Theodore "Ted" Lerner

Theodore "Ted" Lerner (born October 15, 1925 in Washington, DC) is an American real estate developer and principal owner of the Washington Nationals baseball team. Lerner is listed in 2008 Forbes's 400 Richest Americans as the 105th richest person in America, with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion [http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/2008/09/16/self-made-secrets-ent-manage-cx_bn_selfmadesecrets08_0916lernersurvey.html Forbes] . He has homes in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Palm Springs, California, and a vacation home on the Eastern Shore.

Background

After graduating high school in 1943, Lerner served with the Army through the end of World War II. He then went on to attend George Washington University, where he received first an Associate of Arts and later an LLB from George Washington University Law School. Lerner and his wife, Annette M. Lerner, married on June 17, 1951. The Former lawyer borrowed $300 from wife to start real estate developer Lerner Enterprises in 1952. Made fortune building massive shopping malls in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.: Tysons Corner, Tysons II, Wheaton Plaza, Landover Mall, Dulles Town Center, White Flint. Today owns 20 million square feet of commercial, retail space and 7,000 apartments. Also owns stake in NYC's Chelsea Piers. Moving headquarters to a new "green" building in Maryland this month. Owns pro baseball's Washington Nationals and small stake in regional broadcaster Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Opened $610 million Nationals Park this season.

The Family

Theodore and Annette Lerner have three children: Mark D. Lerner, Debra Lerner Cohen and Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, they married Judith Lenkin, Edward Cohen, and Robert Tanenbaum respectively. There are nine Lerner grandchildren: Lauren Lerner, Jonathan Lerner, Jacob Lerner, Eden Lerner Tanenbaum, Haley Lerner Tanenbaum, Grant Lerner Tanenbaum, Jaclyn Lerner Cohen, Michael Lerner Cohen, and Stephanie Lerner Cohen. The Lerner grand children have attended The Holton-Arms School, The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Georgetown Day School, and The Field School.

Enterprises

Lerner Enterprises

Lerner Enterprises is a real estate business founded by Ted Lerner in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States, and operates primarily throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolis. It is is wholly owned and operated by the Lerner family. Among the Lerner Enterprises ventures is a partnership in Chelsea Piers, a 30-acre sports and entertainment complex on the Hudson River in New York City; the Tysons II commercial development; shopping centers including White Flint Mall and Dulles Town Center; and thousands of homes and apartments, along with numerous office buildings. Lerner also played a role in developing other shopping centers in the Washington area, including Tysons Corner Center and Wheaton Plaza.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals franchise was formerly owned and operated by Major League Baseball from February 15, 2002 until the official transfer of ownership on July 24, 2006. Lerner's wealth comes from his real estate business, Lerner Enterprises, which is wholly owned and operated by the Lerner family. Lerner Enterprises is headed by Lerner and the Principals of the company are his sons: Mark Lerner, Robert Tanenbaum (son in-law), and Edward Cohen (son in-law). The sons are also principal owners in the Nationals.

The Lerner's are also a partner in the Lincoln Holdings, the corporation which owns the entirety of both the NHL Washington Capitals and the WNBA Washington Mystics and a minority of both the NBA Washington Wizards and Verizon Center.

Dream Foundation

The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and the Washington Nationals Baseball Club are committed to community partnerships that improve the lives of children and families across the Washington Capital Region. The Foundation's cornerstone programs are focused on children's education, health and recreation.

The Cornerstone programs of the Dream Foundation are:The creation of the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy; a partnership with the DC Government to teach the game of baseball and provide after-school educational programs for children in the DC area.The creation of the Washington Nationals Pediatric Diabetes Care Complex at Children's National Medical Center; a world class facility which will provide a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting families of children with diabetes.The Neighborhood Initiative. Partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (Hopkins Branch) and the Earth Conservation Corps that will encourage the further revitalization of our Southeast/Southwest neighborhood.

Family Foundation

The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation provides support to many organizations, including: Food and Friends; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Shady Grove Adventist Hospital; Hadley's Park; the Weizmann Institute of Science; the Scleroderma Foundation of Greater Washington; YouthAids; Junior Achievement of the Greater Washington Area; the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School; the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington; and Imagination Stage, among many others. Ted and his wife Annette are founding members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. His daughter, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, is President of the Annette M. And Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation.

The Sons

Robert K. Tanenbaum"Principal OwnerWashington Nationals"Robert K. Tanenbaum, who has lived in the Washington, D.C. area for more then 35 years, is a Principal of Lerner Enterprises, the largest private real estate developer in the Washington, D.C. area. He is also a Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club. He is a graduate of Union College and The George Washington University National Law Center. Mr. Tanenbaum is on the Board of Imagination Stage, a local theater arts center that nurtures young people of all abilities through participation in professional theater arts education experiences. He and his wife are also involved in a variety of other educational, political and community activities.

Mark D. Lerner"Principal OwnerWashington Nationals"Mark D. Lerner, a native Washingtonian, is a Principal of Lerner Enterprises, the largest private real estate developer in the Washington, D.C. area. He is also a Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club. Mr. Lerner also represents the Theodore N. Lerner family as a minority partner in Lincoln Holdings, LLC, the sports group that owns 100 percent of the NHL Washington Capitals and the WNBA Washington Mystics, and 44 percent of the NBA Washington Wizards and Verizon Center. Mr. Lerner has a BBA from The George Washington University and holds numerous volunteer positions within the community. He is currently a Trustee of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington and a member of the Board of Directors of Hillel at The George Washington University; and a member of the Advisory Board of State of Israel Bonds. He also serves as Vice President of The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation which provides support to many worthwhile organizations.

Edward L. Cohen"Principal OwnerWashington Nationals"Edward L. Cohen, who has lived in Washington, D.C. for almost 40 years, is a Principal of Lerner Enterprises, the largest private real estate developer in the Washington, D.C. area. He is also a Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and from Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Cohen has been a member of various corporate, charitable, and educational boards. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of The Weizmann Institute of Science and on the Board and Executive Committee of Junior Achievement of the Greater Washington Area.

Notable achievements

*Associate of Arts from George Washington University
*LLB from the George Washington University Law School
*1990 American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award of Excellence
*Elected to the Washington Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area in 2003.
*Lerner also serves on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of George Washington University.

Major News Articles

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201916_pf.html Washington Post article - Behind a Wall of Silence, Lerner Has Built an Empire]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/08/AR2006100801064.html Washington Post article - A Family That Plays Hardball]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/08/AR2006100801064.html Washington Post article - A Dynasty of Closed Ranks]
* [http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/2008/09/16/self-made-secrets-ent-manage-cx_bn_selfmadesecrets08_0916lernersurvey.html Forbes Interview - Theodore Lerner]
* [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/23/not-according-to-plan/print/ Washington Times - Nationals 'miserable' on, off field]

References

* [http://www.lernerenterprises.com Lerner Enterprises]
* [http://www.nationals.com Washington Nationals]
* [http://www.forbes.com Forbes]