] He bicycled across the United States before entering Harvard Business School, from which he graduated in 1991 with an MBA. [8]

Career

At Microsoft, Risher was General Manager in charge of launching the company's first database product, Access. He went on to found and manage Microsoft Investor. [9] In 1997, he left Microsoft over Bill Gates' objections to join Amazon.com as its first Vice President of Product and Store development. [10] He later served as the company's Senior Vice President, US Retail, leading the marketing and expanding into new categories to grow Amazon's retail sales from $15 million to $4 billion. [11] As a tribute to Risher's leadership, Jeff Bezos created a hidden perpetual "easter egg" on the Amazon website when he left the company. [12]

After leaving Amazon in 2002, Risher taught at the University of Washington's Foster Business School, where he created the University's course on “Competing on the Internet.” He was elected Professor of the Year in 2004. [13]

Risher co-founded Worldreader after a year-long, 19-country trip around the world with his family, road-schooling his daughters and volunteering. After visiting an orphanage in Ecuador, Risher saw how technology could help traditionally underserved children read. [14]

Worldreader is a US-based 501(c)(3) and European public charity with additional registrations in Kenya, Ghana, India, and the United Kingdom. Worldreader believes that “readers build a better world" and works with partners to get children reading so they can reach their potential. [15] In March 2010, Worldreader launched a trial in Ayenyah, Ghana. Worldreader reports that, after receiving positive results, they were granted permission from Ghana's Ministry of Education to distribute e-readers to additional schools in Ghana. [16] Since then, the organization has helped over 20 million readers in the United States and globally across more than 100 countries. Worldreader's BookSmart reading app offers children books and learning activities in six languages. [17]

Risher is Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the year, [18] a Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow, [19] and Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Social Entrepreneur. [20] He serves on the board of directors of Lyft, Inc, [21] on the International Advisory Board of ESADE, [22] and sits on the International Advisory Board of Catalunya. [23]

Risher succeeded Lyft co-founder Logan Green as its CEO on April 17, 2023. [5] [4]

Philanthropy

In May 2020, Risher and his wife, author Jennifer Risher, [24] created the #HalfMyDAF challenge, with a goal of motivating donors to increase their charitable giving from Donor Advised Funds. [25] [26] Within 24 hours of the challenge's launch, donors had committed over $400,000 to support non-profits; [27] within three months, over $4.7 million had been granted, with the total reaching $8.6 million by the end of 2020. [28] [25] As of the end of 2024, the organization had awarded and inspired over $70 million of charitable giving. [29]

Risher is Worldreader's Founding Board Chair [30] and serves on the board of directors of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. [31]

Recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ESADE</span> Private business and law school in Spain

Esade is an international private educational institution based in Barcelona, Spain. Esade runs two schools of the university, Esade Business School and Esade Law School, as well as a language centre, the Esade Executive Language Center. The school has also formed a strategic alliance with Ramon Llull University in its undergraduate programmes in Law and Business. ESADE is ranked among the world's top business schools and law school programs by the Financial Times, The Economist, Forbes, QS World University Rankings and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University in Bulgaria</span> Private university in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) is a private university in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Established in 1991, AUBG had about 1,000 students from over 40 countries on 5 continents as of Fall 2022. Close to 40% of the students are international.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tides Foundation</span> American public charity and fiscal sponsor

Tides Foundation is a left-leaning donor advised fund based in the United States that manages over $1.4 billion in assets. It was founded in San Francisco in 1976 by Drummond Pike. Tides distributes money from anonymous donors to other organizations, which are often politically progressive. An affiliated group, Tides Advocacy, is a "massive progressive incubator." Tides has received substantial funding from George Soros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Duffield</span> American billionaire

David Arthur Duffield is an American billionaire businessman in the software industry. He is the co-founder and former chairman of PeopleSoft, co-founder and CEO emeritus of Workday, Inc., and current founder and co-CEO of Ridgeline, Inc. He has been on the Forbes World's Richest People list for many years.

