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David Polak

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David Polak
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation(s)Business executive, philanthropist
SpouseJanet Polak

David Polak is an American business executive and philanthropist from Beverly Hills, California. He was the Founder and Chairman of NWQ Investment Management, an investment firm with US$30 billion under management. He is a large donor to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Israel.

Early life

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David Polak graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1] He received a master's degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[1][2]

Career

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He founded NWQ Investment Management, an investment firm based in Century City, Los Angeles, with US$30 billion under management.[3][4] He served as its Chairman.[5] The company is affiliated with Nuveen Investments.[6]

Philanthropy

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He served as Chair of the Investment Committee of the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) of Los Angeles from 2004 to 2009.[5] Under his tenure, the JCF invested US$12 million with Bernard L. Madoff in 2004, and US$6 million in 2006.[5][4]

With his wife, he has donated to the American Technion Society, which supports the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, for twenty years.[1] The David and Janet Polak Cancer and Vascular Biology Research Center at Technion was named after his wife and he after they made a large charitable contribution to the institute.[7] He received an honorary Doctorate from Technion in 2009.[1] He has also donated to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.[8][9]

With his wife, he was the recipient of the Philanthropic Leadership Award from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at their 2014 Board of Governors Gala, which took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on December 2, 2014.[10]

Personal life

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He is married to Janet Polak.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Danielle Berrin, David Polak Awarded HonoraryDoctorate by Technion, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, July 2, 2009
  2. ^ Gayane Keshishyan, Entrepreneurs Share Their Success Archived 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine, UCLA Newsroom, May 09, 1997
  3. ^ a b Top Honors for David Polak, August 2009
  4. ^ a b Brad A. Greenberg, Jewish Community Foundation Releases Report on Madoff, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, April 9, 2009
  5. ^ a b c Brad A. Greenberg, Financial tsunami shakes Jewish Community Foundation, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, December 24, 2008
  6. ^ Nuveen Investments: NWQ Investment Management
  7. ^ David and Janet Polak Cancer and Vascular Biology Research Center
  8. ^ "Weizmann Institute of Science: President's Circle, 2000". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
  9. ^ "Weizmann Institute of Science: President's Circle, 2002". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
  10. ^ 2014 Board of Governors Gala