origins
Explore the origins of The Roddenberry Foundation and our enduring vision for a universe where all life can flourish.
Inspired by fiction. Founded on facts. Focused on frontiers.
Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry imagined more for our future. They envisioned what humanity might become by meeting the universe with optimism and embracing the potential of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. As the next generation, The Roddenberry Foundation carries that ethos forward, evolving it through practice. We give new form to those enduring ideas in support of optimistic futures and human flourishing for generations to come.
It’s about big, bold ideas that can change the world.
The next generation of the Roddenberry vision
Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry
Co-founder & Board Vice President
Rod stewards the Roddenberry legacy as a living vision—one meant to meet us where we are and push us to become more. Through The Roddenberry Foundation, he champions futures beyond the perceived limits of today, where humanity flourishes by embracing infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
Heidi Roddenberry
Co-founder, President & Board Chair
Heidi holds the Roddenberry ethos as a promise to fulfill and The Roddenberry Foundation as a vehicle to carry that vision from script to form. Grounded yet optimistic, data-driven yet aspirational, she brings a deeply humane perspective to the pursuit of optimistic futures.
Rod, Heidi, and Zale Roddenberry at Gene Roddenberry’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Star Trek.
Many generations. One enduring vision.
The Roddenberry ethos is not bound to any single generation or era. It is a living philosophy, continually reimagined and renewed through the perspectives of those who inherit it.
Among them are Rod and Heidi’s son, Zale, as well as generations of fellow explorers who have drawn inspiration from its ideals, given them new expression in their own lives, and contributed to the extraordinary community that has made Star Trek what it is today.
Forward-Looking Governance
The Roddenberry Foundation’s work is guided by a four-person Board of Directors including its cofounders and two directors: Morton Kessler, Director and Treasurer, and Andrew “Andy” Garb, Director and Secretary.
Executive leadership
The Roddenberry Foundation’s operations are led by Mark de Groh, an executive and advisor whose work bridges philanthropy, investment, scholarship and long-range thinking. Part futurist, part humanist and historian, Mark brings experience in strategic advising, institutional development, philanthropic fundraising and investment analysis. His interdisciplinary perspective helps connect big ideas about humanity’s future with the institutions, partnerships and resources needed to put them into practice.
Exploring what comes
next
The future cannot be predicted with certainty, but it can be welcomed with curiosity, critical thinking, empathy, and applied imagination. It can be embraced with open minds, hands, and hearts. And it can be discovered through a deep commitment to the power of infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
The Roddenberry Foundation seeks those willing to do the hard work of making optimistic futures a reality. The explorers. The visionaries. The dreamers. Those who believe we can become more than we are today, and that together, we can build futures where all can flourish.