Ken Mehlman
Born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 21, 1966, Kenneth Brian Mehlman, or Ken, is currently the global public affairs head of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LLP. Ken Mehlman is also the firm’s managing director. He was also the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman from 2005 to 2007.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania’s Franklin and Marshall College, Ken Mehlman attended Harvard Law School. He received his Juris Doctor from the prestigious institution in 1991. One of his classmates was President Barack Obama.
Ken Mehlman began his career by shifting locations and moving to Washington, D.C. At Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where he stayed from 1991 to 1996, his primary field of practice was environmental law. From private practice, he transitioned into into public service when he began assisting campaigns in Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, and Texas. He also actively campaigned during the Presidential campaigns of 1992, 1996, and 2004. After the election, George W. Bush appointed Ken Mehlman as one of the board members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Committee.
Over the years, Ken Mehlman established himself as an excellent political strategist. Ken Mehlman co-founded the USSAC, or the United States Senate Advisory Committee. The USSAC was a federal political committee designed to provide advice on issues regarding domestic and foreign policy. It also worked on protecting Republican Senate seats that were at risk. In 2005, the American Association of Political Consultants awarded Ken Mehlman the Campaign Manager of the Year award.
Ken Mehlman has since retired from politics, but he still keeps himself busy with his work at the private equity firm KKR. Ken Mehlman also serves on the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation executive leadership cabinet.
At KKR, Ken Mehlman is focusing his efforts upon the Green Portfolio Project, an innovative environmental initiative. Ken Mehlman has worked closely with the Environmental Defense Fund to create a system of tools to measure a company’s environmental performance. According to Ken Mehlman, “[The Environmental Defense Fund] helped us to identify how to make that company worth more, and also make it a better citizen when it came to environmental performance. It was a classic example of where green is on both sides.”
“The future is real sustainability,” Ken Mehlman continues. “People will want to do this [because] they think it’s the right thing to do. They should also want to do this now because it can save money.”
So far, under Ken Mehlman’s leadership, KKR has helped companies save more than $16 million dollars in Green Portfolio initiatives. It is Ken Mehlman’s ambition to spread the word that sustainable, environmental practices make business sense in the long run.
Additional Information on Ken Mehlman:
A collection of articles in the Wall Street Journal about Ken Mehlman.
The official KKR profile of Ken Mehlman.
The Jewish Virtual Library has a profile of Ken Mehlman.
The Charlie Rose interview of Ken Mehlman.