Early Life
Jon Lloyd Stryker was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, around 1958. He is the youngest grandchild of Homer Hartman Stryker, the founder of the Stryker Corporation, a medical device and technology company. His father, Lee Stryker, died in an airplane crash in 1976.
Rise to Success
Stryker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Kalamazoo College in 1982 and later a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a registered architect in Michigan and the president of Depot Landmark LLC, a company specializing in the rehabilitation of historic buildings. His primary source of wealth is from his inheritance in the Stryker Corporation.
Key Business Strategies
While not directly involved in the operational management of Stryker Corporation, Stryker's business acumen is evident in his strategic philanthropy. He founded the Arcus Foundation in 2000, which supports great ape conservation and LGBTQ+ rights. The foundation has awarded grants exceeding $700 million. He also serves as a founding board member of Greenleaf Trust, a privately owned bank in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Philanthropy
Stryker is a prominent philanthropist, known for his commitment to social justice and environmental causes. Through the Arcus Foundation, he supports LGBTQ+ rights, great ape conservation, and other social justice endeavors. In 2021, he and his husband, Slobodan Randjelović, gave $15 million to the ACLU Foundation to focus on LGBTQ rights and HIV issues. He has donated more than $700 million in his lifetime. He has been named one of the nation's Top 50 donors by the Chronicle of Philanthropy and has been included in Forbes' list of America's Top 50 Givers. Stryker has supported various initiatives including the Equal Justice Initiative and the expansion of the Virgin Islands National Park.