John E. Pepper, Jr.

John E. Pepper, Jr. serves as chief executive officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and chairman of the board of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, he served as vice president of finance and administration at Yale University from January 2004 to December 2005. Prior to that, he served as chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors of The Procter & Gamble Company until December 2003. In May 2007, Yale University Press published Pepper's book "What Really Matters," entailing his experience with service, leadership, people, and values.

From 1963-2003, he served in various positions at Procter & Gamble, including chairman of the board from 2000-2002, chief executive officer and chairman from 1995-1999, president from 1986-1995 and director from 1984-2003. Pepper serves on the board of Boston Scientific Corp. and is a member of the executive committee of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. Pepper has been a director of The Walt Disney Company since 2006.

Pepper graduated from Portsmouth Priory (now Portsmouth Abbey School) in 1956 and from Yale in 1960, where he served on the board of the Yale Daily News. He served as a fellow of the Yale Corporation from 1995 to 2003, including two years as senior fellow, and also served as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Yale School of Management.