Charles Rivkin

Charles Hammerman Rivkin (born April 6, 1962) is an American media executive and former United States diplomat who is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

In 1967, Rivkin's father died when he was just 5 years old.

His widowed mother remarried Chicago obstetrician Dr. John S. Long in 1971.

Rivkin spent his junior year of high school with School Year Abroad (SYA) at its SYA France campus located in Rennes, France.

Rivkin earned a B.A. from Yale University in 1984.

He graduated with distinction in political science and international relations.

At Yale, he was a member of two Yale a cappella groups: the underclassmen Spizzwinks and the all-senior Whiffenpoofs.

He then earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1988.

Prior to entering government service, Rivkin worked in the media sector for over 20 years, serving as president and CEO of entertainment companies such as The Jim Henson Company, then-home of the "Muppets".

He also served as CEO of Wildbrain where he won a BAFTA Award as Executive Producer of the hit TV series Yo Gabba Gabba!.

Rivkin helped engineer the sale of The Jim Henson Company to EM.TV in 2000 for nearly $1 billion and was named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company.

Rivkin served as an at-large California delegate for Senator John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and for Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Rivkin was the California finance co-chair for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and one of his top fund raisers.

Rivkin assumed the role of Ambassador in August 2009.

Ambassador Rivkin's service in France came at one of the bilateral relationship's strongest moments in recent history.

Beginning with actor Samuel L. Jackson's April 2010 visit with students in Bondy, an economically depressed Parisian suburb, Rivkin set up seminars and hosted events with Stephen Colbert, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Allen, Jodie Foster, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Robert Zemeckis, Allen Stone, Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and many others.

"Much of the embassy's outreach is meant to dispel 'mistruths' about the United States," Rivkin said in an interview, adding, "It's easier to hate something you don't understand."

To honor the legacy of Franco-American friendship and to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the Allied invasion of mainland Europe during World War II, Rivkin took part in a mass parachute jump over the coast of Normandy on June 3, 2012.

An estimated crowd of 25,000 watched Rivkin land in a field near Sainte-Mère-Église amidst heavy winds, as he became the first US Ambassador to France to jump from a plane in honor of the troops who fought on D-Day.

According to the Department of State Office of Inspector General's report in May 2012, Rivkin placed new emphasis on support for US exports of goods and services into France.

The report called Rivkin a "dynamic and visionary noncareer Ambassador", and credited him with expanding the U.S. Embassy's public diplomacy activities, particularly through his use of social media and his appearances on French national television.

Rivkin introduced social media to Embassy Paris, establishing its first ever Facebook and Twitter accounts.

As ambassador, Rivkin made youth outreach one of his key priorities and connected the embassy to the next generation of leaders throughout France, including in disadvantaged communities in the banlieues outside larger cities.

Rivkin organized a series of seminars for French youth, inviting them to meet with prominent American government officials, actors and musicians.

In January 2012, Rivkin broadened his outreach efforts by creating the Washburne Award for Innovation in Diversity, recognizing one French and one American company for their best practices in fostering diversity in hiring practices.

In support of the U.S. Navy, Rivkin became the first US Ambassador to take off and land on a Navy aircraft carrier in an F-18 Super Hornet when he participated in a training exercise with naval aviators on the USS Eisenhower in March 2013.

In January 2013, Rivkin commented on the pending parole and release of Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who was sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the murders of an American and an Israeli diplomat: "I am disappointed by the decision today...Life imprisonment was the appropriate sentence for Mr Abdallah's serious crimes, and there is legitimate concern that Mr. Abdallah would continue to represent a danger to the international community if he were allowed to go free."

On July 16, 2013, French President François Hollande awarded Ambassador Rivkin the rank of Commander in the Légion d'honneur at the Elysée Palace.

Rivkin is the first US Ambassador in half a century to receive the decoration from a sitting French president.

Rivkin's tenure as ambassador to France received highly favorable reviews by both State Department audits and from his embassy's employees.

Rivkin left office in November 2013 following his nomination to become an Assistant Secretary of the State Department.

Rivkin served as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 2014 to 2017.

Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 12, 2014, Rivkin assumed office the following day, and was sworn in publicly by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on April 15, 2014.

Rivkin's confirmation marked the first time a U.S. ambassador and former CEO ever led the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. State Department.

Prior to his appointment, Rivkin served for more than four years as the United States Ambassador to France and Monaco where he led America's first and one of its largest diplomatic missions, which has six constituent posts throughout France and represents over 50 U.S. government agencies and sections.

In this capacity, Rivkin also served as the U.S. Permanent Observer to the Council of Europe.

Of Eastern European Jewish heritage,

Rivkin is one of four children of Enid Hammerman and William R. Rivkin, who was the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg under President John F. Kennedy and United States Ambassador to Senegal and Gambia under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

His mother's grandfather founded J K Industries, a large children's clothing manufacturer, greatly expanded by Rivkin's grandfather.

In February 2015, Rivkin received la Grande Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris, the city of Paris' highest honor, from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.