Washington Post CEO joins Facebook board
Don Graham, CEO and chairman of the newspaper's parent company, will join the board next month. He's the latest addition since entrepreneur Marc Andreessen joined in June.
Facebook's upper ranks are getting some old-media flavor: Don Graham, chairman and CEO of The Washington Post Co., will join the social network's board of directors in January.
Graham, the son of legendary Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham, has been at the newspaper company since 1971. He is--wait for it--a graduate of Harvard University, which Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and several other company executives also attended (like COO Sheryl Sandberg, General Counsel Ted Ullyot, and communications czar Elliot Schrage, who obtained his law degree there).
"Don Graham understands how to build and manage an organization for the long term," Zuckerberg said in a release. "He has made The Washington Post Co. one of the most valued and respected education and media companies while making society more open and understanding. What I most admire about Don is his commitment to build around this purpose--and not just a business. His decision to join our board means that Facebook will benefit from this insight and experience."
Facebook's board consisted solely of Zuckerberg and two early investors--Jim Breyer of Accel Partners and Peter Thiel of the Founders Fund--until veteran entrepreneur Marc Andreessen joined in June, following rumors that Zuckerberg wanted him on the board.