Kleiman frames this as the culmination of his life's work—a chance to transform personal tragedy into collective healing. His PR team is positioning him as a reluctant advocate finally finding the right platform after years of private struggle.
Insiders note Kleiman's timing is curious: Boardroom has been expanding aggressively with video, audio, and membership offerings. The nonprofit board seat adds gravitas while Kevin Durant's partnership keeps him relevant in sports business circles.
Kleiman announced June 25, 2026 he joins a board featuring Carson Daly, Jody Gerson (Universal Music publishing CEO), Michael Kassan, and Kalen Jackson (Colts co-owner). Project Healthy Minds launched in 2020. Last year honored Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at its gala.
Kleiman's reveal about watching mental health 'derail' his mother's life is heavy stuff—but the optics of a media CEO joining a nonprofit board while expanding his own brand empire? That's the kind of calculated philanthropy that'll have industry watchers raising eyebrows.
Rich Kleiman, the high-profile CEO behind Boardroom and 35V, has officially joined the board of Project Healthy Minds—the tech-focused mental health nonprofit founded in 2020—and he's not holding back on why this matters to him personally. In a statement released exclusively through The Hollywood Reporter on June 25, 2026, Kleiman revealed the deeply personal stakes driving his new role. "I watched challenges with it derail my mother's life, and that experience impacted me greatly as a result," he said, referring to mental health struggles.
"It has also become the greatest strength in my life to be able to utilize mental health resources myself and to help others by talking about my experiences." The Boardroom CEO went on to call joining the board "one of the most meaningful moments of my career," praising founder Phil Schermer as "a special leader" with a necessary platform. This marks a significant public pivot for Kleiman, who's historically kept his personal life closer to the vest while building an empire alongside NBA superstar Kevin Durant.
The nonprofit in question isn't exactly a small operation. Project Healthy Minds launched four years ago backed by a roster of Hollywood power players, and its board already reads like a who's-who of entertainment industry influence: NBC Today co-host Carson Daly, Universal Music publishing CEO Jody Gerson, media adviser Michael Kassan, and Indianapolis Colts co-owner Kalen Jackson all serve as directors. The organization notably honored Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at its annual gala last year—a choice that positioned the nonprofit squarely in the celebrity-advocacy space.
Adding Kleiman to this mix brings more than just his business acumen; it brings someone who's operated at the intersection of music, media, tech, and sports for decades, first launching Roc Nation Sports after a stint as a music manager before co-founding Boardroom with Durant. Schermer, the organization's founder and CEO, couldn't resist heaping praise on his newest board member. "Rich Kleiman has an uncanny ability to see what's next and to back the right people, ideas, and startups right before they break through," Schermer said in a statement.
"Rich is an icon who spent his career at the intersection of sports, culture, and business, and he understands better than anyone how powerful those platforms can be for shifting public conversation." The founder went further, calling Kleiman's decision to join a "testament to how far we've come" as an organization entering what he described as an "exciting next chapter." Here's where things get interesting for those of us who track the gap between stated intentions and actual business moves.
Boardroom has been moving aggressively in the media space, developing video and audio programming alongside a membership model—all while Kleiman's profile as Durant's business partner keeps him firmly planted in sports-business headlines. A nonprofit board seat at a high-profile mental health organization adds a layer of social impact credibility that doesn't hurt when you're building media brands aimed at affluent, conscious consumers. Whether Kleiman's personal transparency about his mother's struggles signals genuine advocacy or strategic positioning—or some combination of both—remains to be seen. What's undeniable is that he's chosen to make this revelation public at a moment when Project Healthy Minds appears to be scaling up its visibility, and when Boardroom itself continues expanding its footprint across multiple content platforms.
