Marc B. Nathanson served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway from 2022 to 2024. Before his diplomatic service, he was a leading communications entrepreneur. In 1975, he founded Falcon Cable TV, which grew to become one of the largest cable operators in the United States. After selling Falcon in 1999, he became Vice Chairman of Charter Communications, the nation’s second-largest cable operator.
Today, Ambassador Nathanson is Chairman of Mapleton Investments, a diversified investment firm focused on real estate, private equity, and direct investments. In 2025, he joined the Advisory Board of Shield AI, a U.S. aerospace and defense technology company.
Ambassador Nathanson has held numerous public service and policy roles, including Vice Chair of the National Democratic Institute, Co-Chair of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and representative to the Board of the East-West Center, appointed by Secretary Hillary Clinton. Previously, President Bill Clinton appointed him Chairman of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), overseeing Voice of America and other international broadcasting services. At President George W. Bush’s request, he remained in the role until his successor was confirmed.
He has served on the board of the Aspen Institute and advisory boards at the USC Annenberg Center on Public Diplomacy and The Center for the Digital Future. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Council of American Ambassadors, and the International Advisory Council of the U.S. Institute of Peace. He also supports local initiatives through the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs and serves on the Board of Project Mend at UCLA.
Ambassador Nathanson holds a B.A. from the University of Denver and an M.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow. He and his wife Jane received honorary doctorates from the University of Denver in 2024, where he delivered the commencement address.
His numerous honors include the Global Green Millennium Award (2009), the Environmental Media Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2011), and the Aspen Institute Socrates Award (2018). He and Jane have also been recognized for their philanthropy in the arts and health, including awards from the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Cedars-Sinai, and American Friends of Hebrew University.
He is a member of the Cable TV Hall of Fame, Zeta Beta Tau Hall of Fame, and the Cable Pioneers. INC. Magazine named him “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1994, and ZBT Fraternity honored him as “Man of the Year” in 2019. Marc and Jane Nathanson reside in Los Angeles, Montecito, and Aspen. They have three children and eight grandchildren. He frequently lectures on topics including NATO, the Arctic, Nordic economies, sovereign wealth funds, international trade, and public diplomacy.
