Early Life and Education
William E. Conway Jr. was born on August 27, 1949, in Lowell, Massachusetts. He pursued his education at Dartmouth College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, and later obtained an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1974, with a focus on finance. He attended night school for his MBA while working at the First National Bank of Chicago.
Rise to Success
Conway's career began at the First National Bank of Chicago, where he held various positions in corporate finance, commercial lending, and general management for nearly a decade. In 1981, he joined MCI Communications, where he worked in several financial roles, rising to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In 1987, Conway co-founded The Carlyle Group with David Rubenstein and Daniel A. D'Aniello. He served as Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer before stepping down in 2018 to focus on his role as Co-Executive Chairman.
Key Business Strategies
Under Conway's leadership, The Carlyle Group has grown into a global investment firm. The firm has used its connections to invest in defense-oriented companies. They used their Beltway connections--George H.W. Bush was among their advisers. The company has grown with $293 billion of assets under management, with more than 1,800 employees in 31 offices on six continents.
Philanthropy
Conway and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway, established the Bedford Falls Foundation in 1997. Through this foundation, Conway has supported various charitable causes, including education, nursing programs, and Catholic institutions. In June 2019, they donated $20 million to the Catholic University of America to create the Conway School of Nursing. He is donating $1 billion to support nursing programs. He has donated $325.6 million to support student aid, new buildings, efforts to recruit and retain faculty, and more at 22 nursing schools in the Eastern and mid-Atlantic regions.
