Rafael Pastor is domiciled at Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, NV since 2020, after living in Rancho Santa Fe, CA since 2004 where he still visits often. Previously he lived in New York City for 45 years, graduating with a BA from Columbia University in 1972 and a JD from NYU School of Law in 1975, and then working there as as an attorney and a media/entertainment executive.

Since 1986, Rafael has been married to Marina, who emigrated to the United States from St. Petersburg, Russia in 1979. They have two children: Stefan (born in 1989), married to Courtney, father of Stella (born in 2022), a graduate of Occidental College, and a Senior Vice President at Stream Realty Partners specializing in industrial real estate in Southern California; and Monica (born in 1993), married to Dan and expecting their first child, a graduate of Williams College, and a Global Products Solution Lead at You Tube/Google in New York City.

Rafael has an extensive and diversified track record in both running successful businesses and advising business leaders. His career has spanned the media/entertainment, education, and business/financial services sectors. He now serves on a variety of Boards and as an Advisor.

From 2004 to 2013, Rafael was Chairman of the Board and CEO of Vistage International (headquartered in San Diego), the world’s largest for-profit CEO membership company (which he co-owned with Larry Ellison, Michael Milken and Thomson Reuters and sold to a private equity firm). He subsequently served for six years on the Board of KinderCare Education, the largest early-childhood education company in the United States, now a public company of which he remains a significant shareholder.

Previously, based in New York, Rafael held these positions at global media/entertainment companies: CEO of Hoyts Cinemas Corporation; President of USA Networks International (owned by Universal Studios and Viacom/Paramount); Executive Vice President, International, of News Corporation and Fox Television International (reporting to Rupert Murdoch); and President of CBS/Fox Video International. Subsequently, he was co-Founder and co-Chairman of the Sonenshine Pastor (now Sonenshine Partners) investment-banking firm in New York City.

Referring to himself as “actively repurposed” (rejecting “retired”),  Rafael currently serves or recently served as a Director on the Boards of Ensight (as Chairman, continually helping to guide its growth as an insurance-sales facilitation company), RosettaBooks (as a Founder of one of the first e-book publishers), and Experience Investment Corp. (a SPAC that merged with Blade, the passenger and organs air-transport company). He also serves as an Advisor to a major international private equity firm, and is a limited partner and advisor in several investment partnerships.

Rafael is also: Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego (UCSD); Trustee of the UCSD Foundation; Member of the Executive Committee of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Rady School of Management at UCSD.

As a Board Member of the National Association of Corporate Directors/Pacific Southwest Chapter (which covers Southern California, Nevada and Arizona), Rafael has produced, moderated and been a panelist on several webinars focused to what Board Directors need to know and do.

Over the years, Rafael  has served as a Trustee of several humanitarian, educational, and cultural  organizations. These include: the International League for Human Rights (based in New York as Board Vice Chairman); the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School (in New York, NY) and the Pacific Ridge School (in Carlsbad, CA); the Old Globe Theater (in San Diego, CA on the Board’s Executive Committee); and the La Jolla Music Society (in La Jolla, CA as Board Vice Chairman while it raised $80 Million and built the exquisite Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center).

Rafael started his career at the Wall Street law firm of Hawkins, Delafield and Wood and then as Associate General Counsel at CBS Inc. Born in Israel to Hungarian parents, he speaks Hungarian and French and (less fluently) German and Hebrew.

In addition to his experiences as a Board member of corporate and not-for-profit entities, Rafael has participated in Board meetings and deliberations as a CEO, investment banker, and attorney.

Rafael has loved (but has no talent in) classical music ever since he was inspired by one of his childhood heroes, Leonard Bernstein. He and Marina are avid about theatre, dance, art, humor, and all forms of excellent creativity from around the world. He has been a proud and admiring member of Classical Tahoe’s Board since 2024.