Oral history interview with Robert J. Seman, 2012.

Biographical Note

Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Scope and Contents

Born in Yonkers, NY to Catholic family; education and career: received his BA from Mercy College in finance, first job as cost accountant at manufacturing firm, worked in the water department of the City of Yonkers, budgeting systems as North Central Bronx Hospital, invited to work at the Rockefeller Foundation, hired as controller at Carnegie Corporation of New York; comparison between the leadership of David A. Hamburg and Vartan Gregorian; comparison between Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation; development of Investment Committee; Carnegie colleagues: Edward M. Sermier, D. Ellen Shuman; management of endowment and administrative costs before and after the 2008 financial crisis; differences in accounting across programs: domestic and international programs, working with auditors; promotion to vice president; future of Carnegie Corporation.

Subjects

• Accountant--Interviews.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• Charitable uses, trusts, and foundations--Political activity.
• Endowments.
• Gregorian, Vartan.
• Grele, Ronald, interviewer.--http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ivr
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Seman, Robert J.--Interviews.

Access Conditions

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