Gerry Byrne and General Peter Pace Join The Tun Legacy Foundation Board

The Tun Legacy Foundation is benefitting from the expertise, leadership and wisdom of two new members of The Tun Legacy Foundation Board of Directors – Gerry Byrne, vice chairman of Penske Media and General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.), the sixteenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“It is an honor for The Tun Legacy Foundation to welcome Gerry Byrne and General Pace to our board. Each has expressed their strong commitment to the charitable and educational mission of the Foundation. They have brought us ideas and guidance, and are leading initiatives to grow awareness and support for efforts to rebuild the historic Tun. The impact of their leadership will be immeasurable,” said Robert Brink, Chairman, The Tun Legacy Foundation.

Learn more about the work and life experiences of Gerry Byrne and General Peter Pace, and their commitment to philanthropy and education in their bios below.

Gerry Byrne is Penske Media’s Vice Chairman, guiding business initiatives across PMC’s entire portfolio of media brands. Gerry’s decades of accomplishments as a media executive, entrepreneur and community leader are highlighted by his longtime run as publisher of Variety, where he dramatically transformed that business into a powerful, diversified, global media brand. He was also the launch publisher of Crain’s New York Business, a senior executive at Norman Lear’s ACT III Communications and the Creator/Chairman of the NBC Quill Awards before he led a division of Nielsen that included The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, and AdWeek.  A staunch believer in “participation,” Gerry is on the boards of numerous not-for-profits including Fisher House, The Intrepid Museum, The Bob Woodruff Foundation, The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research, The Reisenbach Foundation (Chairman), The Armory Foundation, The Independent Feature Project and John Jay College. Gerry’s awards include the “Salah M. Hassanein Humanitarian Award,” New York’s Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center’s Distinguished Service Award and the NYPD Marine Corps Association “Semper Fi” Award for his work in the community. In June 2009, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented Gerry with the “Made in New York” Award for his support of the Gotham’s entertainment and media industries. And in November 2017, General Robert Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps, presented Gerry the Department of the Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Award. In 2025, he received the U.S. Navy’s top civilian accolade, the Distinguished Public Service Award, recognizing his outstanding service and lifelong commitment to supporting military and veteran communities.  A graduate of Fordham College, Gerry served as a Marine Officer in Vietnam in 1968/69 and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat V.

General Peter Pace retired in 2007, after more than 40 years of active service in the United States Marine Corps. As the sixteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-2007), he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001-2005), and holds the distinction of being the first Marine to serve in either of these positions. During his distinguished career, General Pace held command at virtually every level, beginning as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Vietnam. He also served in Europe, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Somalia. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Teaneck, N.J., General Pace graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967. He holds a Master’s Degree in Administration from George Washington University, attended the Harvard University Senior Executives in National and International Security program, and graduated from the National War College. In June, 2008, General Pace was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor a President can bestow. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors of several corporate entities involved in management consulting, private equity, and cybersecurity. He has served as an adjunct faculty member and visiting professor for Kelley School of Business, Indiana University; Fordham University in New York, and Georgetown University in Washington DC. General Pace has served as the Colin Powell Chair for National Security Leadership, Character and Ethics at National Defense University since 2021. He donates his time to teach at this and numerous other professional military education programs. General Pace and his wife, Lynne, are associated with a number of charities focused on supporting the troops and their families, to include the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, and the Fisher House Foundation.

Click here to to view the full Board of Directors.