Bruce Alan Heyman (born 1958) is an American businessman and a former
United States Ambassador to Canada. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 12, 2014. He presented his credentials to the
Governor General of Canada, and began his duties in Ottawa, on April 8, 2014. His tenure ended on January 20, 2017.
Early life and education
Heyman was born in
Elmira, New York
Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 cens ...
to a
Jewish family
[Montreal Gazette: "U.S. ambassador's wife on the ties that bind" by Janet Wilson]
April 20, 2015 and raised in
Dayton, Ohio.
Heyman graduated from the
Miami Valley School
The Miami Valley School (MVS) is an independent school for grades Pre-K through 12, located in Dayton, Ohio, founded in 1964. The Miami Valley School is a non-profit organization. The Miami Valley School uses the Immersion Method, a philosophy b ...
, and received a B.A. (1979) and an M.B.A. (1980) from
Vanderbilt University.
His grandfather, Sam Malamud, immigrated from Lithuania in 1912. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother Ben, and assumed the surname of his cousin, Henry Heyman.
In 1977 and 1978, Heyman interned at the
U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman
Charles Whalen
Charles William Whalen Jr (July 31, 1920 – June 27, 2011) was an
American politician from Ohio. Whalen was a member of the Republican Party who served in the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio State Senate, and the United States House of Repre ...
of Ohio.
In the summer of 1979, Heyman was a researcher for the
Small Business Committee
The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over the Small Business Administration and is also charged with researching and investigating all proble ...
and Restraint of Trade Subcommittee.
Career
In 1980, Heyman worked as a Chicago-based investment banker for
Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
.
[Macleans: "Chicago investment banker Bruce Heyman will be next U.S. ambassador to Canada - Heyman has been managing director of private wealth management at Goldman Sachs since 1999"]
September 19, 2013 From 1985 to 1999, Heyman served as a Vice President of Goldman Sachs.
From 1999 to 2014, he served as a managing director of private wealth management at Goldman Sachs.
Prior to becoming Ambassador, Heyman served as a board member for the
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is a global affairs think tank, describing itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing knowledge and engagement in global affairs and empowering more people to help shape our glob ...
and the
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation. He also served as an advisor to the Fix the Debt CEO Council of the
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) is a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues. It was founded in 1981 by former United States Representatives Robert Gia ...
. He has been a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Executives' Club of Chicago, and the
Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves is a global non-profit organization founded in 1976. The organization's mission is to "use lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate." The organization is based in Br ...
Chicago Advisory Board.
Heyman and his wife hosted an Obama fundraiser in 2007 in their home.
In 2012, the Heymans both served on Obama’s National Finance Committee, and together they collected and contributed $1.7 million to his reelection bid.

On September 19, 2013, President
Barack Obama nominated Heyman to be the
. Heyman was confirmed by the
U.S. Senate on March 12, 2014. He replaced Ambassador
David Jacobson. As the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Heyman became a member of the
Fulbright Canada
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...
Board of Directors. In 2014 and 2016, Heyman was named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Business People by ''
Canadian Business''.
In 2015, Heyman gave the keynote address at
Niagara University
Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...
's commencement ceremony.
At the ceremony, Heyman was presented an
honorary
An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include:
* Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States
* Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...
Doctor of Humane Letters.
In January 2017, he announced that he was stepping down as the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. He was replaced by Ambassador
Kelly Craft.
Political activities
Heyman and his wife have been prominent donors to President Obama since 2007 and have been some of his top fundraisers. In 2012, both he and his wife served on Obama's National Finance Committee tasked with raising funds for Obama's re-election campaign.
Personal life
He is married to his wife and fellow Vanderbilt classmate Vicki Simons
[Vanderbilt Business Owen School of Magament Bulletin: "Couples who found fulfilling marriages through the Owen School - Vicki Simons Heyman, BA’79, MBA’80, and Bruce Heyman, BA’79, MBA’80" by Jamie Reeves]
Fall 2008 who is also Jewish.
The two married on June 15, 1980 in
Ashland, Kentucky.
They have three children: David, Liza, and Caroline,
as well as three grandchildren.
His wife served on the executive board of the Center for Jewish Life at
Vanderbilt University and the foundation board of the
Children's Memorial Hospital
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has 3 ...
in Chicago.
The Heymans are members of the
Reform Judaism Temple Shalom of Chicago.
D'Var Sholom Bulletin
Volume 88 No. 8 • May 2013 • Iyar/Sivan 5773
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyman, Bruce Alan
1958 births
Living people
Ambassadors of the United States to Canada
American investment bankers
Jewish American bankers
Businesspeople from Chicago
Goldman Sachs people
Illinois Democrats
Businesspeople from Dayton, Ohio
Vanderbilt University alumni
People from Elmira, New York