William H. Roedy (born June 13, 1948) is an American business executive, military veteran, global health ambassador, politician, and author.
[8][9] In 1977, he left his military career to attend Harvard Business School and graduated with an MBA degree.
[5][10] Roedy served in the military from 1970 to 1977, holding the roles of Air Defense Artillery officer and Airborne Ranger.
[8] His service record is distinguished by his volunteer duty in the Vietnam War, along with his command of three North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nuclear missile bases in Italy.
[3] During the subsequent years, he remained a member of the team that spearheaded the expansion of the network, working with the leading cable companies in the US.
[17][18] The memoir recounted his career progression from military service to the establishment and expansion of MTV, a prominent youth entertainment business, in 165 countries.
[19] In 1998, Roedy assumed the role of the inaugural ambassador for UNAIDS, an initiative established by the United Nations that concentrates on the global combat against HIV/AIDS.
[23] Upon his retirement from MTV Networks in 2011, Roedy was appointed by former President of Ireland Mary Robinson as ambassador, then soon after rose to as ambassador and vice chair for the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI), a public-private organization with an extensive record of administering hundreds of millions of vaccinations across the globe.
[26] Roedy has held business advisor and board roles at Lionsgate, Zumba Fitness, Moshi Monsters, Fitsmi, and private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners.
[9] He has also held advisory board positions with Baruch College and the Berlin School of Creative Leadership delivering the commencement addresses in 1994 and 2010.
[41] In 2019, he received the Playing for Change Legend Award alongside Pharrell Williams for his impact on the music industry.
[43] In October 2023, Roedy and his wife Alexandra were honored by the Gift of Life Marrow Registry at their annual Gala for their contributions to the organization.