Mark Pitman Mays is an American businessman. He is the former president and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(CEO) of

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

Inc. (parent entity of iHeartMedia), which was co-founded by his father,

Lowry Mays Lester Lowry Mays (July 24, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American businessman. He was the founder and chairman of Clear Channel Communications. Early years Mays was born in Houston on July 24, 1935. His father, Lester T. Mays, was an ...

in 1972. After serving the company in other roles, Mays took over as president and CEO from October 2004 until 2010.

Early life

Mays graduated from the

Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut. It educates approximately 600 students in grades 9–12, plus postgraduates. Founded in 1891, it was one of the first English-style boardi ...

Lakeville, Connecticut Lakeville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, close to Dutchess County, New York. It is within the town of Salisbury, but has its own ZIP Code (06039). As of the 2010 census, the population of L ...

in 1981. Mays holds a B.A. from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

in Math and Economics, and an M.B.A. from

Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...

. Mays is an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...

. In October 2007, 41 Democratic

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

s sent a letter of request to Mays, asking him to renounce

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...

for his comments allegedly referring to all soldiers who disagreed with the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

as "phony soldiers". Mays gave Limbaugh the letter, who in turn auctioned it on

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

of behalf of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, netting $4.2 million in total for the charity, including the matching funds. On February 4, 2007, Mays resigned from his position as Chairman at

Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...

. On June 22, 2010, Mays announced his intention to step down as CEO at the end of 2010, but would remain as chairman of the board at Clear Channel. The announcement additionally directed the Board to begin a search for his replacement and was sent via email to all Clear Channel employees Mays is a member of the

National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America The National Executive Board is the governing body of Scouting America. The role of the board is outlined in the organization’s congressional charter. There are currently 45 board members. The board is led by the National Chair, an elected vo ...

, the organization's governing body.Boy Scouts of America Annual Report 2011
/ref> He serves on the board of trust of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Hotchkiss School alumni Columbia Business School alumni Vanderbilt University alumni American chief executives in the mass media industry American media executives American chairpersons of corporations National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America members {{US-CEO-stub