David Wilhelm: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American political operative and businessman}}

[[Image:WILHELM DAVID.JPG|125px|left]]

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{{Infobox officeholder

|name = David Wilhelm

|office = Chair of the [[Democratic National Committee]]

|term_start = January 21, 1993

|term_end = November 11, 1994

|predecessor = [[Ron Brown]]

|successor = [[Debra DeLee]]

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|10|2}}

|birth_place = [[Champaign, Illinois]], U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]

|education = [[Ohio University]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])}}<br/>[[Harvard University]] {{small|([[Master of Public Policy|MPP]])}}

}}

'''David Wilhelm''' (born October 2, 1956) is a global renewable energy developer, currently working for Hecate Energy. Formerly, Wilhelm worked in the venture capital space and as a political campaign manager; most notably serving as Campaign Manager for the 1992 U.S. Presidential campaign of [[Bill Clinton]], and later as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

{{NPOV}}

He was raised in Athens, Ohio, and has started many transformational projects and funds in the area. Wilhelm later settled in Chicago, Illinois, and now resides in Columbus, Ohio.

'''David Wilhelm''' (born [[2 October]], [[1956]]) is an American political operative and businessman. A native of Appalachian [[Ohio]], Wilhelm now focuses on spurring sustainable [[economic growth]] in rural areas. He received his B.A. from [[Ohio University]], Master in [[Public Policy]] from [[Harvard]]'s [[Kennedy School of Government]], and honorary doctorates from [[Ohio University]] and the [[University of Charleston]].

He received his B.A. from [[Ohio University]], as well as a Master of Public Policy from [[Harvard]]'s [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]]. He has received honorary doctorates from [[Ohio University]], the [[University of Charleston]], and [[Wheeling Jesuit University]].

== Business ==

Wilhelm has taught or served as a fellow at Harvard, the University of Chicago, Ohio University, DePaul University, and the University of Akron.

Wilhelm is the founder and president of Woodland Venture Management, one of the nation's leading sources of [[venture capital]] in regions of the country that lie between the coasts and are ignored by most investors.

==Early life==

[http://www.adenaventures.com/ Adena Ventures], Woodland's first fund, focuses on businesses in central [[Appalachia]], a region that historically has been left behind as the nation has prospered. The [[Small Business Administration]] designated Adena the nation's first New Markets Venture Capital Company.

David Wilhelm was born on October 2, 1956, in [[Champaign, Illinois]], to Hubert and Constance Wilhelm, who were undergraduates at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign|University of Illinois]] at that time. Wilhelm is a first-generation American; his father is a native of [[Krauschwitz]], Germany, and was brought to the United States as a high school aged refugee of war-torn Germany by a Brethren Church farm family living near [[Auburn, Illinois]] (about 20 miles south of [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]]).<ref name="athensohiotoday.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.athensohiotoday.com/obituaries/constance-wilhelm/article_0a046654-d2df-5c71-bffe-2e88c50a81a9.html|title=Constance Wilhelm|first=Sara|last=Brumfield|date=10 March 2014 }}</ref>

Wilhelm's pre-school years consisted of brief family stays in Champaign, Illinois, [[Lafayette, Louisiana]], and [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], while his father completed a PhD in Geography at Louisiana State University. Two sisters, Diana and Suzanne, were added to the mix and, in 1963, the Wilhelm family, now totaling five, moved to Athens, Ohio, where Wilhelm's father had accepted an offer to join the faculty of Ohio University, a position he held until his retirement 35 years later.<ref name="athensohiotoday.com"/>

Wilhelm took to political organizing and strategy at a young age. In sixth grade, he led his fellow Safety Patrol workers on a strike over an unnecessary twenty minutes they were forced to stay in their posts long after the last student departing school had crossed the street. When he was twelve, he would conduct surveys of college students to determine whether Eugene McCarthy or Robert F. Kennedy had greater support. When he was sixteen, he helped manage the successful campaign of his social studies teacher, Peter Lalich, for a seat on Athens City Council.<ref name="thepost.ohiou.edu">{{cite web|url=http://thepost.ohiou.edu/content/athens-past-influences-lifelong-political-career|title=The Post|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140726060628/http://thepost.ohiou.edu/content/athens-past-influences-lifelong-political-career|archive-date=2014-07-26}}</ref>

==College years==

[http://www.hopewellventures.com/ Hopewell Ventures] is Woodland's second fund and targets the [[Midwest]]. A region stretching from Pittsburgh on the east to Omaha on the west, the Midwest receives less venture capital financing than the city of San Diego alone. Hopewell aims to close that gap.

