John Rhee ’96 Appointed to the Barbara Bush Foundation Committee

Headshot of John Rhee

Tallahassee, Fla. – John Rhee ’96 has joined the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy’s Investment Committee. Rhee is a seasoned investor with expertise in planned business development, strategic execution, and financial and operational management improvement with a number of companies at large. He founded and currently serves as managing director for Stratis Private Equity, the impact investment effort in the clean energy and waste recycling sector. He previously developed and led alternative investment practices for SoftBank, Inc., Korea. Rhee is also an attorney, and previously worked for the international law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell New York.

“We believe that in this time of diminishing returns on investment, it’s critical that we bring the most seasoned advisors together,” said Liza McFadden, president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation. “John Rhee’s international experience as well as his leadership in the alternative investment space adds an important component to our Investment Committee’s expertise.”

The Barbara Bush Foundation has created its investment portfolio through careful and conservative management, with the primary objective of protecting the principal investment. The Investment Committee, which provides oversight and guidance for the portfolio, is composed of a stalwart group of business professionals, most of whom serve in investment management capacities with national organizations or were appointed for their business acumen.

Rhee received a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was distinguished as a John M. Olin Law and Economics Scholar. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. Rhee’s nonprofit experience includes serving as a founding member and auditor for the Bitnasa organization, which serves homeless and elderly citizens in Korea. He is also a senior advisor to the Korea Creative Content Agency, a government cultural entity, where he advises media companies on business models and legal issues as they expand to the U.S. market.