Jeffrey Scott Raikes is the co-founder of the Raikes Foundation. He retired from his role as the chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2014. He serves on the boards of Giving Tech Labs, Hudl, Costco Wholesale, the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Microsoft Alumni Network. He is chair of the Stanford University board of trustees. Until early 2008, Raikes was the president of the Microsoft Business Division and oversaw the Information Worker, Server & Tools Business and Microsoft Business Solutions Groups. He joined Microsoft in 1981 as a product manager. He retired from Microsoft in September 2008, after a transitional period, to join the Gates Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Fruchterman</span>

Jim Fruchterman is an engineer and social entrepreneur. He was the founder and longtime CEO of Benetech, a Silicon Valley nonprofit technology company that develops software applications to address unmet needs of users in the social sector. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Halligan</span> American businessman

Brian Halligan is an American executive and author. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of software company HubSpot based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is also a senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Halligan coined the term "inbound marketing" to describe the type of marketing he advocates.

Worldreader is a 501(c)(3) global nonprofit organization working with partners to get children reading at least 25 books a year with understanding.

GlobalGiving is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the United States that provides a global crowdfunding platform for grassroots charitable projects. Since 2002, more than 1.6 million donors on GlobalGiving have donated more than $750 million to support more than 33,000 projects in 175 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan Green</span> American entrepreneur

Logan D. Green is the chairman and former CEO of Lyft, which he co-founded with John Zimmer in 2012. Lyft grew out of Zimride, a rideshare company previously founded by the duo in 2007.

Bradley A. Keywell is an American billionaire entrepreneur. He is the founder and executive chairman of Uptake Technologies, an industrial AI software provider. He is an early investor of Tempus Labs, co-founder of Groupon, Echo Global Logistics, Mediaocean, DRIVIN, and Lightbank. He founded WNDR Museum and Chicago Ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustafa Suleyman</span> British entrepreneur and activist

Mustafa Suleyman is a British artificial intelligence (AI) entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Microsoft AI, and the co-founder and former head of applied AI at DeepMind, an AI company acquired by Google. After leaving DeepMind, he co-founded Inflection AI, a machine learning and generative AI company, in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Koum</span> Ukrainian-born American entrepreneur, co-founder of WhatsApp

Jan Borysovych Koum is a Ukrainian-American billionaire businessman and computer programmer. He is the co-founder and former CEO of WhatsApp, a mobile messaging app which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for US$19.3 billion. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of US$15.2 billion as of October 2023, making him one of the richest people in the world. Koum was ranked 44th on the Forbes' list of richest Americans in 2023 with a net worth of $15.1 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Girls Code</span> Not-for-profit organization

Black Girls Code (BGC) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on engaging African-American girls and other youth of color with computer programming education to nurture their careers in tech. The organization offers computer programming and coding, as well as website, robot, and mobile application-building, with the goal of placing one million girls in tech by 2040. Kimberly Bryant, an electrical engineer who had worked in biotech for over 20 years, founded Black Girls Code in 2011 to rectify the underrepresentation of African-American girls and women in tech careers. In October 2023, Cristina Jones became CEO; she was previously an executive at Salesforce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli</span> Nigerian social entrepreneur

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is a Nigerian entrepreneur, an expert on African agriculture and nutrition, philanthropy, and social innovation. Since April 2, 2024, she has been serving as the CEO of the One Campaign.

INJAZ Al-Arab is a non-profit organization for education and training in workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship across the Arab World. INJAZ Al-Arab is the Regional Operating Center of JA Worldwide (JAW), one of the largest global non-governmental organizations dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges faced by young people. INJAZ Al-Arab is also an active participant in the United Nations Global Compact. Over 7 million students have participated in a broad base of entrepreneurship training opportunities aimed at developing basic business skills to start and run their own businesses while obtaining soft skills increasingly demanded by the private sector. Since its inception, INJAZ Al-Arab has built a network of over 100,000 classroom volunteers, who are leaders from the corporate world. INJAZ Al-Arab has a Regional Board of Directors, which comprises 15 executives, as well as a team of staff, led by Akef Aqrabawi, President and CEO of the Middle East/North Africa for JA Worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary White (engineer)</span>

Gary White is the CEO and co-founder of Water.org.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Awuah Jr.</span> Ghanaian engineer and educator; founder and president of Ashesi University

Patrick Awuah Jr. is a Ghanaian engineer, educator, and entrepreneur. Awuah established Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit Ghanaian institution in 2002. He has received awards as an individual and as the founder of Ashesi.

