Robert K. Steel: Leadership Across the Private, Public, and Nonprofit Sectors

Robert K. Steel: Leadership Across the Private, Public, and Nonprofit Sectors

From Capital for Good by Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change

June 4, 2026 · 43 min · Season 5 · Episode 7

About this episode

Bob Steel discusses his extensive career across business, government, and nonprofit sectors.

In this episode of Capital for Good we speak with Bob Steel, partner and vice chairman of Perella Weinberg Partners, whose career has spanned the pinnacles of business, government and nonprofit leadership. Following nearly three decades at Goldman Sachs, Steel held senior roles at the US Treasury, as Under Secretary for Domestic Finance under President George W. Bush, and in New York City government as Deputy Mayor for Economic Development under Mike Bloomberg; was CEO of Wachovia Corporation and Perella Weinberg; and along the way has served on numerous boards, corporate and civic, including at major universities like Duke, important ideas and policy organizations like the Aspen Institute, and several of New York City's anchor institutions. We begin with some of the formative individuals and institutions that would shape Steel's trajectory: his parents, who set an example of service to their North Carolina community; the attention of Dr. Joel Fleishman, a Duke Professor who challenged Steel to become a more engaged student; and the opportunity to join Goldman Sachs in 1976 when John Whitehead and John Weinberg took over the leadership of the firm. "I got on the bus at the right…

People in this episode

Guest: Robert K. Steel

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Perella Weinberg Partners, Goldman Sachs, US Treasury, Wachovia Corporation, Duke, Aspen Institute

Places: New York City

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