Board Committees

Kenneth C. Whitney has managed a private family investment office since April 2013, focused on start-up businesses and entertainment projects. Since his retirement from Blackstone Inc. in April 2013 until September 2015, he was also a Senior Advisor to Blackstone. Mr. Whitney was previously a Senior Managing Director and Head of Blackstone’s Investor Relations & Business Development Group from 1998 to April 2013. After joining Blackstone in 1988, Mr. Whitney focused his efforts on raising capital for Blackstone’s private investment funds and the establishment of Blackstone affiliates in the alternative investment area. Mr. Whitney began his career at Coopers & Lybrand in 1980, where he spent time in the firm’s accounting and audit areas as well as in the tax and mergers and acquisitions areas. Mr. Whitney is a Tony Award-winning producer, and currently sits on the Board of Trustees for The First Tee and the University of Delaware, where he received a B.S. in Accounting.

James Costos served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and Principality of Andorra from August 2013 to January 2017. Mr. Costos currently serves as President of Secuoya Studios, a global Spanish language content studio. In addition, Mr. Costos serves as a Member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, serves as a senior advisor to FC Barcelona, is a senior managing director at Dentons, in their Global Venture Technology group, and sits on the Boards of Directors of Grifols S.A. and the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy and political lobbying organization in the United States. Previously, Mr. Costos was Vice President at Home Box Office, served as an executive at Revolution Studios, and held senior leadership roles for more than a decade at Tod’s S.p.A. and Hermès of Paris. Mr. Costos is a passionate supporter of several cultural and humanitarian organizations, including the Reina Sofia Museum and the Hispanic Society of America. Mr. Costos earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts.

Grace Reksten Skaugen, a Norwegian national, has extensive experience working with a broad array of European companies. She previously served as a senior advisor to Deutsche Bank (2007-2014) and HSBC (2014-2019). In 2009, Ms. Skaugen co-founded the Norwegian Institute of Directors, where she still serves on its board. From 2012 to 2015, she was deputy chair of the Norwegian oil company Statoil (now Equinor) and served on its board for 13 years. Ms. Skaugen has served as the deputy chair and chair of the Compensation Committee at Orkla ASA, has been a board member and member of the Compensation and Sustainability Committees at Lundin Energy AB and chaired Euronav NV (where she was a member of the Compensation Committee, Sustainability Committee and Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee). She currently chairs Orrön Energy AB (member of the Compensation Committee) and is a board member of Investor AB (member of the Audit and Risk Committee).  Ms. Skaugen is also a trustee of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. She has previous investment banking experience, having worked at the Nordic bank SEB, where she advised companies within the energy, transportation and technology sectors. Ms. Skaugen started her career as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia Radiation Laboratory in New York. She is a physicist by education and holds a PhD in laser physics from Imperial College in London. She also holds an M.B.A. from the Norwegian School of Management, BI.

Thomas M. Ryan currently serves as the Lead Director of PJT Partners. Mr. Ryan is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CVS Health Corporation, formerly known as CVS Caremark Corporation, a pharmacy healthcare provider (“CVS”). He served as Chairman of CVS from April 1999 to May 2011 and Chief Executive Officer of CVS from May 1998 to February 2011, and also served as President from May 1998 to May 2010. Mr. Ryan serves on the board of Five Below, Inc., and is an Operating Partner of Advent International. Mr. Ryan was a director of Yum! Brands, Inc. from 2002 to 2017, Reebok International Ltd. from 1998 to 2005, Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2010 and Vantiv, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.

Emily K. Rafferty is President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was elected President of the Museum in 2005 and served in that role until her retirement in March 2015. She had been a member of the Museum’s staff since 1976 serving in various roles in development, membership and external affairs until becoming President and Chief Administrative Officer in 2005, overseeing some 2,000 full- and part-time employees and volunteers. Ms. Rafferty’s global experience in some 50 countries on behalf of the Museum included interactions and negotiations with many senior world leaders. She is a Vice Chair of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a Board member of Carnegie Hall, the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Asia Society, Civitella Ranieri, an Artist Residency Program in Italy, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, and the Association of Art Museum Curators. She is also a Board member of Koç Holdings, Istanbul from 2018 to the present; a member of the Advisory Council of the American University of Beirut and the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Rafferty is principal of Emily K. Rafferty & Associates, a consulting resource for non-profit institutions. Ms. Rafferty served as a Board member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank from 2011 to 2017 (Chair, 2012 to 2016), Senior Adviser for Heritage Protection and Conservation for UNESCO from 2015 to 2017 and was Chair of NYC & Company (the city’s tourism, marketing and partnering organization) from 2008 to 2020 and continues to serve as an ex-officio board and executive committee member. She previously consulted for Russell Reynolds Associates in the firm’s non-profit sector and The Shed, a NYC performing arts center.

Emily K. Rafferty is President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was elected President of the Museum in 2005 and served in that role until her retirement in March 2015. She had been a member of the Museum’s staff since 1976 serving in various roles in development, membership and external affairs until becoming President and Chief Administrative Officer in 2005, overseeing some 2,000 full- and part-time employees and volunteers. Ms. Rafferty’s global experience in some 50 countries on behalf of the Museum included interactions and negotiations with many senior world leaders. She is a Vice Chair of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a Board member of Carnegie Hall, the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Asia Society, Civitella Ranieri, an Artist Residency Program in Italy, the Hispanic Society Museum and Library, and the Association of Art Museum Curators. She is also a Board member of Koç Holdings, Istanbul from 2018 to the present; a member of the Advisory Council of the American University of Beirut and the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Rafferty is principal of Emily K. Rafferty & Associates, a consulting resource for non-profit institutions. Ms. Rafferty served as a Board member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank from 2011 to 2017 (Chair, 2012 to 2016), Senior Adviser for Heritage Protection and Conservation for UNESCO from 2015 to 2017 and was Chair of NYC & Company (the city’s tourism, marketing and partnering organization) from 2008 to 2020 and continues to serve as an ex-officio board and executive committee member. She previously consulted for Russell Reynolds Associates in the firm’s non-profit sector and The Shed, a NYC performing arts center.

James Costos served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and Principality of Andorra from August 2013 to January 2017. Mr. Costos currently serves as President of Secuoya Studios, a global Spanish language content studio. In addition, Mr. Costos serves as a Member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, serves as a senior advisor to FC Barcelona, is a senior managing director at Dentons, in their Global Venture Technology group, and sits on the Boards of Directors of Grifols S.A. and the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy and political lobbying organization in the United States. Previously, Mr. Costos was Vice President at Home Box Office, served as an executive at Revolution Studios, and held senior leadership roles for more than a decade at Tod’s S.p.A. and Hermès of Paris. Mr. Costos is a passionate supporter of several cultural and humanitarian organizations, including the Reina Sofia Museum and the Hispanic Society of America. Mr. Costos earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts.

Thomas M. Ryan currently serves as the Lead Director of PJT Partners. Mr. Ryan is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CVS Health Corporation, formerly known as CVS Caremark Corporation, a pharmacy healthcare provider (“CVS”). He served as Chairman of CVS from April 1999 to May 2011 and Chief Executive Officer of CVS from May 1998 to February 2011, and also served as President from May 1998 to May 2010. Mr. Ryan serves on the board of Five Below, Inc., and is an Operating Partner of Advent International. Mr. Ryan was a director of Yum! Brands, Inc. from 2002 to 2017, Reebok International Ltd. from 1998 to 2005, Bank of America Corporation from 2004 to 2010 and Vantiv, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.