Peter A. Reiling is an American businessman and executive vice president for leadership at the Aspen Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Njideka Harry</span> Nigerian entrepreneur and activist

Njideka Françoise Harry is a World Economic Forum Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.

References

  1. ↑ "Worldreader: E-books on Cell Phones and Kindles in Schools". Worldreader. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  2. 1 2 "12 entrepreneurs who are changing the world". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  3. ↑ Waldron, Ann (1999). "Fall Football Preview". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 100: 54.
  4. 1 2 Murphy, Aislinn (2023-04-20). "New Lyft CEO says rider, driver experience top priority as it competes with Uber". Fox Business.
  5. 1 2 Rana, Preetika; Thomas, Lauren; Glazer, Emily (2023-03-27). "Lyft Hires New CEO as Founders Step Back Amid Struggles With Competition". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ↑ "Out of Amazon, into Africa". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  7. ↑ "Worldreader - About Our President David Risher". Worldreader. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  8. ↑ "David Risher (MBA 1991) - Alumni - Harvard Business School" . Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  9. ↑ "David Risher | The Huffington Post". www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  10. ↑ "I Remember Microsoft Once computing's red-hot center, Microsoft now has a tough time retaining its best and brightest employees. Here, some who left reflect on what they learned--and why they find life on the outside so much more alluring. - July 10, 2000".
  11. ↑ "There's a heartwarming Easter egg hidden within Amazon's website". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  12. ↑ Pogue, David (8 August 2019). "The Secret History of 'Easter Eggs'". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ "David Risher '87, Co-founder and President, Worldreader "Worldreader and the Quest to Eradicate Illiteracy"". Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  14. ↑ "Worldreader aims to eradicate global illiteracy by giving children e-readers". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  15. ↑ "Worldreader: E-books on Cell Phones and Kindles in Schools". Worldreader. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  16. ↑ "Worldreader's History - Milestones in Books for All". Worldreader. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  17. ↑ "Financials".
  18. ↑ "Awardees".
  19. ↑ "Three innovative non-profits from former Microsofties". 17 November 2011.
  20. ↑ "Worldreader | DRK Foundation | Supporting passionate, high impact social enterprises".
  21. ↑ "Lyft, Inc. - Governance - Board of Directors". investor.lyft.com. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  22. ↑ ESADE. "ESADE International Advisory Board". ESADE. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  23. ↑ "Es constitueix l'International Advisory Board". premsa.gencat.cat. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  24. ↑ "We Need To Talk: A Memoir About Wealth by Jennifer Risher". Red Hen Press. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  25. 1 2 "#HalfMyDaf Website" . Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  26. ↑ Owen Thomas (May 6, 2020). "Donor-advised funds are stacking up cash. A former Amazon executive wants it given away faster". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  27. ↑ Alex Daniels (May 7, 2020). "'HalfMyDAF' Movement Aims to Spur a Boost in Donor-Advised-Fund Grants". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  28. ↑ Dan Parks (August 20, 2020). "#HalfMyDAF Movement Spurs $4.7 Million in Grants So Far". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  29. ↑ "#HalfMyDAF 2023". #HalfMyDAF 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  30. ↑ "Board Members". Worldreader. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  31. ↑ "Barbara Bush Foundation's Board of Directors". Barbara Bush Foundation. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  32. ↑ "MLSV October/November 2020 Page 82". digital.modernluxury.com. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  33. ↑ "Wilson Magazine Summer 2017". Issuu. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  34. 1 2 "David Risher | Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship". www.schwabfound.org. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  35. ↑ "Microsoft Alumni Network - David Risher". www.microsoftalumni.com. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  36. ↑ "PW: Eleven for the Millennium". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  37. ↑ "Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2016 - Schwab Foundation". widgets.weforum.org. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  38. ↑ Cooperman, Jackie (2021-12-05). "Meet Maverick Philanthropists With New Models for Tackling Climate Change, Racial Inequality and More". Robb Report. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.