In memoriam: Richard DeScherer
Longtime Bloomberg attorney was a dedicated Miller Center benefactor
Richard K. DeScherer served on the Miller Center's Governing Council from 2018 until his death on March 23, 2024. He was 79.
Miller Center Director and CEO Bill Antholis remembers Descherer as "a UVA graduate who went on to an impressive career in law. In addition to serving on our Governing Council for many years, Dick was a lifetime member of the UVA Alumni Association and an emeritus member of the UVA College of Arts and Sciences Foundation Board of Trustees. He also gave generously of his time and expertise to several other nonprofit organizations related to education, arts, and health. He offered his wise counsel and informed perspective to the Miller Center on so many matters. I will miss his keen insights not only into our work on the American presidency but also into the broader state of media and public affairs."
DeScherer was the chief legal and compliance officer of Bloomberg and served on the company's board of directors. He joined the company in 2012, before which he served as the company's outside counsel and as a member of its board since its inception in 1982. Prior to joining Bloomberg, DeScherer was a law partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher in the corporate and financial services department, where he served as a co-chair of the firm. DeScherer was also co-chair of the board of directors of the Lupus Research Alliance; a vice chairman of the board of directors and executive committee of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; a director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center; and a director and former chairman of the National Dance Institute. He earned a BA from the University of Virginia and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, with an LLM degree in taxation from New York University Law School.
He is survived by his wife Jennie; his son Christopher DeScherer and wife Amanda Honeycutt; his daughter Kate Anne DeScherer; and five grandchildren.