Charlie Firestone was the founding president of the Rose Bowl Institute, a position he held until December 2023. The Rose Bowl Institute champions sportsmanship, leadership, and citizenship, and leverages the power of sports to unite people everywhere. Previously, he was a Vice President and Executive Vice President of The Aspen Institute, and for 30 years he was the Executive Director of its Communications and Society Program.
Firestone was Director of the Communications Law Program and Adjunct Professor of Law at UCLA Law School. He was also the first President of the Los Angeles Board of Telecommunications Commissioners. Firestone argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and many before the U.S. Courts of Appeals as an appellate attorney at the Federal Communications Commission, director of litigation for a public interest law firm, and in private practice in Los Angeles.
Firestone graduated from Amherst College, where he captained the wrestling team, and Duke Law School. He resides with his wife, sculptor Pattie Porter Firestone, in Santa Barbara, California.
Contact Firestone at commlead@usc.edu.