Bloomberg announces philanthropic foundation board

New York's billionaire mayor Wednesday signaled he is expanding his philanthropy into new territory when he announced his foundation's first board of directors, drawing on high-profile people in different fields from all over the nation.

The group of 19 board members for Michael Bloomberg's foundation includes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, artist Maya Lin and Bloomberg's daughters, Emma and Georgina.

As the foundation ramps up its operations, Bloomberg's first deputy mayor, Patricia Harris, will remain as its president and CEO, a job she does along with her City Hall duties. Harris is not paid for her foundation work and received clearance for the unusual arrangement from the city's Conflicts of Interest Board in 2008.

The mayor, whose fortune is estimated at $18 billion by Forbes magazine, has mostly concentrated his philanthropy among arts, education and public health causes. The new board has plenty of those voices but also includes members who bring new expertise, including two former governors, a mayor, a former mayor and two former senators.

The foundation declined to say how much it has in assets. It reported $1.57 billion on its 2008 tax forms.

Bloomberg gave $254 million to 1,300 charities last year and was ranked No. 4 on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's list of 50 Americans who gave the most. The foundation's major projects in recent years have included a multimillion-dollar global anti-tobacco campaign and an effort to improve road safety in low- and middle-income countries.

- AP