Living Legends: CATHERINE B. REYNOLDS

Reynolds’ foundation supports myriad groups, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress.

The first self-made woman to make BusinessWeek’s list of the 50 most philanthropic living Americans, Reynolds has been included multiple times on Washingtonian magazine’s annual 100 Most Powerful Women list.

A Vanderbilt University graduate, she was chairman, president and CEO of EduCap Inc., a pioneering nonprofit education finance company that was the first to directly market private student loans to consumers. Reynolds also introduced the first asset-backed securitization structure for consumer education loans, resulting in billions of dollars in AAA bond offerings and a multibillion-dollar annual capital market.

Reynolds sits on the boards of General Dynamics Corp., Lindblad Expeditions LLC and the American Academy of Achievement. She also is co-founder and CEO of nutrition delivery company VitaKey Inc.

PERSON I ADMIRE: Dr. Robert Langer. He has created a culture of innovation that has improved the lives of
5 billion people.

MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future,” by Ashlee Vance

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Alabama Crimson Tide football

FAVORITE VACATION SPOTS: Hawaii and Sun Valley, Idaho