In Memoriam: Wallis Annenberg, 1938–2024
Philanthropic Leader, USC Trustee, and Lifelong Advocate for Education and Justice
The USC Shoah Foundation joins the University of Southern California and countless communities around the world to mourn the passing of Wallis Annenberg, a Life Member of the USC Shoah Foundation Board of Councilors and a towering figure in American philanthropy who passed away on July 28 at the age of 86.
Wallis was a visionary civic leader whose lifelong commitment to education, the arts, environmental conservation, and social justice transformed countless institutions and communities. As President and Chair of the Annenberg Foundation, she oversaw the distribution of more than $1.5 billion in philanthropic giving, much of it centered in Southern California.
A steadfast supporter of the University of Southern California, Wallis was a Life Trustee on the university's Board. Her transformational gifts to USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, founded in 1971 by her father, U.S. Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg, helped elevate the university’s global leadership in media education. Earlier this year, Wallis and the Annenberg Foundation made a significant gift to establish a new multimedia production studio on USC’s Washington, D.C. campus.
We were deeply fortunate to count Wallis among our own leadership at the USC Shoah Foundation. As a longtime member of our Board of Councilors and the 2007 recipient of our Ambassadors for Humanity Award, she championed the power of survivor testimony as a tool to educate and inspire. Her generosity and advocacy helped strengthen the Institute’s global reach and our integration into the USC campus.
“Wallis Annenberg embodied the values at the heart of our mission,” said Dr. Robert J. Williams, CEO and Finci-Viterbi Chair of the USC Shoah Foundation. “Her belief in the power of testimony, her visionary philanthropy, and her unwavering commitment to justice will continue to guide our work and inspire future generations.”
To learn more about her extraordinary life and impact on the university, please read the USC tribute here.