Gentry Geography
This map presents the educational and cultural ties to board members of 6 defense corporations. Use the checkmarks on the left sidebar to turn each layer on and off. You can search for entities by expanding the map and clicking the search icon.
Some of the Key Players
Below are some examples of the players highlighted in the data set. We are using these individuals as examples of what can be found and pulled from our research.
Jeh Johnson
Lockheed Martin Board of Directors
Institutional Power
- Columbia University Trustee
- Council on Foreign Relations Director (recent former)
- WBGO Public Radio Station Host
- U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (2013 to 2017)
- MetLife Board of Directors – Fossil Fuels
- U.S. Steel Board of Directors – Fossil Fuels
Institutional Responses
- Repression: Columbia University shut down student protests demanding divestment from weapons companies like Lockheed Martin.
Heather Wilson
Lockheed Martin Board of Directors
Institutional Power
- National Science Foundation Board
- University of Texas at El Paso President
- Secretary of the U.S. Air Force (2017 to 2019)
- Google Public Sector Board of Directors – Tech
Institutional Responses
- Violence: Google Public Sector is a subsidiary of Google LLC, which has been accused of propping up Israeli apartheid and providing tech support that is used for violent activities.
Brian C. Rogers
RTX Board of Directors
Institutional Power
- Harvard Management Company Board
- Johns Hopkins Medicine Trustee
- Brookings Institution Board Member
- T. Rowe Price Group Board of Directors (recent former) – Fossil Fuels
Institutional Responses
- Repression: Harvard Management Company oversees the school’s $50.7 billion endowment. Harvard administrators have cracked down on students demanding divestment from weapons companies like RTX.
James S. Turley
Northrop Grumman Board of Directors
Institutional Power
- Boy Scouts of America Board Member
- St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre Board Member
- Citigroup Inc., Citibank, N.A. Board Member – Fossil Fuels
- Emerson Electric Company Chairman – Fossil Fuels
Institutional Responses
- Violence: Citibank facilitates the financing of arms sent to Israel, as well as finances illegal settlements built on stolen Palestinian land.
Kathy J. Warden
Northrop Grumman CEO & President
Institutional Power
- Catalyst Board of Directors
- Greater Washington Partnership Chair
- Aspen Cyber Security Group
- James Madison University Scholarship Sponsor
Institutional Responses
- Whitewashing: Catalyst is a global nonprofit that helps build workplaces that “work for women.” Israel has killed at least 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza using weapons supplied by companies like Northrop Grumman.
Catherine B. Reynolds
General Dynamics Board of Directors
Institutional Power
- The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Chairman
- The Kennedy Center Trustee
- New York University Fellowship Sponsor
Institutional Responses
- Whitewashing: Through her foundation, Catherine B. Reynolds supports a wide variety of programs in the cultural and performing arts, like the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Gallery of Art, and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Israel has destroyed or damaged nearly 200 sites of historical importance in Gaza since October 2023, using bombs provided by companies like General Dynamics.
Some of the Key Institutions
Below are some examples of the institutions highlighted in the data set. We are using these institutions as examples of what can be found and pulled from our research.
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute, a global non-profit think-tank committed to “realizing a free, just, and equitable society”, has significant ties to the defense industry through shared board membership with General Dynamics director Robert K. Steel. Steel is also a member of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. Additionally Kathy Warden, CEO of Northrop Grumman, was the Vice Chair of the Aspen Cyber Security Group.
In March 2024, pro-Palestine protesters who were flyering outside of an Aspen Institute event in Miami were met with police and forced to relocate.
University of Southern California
USC has significant ties to the defense industry, as it shares two board members with Boeing: Stayce Harris and Robert Bradway. Moreover, Stayce Harris is also on the board of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, a position once held by Lockheed Martin and Chevron director, Debra Reed Klages.
In response to student protests in solidarity with Palestine, USC administrators ordered the LA Police to arrest over 90 protesters and eventually clear the encampment, and canceled the commencement speech of Muslim student and valedictorian, Asna Tabassum.
