Sharon (Percy) Rockefeller

Sharon Percy Rockefeller has served the public media community for more than 40 years. She has been President and Chief Executive Officer of WETA, public television and radio and Washington, D.C.’s flagship public media station for 32 years since 1989. In 2018, Mrs. Rockefeller was a recipient of a National Medal of Arts for her extraordinary leadership and advocacy in the arts and public media. Mrs. Rockefeller grew up in Kenilworth and attended Joseph Sears Elementary School. Following in the footsteps of her father, Senator Charles H. Percy, who graduated from New Trier in 1937, Mrs. Rockefeller was a member of the graduating class of 1962. During her time at New Trier, she ran for class offices with her identical twin sister, Valerie; sang in the New Trier choir; played tennis; spoke fluent French; and has enjoyed lasting friendships with many of her fellow classmates. Following graduation from New Trier, Mrs. Rockefeller received a B.A. from Stanford University. She remains active in a number of areas including the arts, education, government, and women’s issues. She serves on the Board of Trustees of The Museum of Modern Art and is President of the Museum’s International Council. She is a recently retired Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Trustee Emeritus, of the National Gallery of Art. She is a member of the Rockefeller Foundation Board and is a Trustee Emeritus of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Board. Mrs. Rockefeller is a member of the National Academy of Medicine President’s Advisory Council and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a member of The Economic Club of Washington, The Dean’s Council of the Washington National Cathedral, and a member and former chairman of the Stanford-in-Washington Council. Mrs. Rockefeller is the 2021 recipient of the Foundation for Art & Preservation in Embassies’ Annenberg Award. She is also a former member of the boards of PepsiCo., Inc.; Stanford University; the University of Chicago and The George Washington University. She is married to retired West Virginia Senator John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV. They have four children and eight grandchildren.