Ken Stern ’88 Returns to Yale for Conversation on Leadership and Longevity in Career and Life
The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School joined the Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership, part of The Tsai Leadership Program at Yale Law School, in welcoming Ken Stern ’88 on Feb. 28 for a discussion on his wide-ranging career and work on the impact of longevity on society.
Stern spoke about his unique path to leadership across law, politics, media, and business, from his early career as an attorney at a major law firm and deputy general counsel for a presidential campaign, to his rise as the chief operating officer and chief executive officer of National Public Radio (NPR), which saw its audience more than double during his tenure to more than 26 million weekly listeners. Stern is president of Palisades Media Ventures, a media development company focused on public affairs, and co-founder of The Longevity Project, which fosters public conversation on how longer lives affect civil society.
In discussing his work on longevity, Stern provided an overview of his recent book, “Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead to Long Lives” (PublicAffairs 2025). The book draws insight from some of the longest-lived countries around the world on how to live a longer and healthier life, underscoring the importance of relationships and social connections to improved physical and mental health among older adults.
The event concluded with questions from the audience of Yale Law School students, faculty, and staff.
About the Solomon Center
The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School is the first of its kind to focus on the intersection of law and the governance, practice, and business of health care. The Center brings together leading experts and practitioners from the public and private sectors to address cutting-edge questions of health law and policy, and to train the next generation of top health lawyers, industry leaders, policymakers, and academics.
