James D. Dunning Jr.

Chairman of the Board

James D. Dunning, Chairman of Freedom Communications Holdings, Inc., has a strong financial background and extensive experience in print, digital and television.

Currently, Mr. Dunning is Chairman of the Dunning Group, a private company founded in 1992 and specializing in media, energy and other leveraged investments. In 2010 he was also named a Senior Advisor and Principal at Arc China Holdings, Ltd., a Hong-Kong-based private equity and merchant bank in partnership with China’s National Development and Reform Commission’s International Cooperation Center.

Early in his career, Mr. Dunning was an investment banker at Thomas McKinnon Securities, Inc., one of the leading investment banking firms at that time. He served as Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Finance and was in charge of the firm’s merger and acquisitions practice, corporate finance, venture capital and leveraged leasing groups.

Following his tenure at Thomas McKinnon Securities, Mr. Dunning led a number of successful mergers, acquisitions and buyouts in the media industry. From 1992 to 1997 he served as Chairman and CEO of Transwestern Publishing Company, during which time he led the buyout of SRDS, a media database and directory business.

In 1996, as Chairman, President and CEO of the Petersen Company, he led the management team that purchased Petersen Publishing from its founder Robert E. Petersen.  Mr. Dunning transformed Peterson Publishing from a publisher of special interest magazines into a complete marketing solutions company and grew the company to one of the largest publishers of special-interest magazines in the U.S.

From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Dunning was Chairman, President and CEO of Ziff Davis Media, Inc., a leading technology and Internet magazine publisher in the United States. He led the management team that acquired Ziff-Davis Publishing Inc. from Ziff Davis Inc. and Softbank in 1999.

Mr. Dunning earned his degree in Economics and Marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and an Overseer of Athletics at that institution. He is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of Deerfield Academy.  He is a Director of TennAids-Peer Corp.