Texas A&M University
Current President of Texas A&M University, Mark Welsh III is also on the board of arms dealer Northrop Grumman. Lockheed Martin board member Heather Wilson was an Advisory Board Member at Texas A&M’s Scowcroft Institute. Stephen Cambone, Elbit board member, was Associate Vice Chancellor and Engineering Professor of Practice at Texas A&M.
Harvard University
Several war machine board members have ties to Harvard University. Harvard’s Kennedy School offered Senior Fellow positions to two of Lockheed Martin’s board members, Jeh Johnson and Joseph Dunford, Jr. and a trustee position to General Dynamic’s board member Catherine B. Reynolds. Raytheon’s Brian C. Rogers is currently a trustee of the Harvard Management Company, tasked with managing the $50.7 billion endowment. Ann Marie Fudge, Northrop Grumman board member, held positions with the Harvard Corporation, the Board of Overseers, and Harvard Business School.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Kennedy Center is led by Chairman David Rubenstein, CEO of notorious private equity firm Carlyle Group. While his role at the Kennedy Center is intact, he resigned from the board of Harvard University amidst student criticism over Carlyle’s $24 billion in investments in fossil fuels.
The Kennedy Center has significant ties to the war industry: namely, General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic is on the board of the Kennedy Center’s Corporate Fund. Catherine B. Reynolds, General Dynamics board member, is a trustee of the Kennedy Center.
Council on Foreign Relations
Considered the premier neoliberal think tank in the U.S., the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) brings together members of the ruling class to advance foreign policy that deepens corporate power and expands U.S. militarism and hegemony worldwide. Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet is on the board and Jeh Johnson was a recent director of CFR. General Dynamics director Charles Hooper is a member of CFR.
Columbia University
As of 2023, Columbia University had an endowment of over $13.6 billion. Columbia’s administrators have not only ignored demands from campus protesters to divest this endowment from Israeli apartheid and genocide in Palestine, they collaborated with the NYPD to violently suppress Gaza solidarity encampments, injuring several students in the process. Columbia has ties to the weapons industry through trustee Jeh Johnson who is also on the board of Lockheed Martin. In 2022, Columbia Business School awarded Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden with the prestigious Deming Cup.
Citigroup
Citi has a history of propping up racist regimes, both in instigating the U.S. invasion and occupation of Haiti in the early twentieth century, as well as currently operating as the largest bank in Israel and financially facilitating the transfer of arms for Israel. Citi is also the world’s second largest funder of fossil fuels, having invested $396 billion since 2016. James Turley, current board member of Citi, is also on the board of Northrop Grumman.
Chevron
Chevron is the second largest fossil fuel corporation based in the U.S. According to the BDS Movement, Chevron is “the main extractor of fossil gas claimed by Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Not only does Chevron engage in environmental destruction through this extraction, but the company also finances Israel through direct payments for extraction permits. Chevron’s board member, Debra Reed-Klages, and former CFO, Patricia Yarrington, are also on the board of Lockheed Martin.
An Organizing Guide: How to use this information
By using this organizing guide, you can effectively leverage research to drive meaningful change in your community, hold institutions accountable, and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Together, we can dismantle the power of the genocide gentry.
Better Understand Your City/University/Workplace’s Connection to Genocide
See if members of weapons companies sit on the boards of institutions in your city. This information can reveal hidden ties and conflicts of interest. Assess how these connections influence their policies and priorities, including their lack of acknowledgement of the genocide.
Identify Local Targets in Your Community to Focus Your Organizing Efforts
Identify cultural and educational institutions in your community with ties to weapons companies. If there aren’t any in our map of your area, be inspired to do your own research about who is on the boards of your local museums and universities.
Find Research to Support an Existing Campaign at Your City/State/University
Utilize the profiles of board members and donors to highlight specific examples of how local institutions are linked to the war machine. You can use these profiles to build compelling cases for divestment and accountability in your campaigns.