Leonard J. Aube

1959 - 2015

Leonard J. Aube
April 26, 1959 ~ April 8, 2015

Leonard J. Aube, Executive Director of the Annenberg Foundation, made a career of making the world a better place. Together with the Directors of the Annenberg Foundation, Aube guided the Foundation in awarding over $2 billion in grants to nearly 2,500 organizations in 38 countries, in a wide range of program areas such as education, culture and arts, the environment, and nonprofit capacity building.

Aube was instrumental in the creation of a number of Los Angeles' landmark public spaces, including the Annenberg Space for Photography, the Annenberg Community Beach House, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, as well as Annenberg Alchemy and LA n Sync. He was essential to the relocation of the Annenberg Foundation to the City of Los Angeles in 2003.

Prior to the Annenberg Foundation, Aube served for 15 years as an executive with the California Science Center. Beginning his career at Marineland of the Pacific, Aube was a knowledgeable and passionate advocate for the ocean, a lifelong scuba diver and a professional marine photographer. In recognition of Aube's many contributions to the City of Los Angeles, a section of 22nd Street between Signal Street and Miner Street in front of the future cultural and educational destination, AltaSea, was named "Leonard Aube Way."

Aube is survived by his wife, Robin; their two children, Kyle and Katie; his father, Leonard E. Aube; his mother, Ida Snakenborg; his sisters, Flora Aube, Maria Martin and Irene Akiyama; and his brother, Robert Aube. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to advance colorectal cancer research under the direction of Dr. Zev Wainberg can be made to the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation/UCLA, by mail at 8-950 Factor Bldg, Box 951780, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1780; or by phone at (310) 206-0675.