[2] She graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University with a bachelor's degree in English and American literature in 1974.

[4][5] Continuing the company's electronic expansion, in 1994, Hefner led the company onto the Internet with the launch of Playboy.com, the first national magazine to launch a website, and built an international, profitable, multi-revenue stream business, including premium content, e-commerce, advertising and gaming, both online and mobile.

She also built a highly profitable direct marketing, catalog and e-commerce business in film and music through both acquisition and organic growth.

In 2008, she released a memo to employees about her efforts to streamline the company's operations, including eliminating its DVD division and laying off staff.

[7] Hefner said that the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president had inspired her to give more time to charitable work, and that the decision to step down was her own.

[9] In May 2011, Hefner was named executive chairman of Canyon Ranch Enterprises, a resort company that operates six premier spa destinations and an online website providing health and wellness advice.

Hefner married former Illinois state senator William A. Marovitz, a real estate developer and attorney, in 1995.

Marovitz was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly using inside information to trade illegally in shares of Playboy.