Happy Birthday to New Rochelle’'s Kenneth Irvine Chenault

Chenault, a New Rochelle resident, turns 65 on Thursday.

Chenault, a business executive, was born June 2, 1951, in Mineola, N.Y. He has been the CEO and chairman of American Express since 2001. He is the third African-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He joined American Express in 1981, working in the Strategic Planning Group. He became president and chief operating officer in 1997. He became CEO of American Express in 2001.

He is currently co-chair of the Business Roundtable, a director at IBM and a member at the Council on Foreign Relations. He was a member of the executive committee of The Business Council for 2011 and 2012. In 1995, Ebony listed him as one of 50 "living pioneers" in the African-American community.

Chenault was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2008, he gave the commencement address at Howard University. On Nov. 15, 2010, Old North Foundation recognized Chenault with its Third Lantern Award for individual commitment and dedication to public service.

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