Rick Joseph

Background

Caruso was born in Los Angeles, the son of Henry Caruso, the founder of Dollar Rent A Carolina.

Education

University of Southern California.

Career

In 1995, he was recognized as the Alumnus of the Year by Pepperdine School of Law. Caruso was a real-estate lawyer in the corporate finance department at Finley Kumble, but in 1990, he quit law to develop retail and residential properties full-time. In 1987, he founded Caruso Affiliated, a company that develops, owns and manages properties such as The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles, the Americana at Brand in Glendale, the Commons at Calabasas, the Promenade at Westlake and the Marina Waterside.

In 1985, at the age of 25, Caruso was named by Mayor Tom Bradley to serve as a commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, becoming the youngest commissioner in the history of the city.

In August 2001, Caruso was appointed by Mayor James K. Hahn to the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and was elected its president In this role, he led the selection process that resulted in the hiring of former New York City police chief William Bratton as the Los Angeles chief of police.

During his tenure on the commission, Caruso advocated for its reform, including the resignation of its general manager and the replacement of the commission itself with a new governing body. He also advocated a ban on rave parties at the two venues.

Philanthropy and

Achievements

• Caruso founded the Caruso Family Foundation, a foundation that is dedicated to supporting organizations that improve the lives of children in need of healthcare and education. Caruso serves on the board of Para Los Niños, a nonprofit family and child welfare agency in South Los Los Angeles The organization dedicated its skid row facility as the Tina and Rick Caruso Child Development Center. He is a trustee of the University of Southern California, is on the Pepperdine School of Law Board of Visitors and on the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. The Caruso Catholic Center and Our Savior Parish Church on the University of Southern California campus was endowed by and named after Caruso following his contribution of $7.5 million. In 2015, Caruso and his wife Tina donated a further $25 million to University of Southern California, to endow and name the University of Southern California Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, one of the nation’s largest and most highly ranked for research and treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat. He sits on the board of the National Institute of Transplantation and is on the Board of Saint John's Hospital and The California Medical Center Foundation. In 1995, Caruso was named Alumnus of the Year by Pepperdine School of Law. Caruso was named by the Los Angeles Business Journal as "Developer of the Year" and its 2012 Ernst & Young Limited Liability Partnership Master Entrepreneur of the Year.

Membership

He has been president of the Los Angeles Police Commission and a member of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Southern California in 1980, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and a law degree from the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1983 as a Margaret Martin Block Scholar. In 2008, Caruso was elected to serve as a member of the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission, which oversees the operations of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and nearby Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.