Austin Michael Beutner (born April 8, 1960) is an American businessman, civic leader and philanthropist, who was selected as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on May 1, 2018, by the Los Angeles Board of Education.
LAUSD is the second largest school district in the U.S.
The school district spans over 720 square miles with over 640,000 students, 900 schools, 187 public charter schools, 60,000 employees, and a $7.5 billion budget.
He co-founded Evercore Partners and is the former publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
He was the first deputy mayor of Los Angeles in 2011 and ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2012, but dropped out of the race nearly a year before the election.