John Palfrey

John Palfrey is the President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served as Head of School at Phillips Academy, Andover.

Palfrey is the board chair of the United States Impact Investing Alliance; co-chairs the Disability and Inclusion Forum’s Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy; and serves on the board of the Fidelity Non-Profit Management Foundation. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and serves on the governance council. He is also the former board chair of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Palfrey holds a JD from Harvard Law School, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an AB from Harvard College.

Palfrey is the author or editor of a dozen books. His most recent book is Advanced Introduction to Law and Digital Technologies, co-authored with Urs Gasser. Other books include Wired Wisdom: How to Age Better Online, which he co-authored with Eszter Hargittai; Safe Spaces, Brave Spaces: Diversity and Free Expression in Education; and Born Digital: How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age, co-authored with Urs Gasser.