John Harold Kissick was the founding president of the Kissick Family Foundation. Over his impressive career, John was a leader in the finance world, co-founding and leading Apollo Management in 1990 and Ares Management in 1997 until his retirement in 2019. Prior to co-founding Apollo and Ares Management, John was a Senior Executive Vice President of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. where he began in 1975 and eventually headed its West Coast Corporate Finance Department. John graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics, attended the Navy Officer Candidate School to serve as a Naval Officer during the Vietnam War, and later graduated with highest honors from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with a M.B.A. in Finance.
John Harold Kissick was the founding president of the Kissick Family Foundation. Over his impressive career, John was a leader in the finance world, co-founding and leading Apollo Management in 1990 and Ares Management in 1997 until his retirement in 2019. Prior to co-founding Apollo and Ares Management, John was a Senior Executive Vice President of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. where he began in 1975 and eventually headed its West Coast Corporate Finance Department. John graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics, attended the Navy Officer Candidate School to serve as a Naval Officer during the Vietnam War, and later graduated with highest honors from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with a M.B.A. in Finance.
While leading the Kissick Family Foundation, John served on numerous charitable foundation boards, including Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford School of Education, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Harvard-Westlake School, and a number of Los Angeles inner city public and charter schools. His passion for investing in the underserved and ability to take smart risks and bet on talent guided his philanthropy through the Kissick Family Foundation.
Featured alongside John in this photograph are his children, Kasey and Ryan, and wife, Kathy, gathered together to celebrate Ryan’s wedding in 2015.
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