Josh Harris (businessman)

Harris was born to a Jewish family in 1965[6] and raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[7] He attended high school in Washington D.C at The Field School. Harris graduated summa cum laude[8] with a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1986,[9][10] and then received his MBA from the Harvard Business School as a Baker Loeb Scholar.[1][11] He wrestled in college.[7]

He began working in the mergers-and-acquisitions department at Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1986 and worked there for 2 years before leaving to get his MBA at Harvard.[12] After graduating, he initially worked at Blackstone for 2 months before co-founding Apollo Global Management with Leon Black and Marc Rowan in 1990. [13][12]

Harris and Rowan were named Buyout Pros of the Year for 2004 by BuyoutsInsider.com.[14]

In 2008, Harris and his Apollo partners invested $2 billion into LyondellBasell before it filed for bankruptcy in 2009. When Apollo eventually sold their shares in the company in 2013,[15] they realized a paper profit of $9.6 billion, the biggest profit ever from a private equity investment according to Bloomberg.[16]

He is currently one of three managing partners of Apollo, along with Black and Rowan. Harris' role includes oversight of the firm's day-to-day operations.[12] As of July 2020, his estimated net worth was $4.7 billion.[13][17][18][19]

In 2017 Harris met with Trump officials to discuss infrastructure issues. In November of that year, Apollo Global Management loaned $184 million to Kushner Companies. Apollo spokesman Charles V. Zehren stated that Harris was not involved in the decision to loan to Kushner.[20]

As of the end of the third quarter of 2020, Harris and his Apollo partners reported that the firm had $433 billion in assets under management.[21][22][23]

Harris and his wife Marjorie co-founded Harris Philanthropies, formerly known as the Harris Family Charitable Foundation,[40] in 2014. The foundation’s stated goals are "to uplift communities in need, pioneer solutions and promote education and leadership development."[41]

Harris has supported After-School All-Stars and America SCORES which help low-income youth to combine their love of athletics with academic success.[42]

In August 2020, Harris and his wife gave a $2 million grant to the Bridgespan Group to launch Leading for Impact, a leadership program to serve Philadelphia area nonprofits.[41]

In February 2019, Harris and his wife gave $10 million[43] to his alma mater, Penn’s Wharton School, to establish the Joshua J. Harris Alternative Investments Program. Previously, Harris established the school’s Harris Family Endowed Scholarship.[44] In July 2018, the family’s foundation also donated $1 million to support Penn’s wrestling program.[45]

In 2015, Harris committed to donate $3.5 million over 5 years to the Philadelphia Police Athletic League, a cause committed to helping Philadelphia children. This was the largest gift in the organization’s history.[46]

Harris is married to Marjorie Harris (née Rubin), they have five children, and live in New York City.[1][47][48][49] Harris sits on the board of Mount Sinai Medical Center,[50] Harvard Business School,[51] and Wharton’s Board of Overseers.[9] In 2013, he was honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with the Outstanding American Award.[52] Harris regularly supports the teams he is involved with by attending games and he trains and runs in marathons.[12]

• Harris Philanthropies website