The Fifteen People Who Run America

OK.  They don't. 

Of the interlocking boards of directors of Fortune 500 corporations, these fifteen people hold more active seats than anyone else - five apiece - but they hardly hold the majority of all board seats!  Still, we might call them the "most connected" board members.  If you want to start a rumor in the halls of Corporate America, whisper it to one of these folks.  You likely never heard of any of them:

• Linda G. Alvarado Alvarado Construction, Inc.
• Ursula O. Fairbairn American Express EVP
• Rozanne L. Ridgway Asst. Secy. of State for Europe, 1985-89
• Jackie M. Ward CEO of Computer Generation, 1968-2000
• J. Steven Whisler CEO of Phelps Dodge, 2000-07
• Peter C. Browning CEO of Sonoco Products, 1998-2000
• Charles R. Lee CEO of Verizon, 2000-02
• Ann N. Reese CFO of ITT, 1995-98
• Robert L. Ryan CFO of Medtronic, 1993-2005
• John K. Wulff CFO of Union Carbide, 1996-2001
• William H. Gray Congressman from Pennsylvania, 1979-91
• Shirley A. Jackson NRC Chairman, 1995-99
• John C. Pope President and COO of United Airlines, 1992-94
• Leonard S. Coleman, Jr. President of MLB National League, 1994-99
• Karen Hastie Williams Retired Partner, Crowell & Moring

Of the fifteen:
5 are black (33%)
5 are Democrats (33%), 3 are Republicans (20%), and the rest don't say. 
7 are female; 8 are male, as close to 50/50 as you can get with 15 people. 

For more fun with America's corporate elite, go here:
Corporate Power Nexus