In 1969, at twenty-seven years of age, Mr. Larry Dodge became the youngest CEO of a national insurance group. Three years later, he acquired controlling interest in a national bank, which led to the creation of American Sterling Corporation, a privately held group of companies involved in banking, insurance, real estate, motion picture production and technology, where he was the founding chairman of the board and CEO.
Kristina Dodge was co-founder of American Sterling Productions, Ltd., a motion picture production company, and the producer of The Annihilation of Fish, a critically acclaimed film that received numerous international film festival awards. American Sterling Productions became partnered with Chapman’s film school in 2000, collaborating with the Next Generation of Filmmakers project. This partnership marked the beginning of Kristina’s passionate involvement with Chapman, which led to the couple’s transformative gift to name the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.
Kristina is a member of Chapman University’s Board of Trustees and sits on the Orange County Fair Board. She was the longtime co-host of the public TV series Dialogue with Doti and Dodge with President James L. Doti. In addition to supporting Chapman, Kristina was the director of the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation for ten years, and the couple has supported St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, among many other service organizations for families and children.