Ben Posner; Ex-Information Agency Chief

Ben Posner, former administrative director of the U.S. Information Agency and an executive with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has died in a Westlake Village hospital. He was 76.

A resident of Westlake Village, Posner died Thursday of heart failure, said his son, Richard Posner.

Born in Tucson, Ariz., Posner joined the State Department in 1953 as a consultant to help establish the USIA as an independent agency. He became its principal administrative and financial officer in 1964. He retired in 1973.

Posner later served as vice president for finance and planning for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and helped establish the first satellite distribution system for television before he retired in 1977.

A graduate of the University of Arizona and George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Posner received a doctorate in public administration from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1962. In 1970, he was awarded Princeton University’s Rockefeller Public Service Award.

He belonged to Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Selma Posner; sons Richard Posner of Woodland Hills and David Posner of San Jose; and four grandchildren.

A funeral service, with burial to follow, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park and Mortuary, 5600 N. Lindero Canyon Road in Westlake Village, which is handling the arrangements. Donations can be sent to Temple Adat Elohim or the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, P.O. Box 266, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802, or a charity of the donor’s choice.