Board Member

Laurence D. Fink

Laurence D. Fink

Chairman and CEO, BlackRock

Laurence D. Fink is founder, chairman, and CEO of BlackRock, Inc. He and seven partners founded BlackRock in 1988, and, under his leadership, the firm has grown into a global leader in investment and technology solutions. BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures, and the firm is trusted to manage more money than any other investment company in the world. Fortune has named Fink one of the World’s Greatest Leaders, and Barron’s has named him one of the World’s Best CEOs for fourteen consecutive years.

Prior to founding BlackRock, Fink was a member of the management committee and a managing director at the First Boston Corporation.

He serves as a member of the boards of trustees of New York University (NYU) and the World Economic Forum and is co-chair of the NYU Langone Medical Center board of trustees. In addition, he serves on the boards of the Museum of Modern Art, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the International Rescue Committee. He also serves on the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing and on the executive committee of the Partnership for New York City.

Fink earned a BA in political science and an MBA with a concentration in real estate from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Americas

U.S. Detention of Child Migrants
Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children have been arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border each year, sparking debate over how to respond. How is the Joe Biden administration handling it?

Backgrounder by Amelia Cheatham and Diana Roy March 27, 2023 Renewing America

United Nations

Funding the United Nations: How Much Does the U.S. Pay?
Many UN agencies, programs, and missions receive crucial funding from the United States. The Trump administration sharply reduced funding to some UN agencies, but President Biden has largely reversed those cuts.

Article by CFR.org Editors March 13, 2023

Refugees and Displaced Persons

How Does the U.S. Refugee System Work?
The United States has long been a safe haven for refugees from around the world. President Biden is working to expand the country’s resettlement program after the Trump administration made sharp cuts.

Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista, James McBride and Diana Roy February 15, 2023 Renewing America

Top Stories on CFR

Israel

Israel and the Debate Over the Role of the Judiciary in Democratic Government
The Israeli debate on judicial reform involves issues unique to that country's political system, but also raises questions that every democracy must address. What are the proper powers of courts and of elected institutions in democratic systems of government?

Article by Elliott Abrams March 16, 2023 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy

Russia

Putin-Xi Summit Reinforces Anti-U.S. Partnership
The meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Moscow helped both give the impression of a united front, but underlying tensions were also discernible.

In Brief by Thomas Graham March 24, 2023

Immigration and Migration

U.S. Immigration Policy, With Edward Alden

Podcast
Edward Alden, the Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at CFR and Ross Dist Visiting Professor at Western Washington University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the crisis at the U.S. southern border and the domestic debates over U.S. immigration policy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay, Edward Alden, Ester Fang and Gabrielle Sierra March 21, 2023 The President’s Inbox