David A. Tepper (MSIA '82) (T)
David Tepper, a billionaire hedge fund manager, is heralded as one of the most successful investors of his generation.
His global hedge fund, Appaloosa Management, has consistently outperformed industry peers and the broader global markets since it was established. He is also the owner of the Carolina Panthers franchise of the NFL and major league soccer franchise Charlotte FC.
Prior to founding Appaloosa, Tepper served as head trader in the high yield area of Goldman Sachs, where he made a significant contribution to the firm’s survival following the 1987 market crash. After seven years there, Tepper left to found Appaloosa.
He demonstrated his extraordinary commitment to Carnegie Mellon in 2004 with a transformational $55 million naming gift, then the largest donation in the university’s history.
In 2013, he contributed another $67 million in support of the new Tepper Quad, enabling the new university gateway, interactive hub, and home for the business school, the largest gift from a Carnegie Mellon University CMU graduate and for a building project in the university’s history.
Tepper currently serves on CMU’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the Tepper School Business Board of Advisors. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Tepper School in 2018. A major philanthropist, Tepper is a significant supporter of major charities worldwide.
The Pittsburgh native received his bachelor’s in economics from the University of Pittsburgh, and after a short time as a financial analyst, earned his master’s at the Tepper School of Business.