Timothy Shriver

Tim is the Chairman of Special Olympics International, and serves with over six million Special Olympics athletes and their families in 174 countries. 

Since 1996, Shriver has led the evolution of Special Olympics from a sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities to a global movement from people with intellectual disabilities using sports and more for radical inclusion. 

During his time as Chairman, Special Olympics has developed proven programming for all aspects of a Special Olympics athlete’s life: leadership, health, education, and family support. His commitment to inclusion is evident in the Special Olympics athletes serving on the international Board of Directors, hundreds of thousands of health professionals trained in adaptive health care protocols, partnerships with organizations like the World Health Organization, and Unified Champion Schools creating a Unified Generation in which all people are included and accepted.

Shriver drove the largest expansion of Special Olympics, growing the movement from one million athletes to over six million athletes and unified partners leading the inclusion revolution around the world. 

He is a fierce advocate for all people with intellectual disabilities. He has testified before the United States Congress and challenged world leaders to respect the dignity and acknowledge the potential of all people.

Shriver has harnessed the power of Hollywood to challenge unconscious bias and share stories of inspiration, co-producing DreamWorks Studios’ 1997 release, Amistad, and Disney Studios’ 2000 release, The Loretta Claiborne Story. He is Executive Producer of The Ringer, a Farrelly Brothers film, and Front of the Class, a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie. He has produced or co-produced shows for ABC, TNT, and NBC networks, and made broadcast appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Meet the Press, CNN, the Stephen Colbert Show, and Real Time with Bill Maher. In 2014, Shriver wrote the New York Times bestseller Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most, where he shares the life- changing impact of people with intellectual disabilities and their capacity to inspire others to see the world in a more meaningful way. 

Beginning his career as a social studies teacher and school counselor, Shriver is a leading educator focused on social and emotional learning. Before joining Special Olympics, he co- founded and currently chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the leading research organization in social and emotional learning. He Co-Chairs the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development and is a member of the editorial board of the Disability and Health Journal. 

Shriver earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a Master's degree in Religion and Religious Education from Catholic University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Connecticut. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including honorary degrees from Loyola University, New England College, Albertus Magnus College, University of Connecticut, Niagara University, University of Illinois, Villanova University, Springfield College, and St. Peter’s University; the Medal of the City of Athens, Greece; the Order de Manuel Amador Guerrera of the Republic of Panama; the Connecticut Citizen of the Year Award; the U.S. Surgeon General’s Medallion; the Lions Humanitarian Award; the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award; the Children’s Hospital Health System’s Friend of Children Award; the “Bammy” Special Achievement in Education Award; and the 2015 Walter Camp Football Foundation’s Distinguished American Award. In 2011 he was recognized by The Huffington Post as one of the top 100 Game Changers and in 2016 he was named to the Oprah Winfrey Network’s SuperSoul 100 list of trailblazers whose vision and life’s work are bringing a higher level of consciousness to the world around them. He has also authored numerous articles in leading publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and Commonweal Magazine. 

Shriver is Chairman of the Board for CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), Advisory Board Member of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Co-Chair of Aspen National Commission on SEAD (Social, Emotional, Academic, Development), Founder of Inspiration Nation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, President of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, and Co-Founder of Lovin’ Scoopful Ice Cream Company. 

He and his wife, Linda Potter, reside in the Washington, D.C. area and have five adult children.