Wilhelm attended [[Ohio University]] as a National Merit Scholar, graduating in August 1977, with a BA in Government. He was named the Outstanding Undergraduate in Government that year and was inducted into [[Phi Beta Kappa]]. While at Ohio University, Wilhelm continued political campaigning. At the age of 19, he was the first staffer hired by the then nascent Jimmy Carter presidential campaign in the State of Ohio. He was given the assignment of recruiting delegates and alternates in each of Ohio's congressional districts for the relatively unknown Georgia Governor. His work led to the filing of a complete slate of delegates and alternates, something that Carter's opponents failed, by and large, to match, providing the Carter campaign with a strong competitive advantage in Ohio.<ref name="thepost.ohiou.edu"/>

In the fall of 1978, Wilhelm entered the two year Master of Public Policy program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. During the following summer, he interned in the Office of Senator Howard Metzenbaum as an assistant to the senior legislative aide on budget and tax matters. During his time at the Kennedy School, he served as a teaching fellow for classes taught in public management by Professors Steven Kelman and Jonathan Brock.

Wilhelm is a founder of two [[consulting]] companies based in [[Chicago]]: Conlon Public Strategies, a public affairs firm, and the Strategy Group, which supports Democratic candidates. He is no longer affiliated with either company.

== Politics ==

Before moving to the private sector, Wilhelm ran political campaigns for candidates such as Bill Clinton, [[Joe Biden]], and several Illinois-based Democrats, including [[Richard M. Daley]] and [[Paul Simon (politician)|Paul Simon]]. He oversaw the day-to-day operations of the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign, directed its Electoral College and political strategy, and planned the post-convention bus tour of the American heartland.

Upon his election in 1992, President Clinton nominated Wilhelm to serve as Chair of the [[Democratic National Committee]], making Wilhelm the youngest person ever to serve in that role in either political party. As Chair, he re-established an advisory council of representatives from organized labor, and reached out to evangelical Christian voters, famously appearing before a convention of the [[Christian Coalition of America]] to a chorus of boos. Under Wilhelm's leadership, the DNC played a meaningful role in support of President Clinton's first budget proposal, which passed a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives by a single vote. But these organizational efforts were overshadowed by Clinton era controversies related to [[NAFTA]], [[Clinton health care plan of 1993|health care]], and Congressional nervousness about the 1994 midterm elections.

Wilhelm gained national prominence as the [[campaign manager]] for [[Bill Clinton]]'s presidential run in 1992. Wilhelm ran the day-to-day operations of the campaign, overseeing political outreach, state outreach, and all staff. He was the campaign's authority on [[electoral college]] strategy and spearheaded the bus tour through the heartland that followed the [[Democratic National Convention]].

Wilhelm served as Head of the Steering Committee for the City of Columbus' bid to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, and is a lifetime superdelegate to the [[Democratic National Committee]].<ref>[[List of superdelegates at the 2008 Democratic National Convention]]</ref>

Wilhelm's role was complemented by strategists such as [[James Carville]] and [[George Stephanopoulos]], who were in charge of [[communication|communications]]. [[Eli Siegel]] and [[Mickey Kantor]] also played leading roles.

==Economic development==

After the election, President-elect Clinton named Wilhelm to serve as chairman of the [[Democratic National Committee]] (DNC), making Wilhelm the youngest person to head a national party in American history. Wilhelm's priority at the DNC was to strengthen the party's [[grassroots]] by promoting [[White House]] initiatives at the state and local level.

In 1995, Wilhelm returned to Chicago to build a successful career in business<ref name=wilhelmchi>{{cite web |url=http://www.conlonps.com/who.htm |title=Conlon Public Strategies |access-date=2012-05-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505003415/http://www.conlonps.com/who.htm |archive-date=2012-05-05 }}</ref> He and Kevin Conlon, a prominent labor lawyer and Democratic activist, started Wilhelm & Conlon Public Strategies (now Conlon Public Strategies) in 1998.<ref name=wilhelmchi /> A year later, Wilhelm moved into [[impact investing]], founding Woodland Venture Management,<ref name=wilhelmman>{{cite web |url=http://www.hopewellventures.com/wilhelm.html |title=Hopewell Ventures - David Wilhelm |access-date=2012-05-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424050258/http://www.hopewellventures.com/wilhelm.html |archive-date=2012-04-24 }}</ref> and starting two venture capital funds that invest in businesses in economically challenged parts of Central Appalachia and the Great Lakes region.<ref name=wilhelmman />

Wilhelm's second fund, Hopewell Ventures, focused on the Midwest. Their portfolio includes National Pasteurized Eggs, a [[Lansing, Illinois]]-based company that produces whole, in-shell, [[pasteurized eggs]] under the Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs brand.{{fact|date=December 2017}}

Throughout his career, Wilhelm has managed the campaigns of Senator Paul Simon, Senator [[Joe Biden]], Governor [[Rod Blagojevich]], and Mayor [[Richard Daley]]. In 2002, Wilhelm directed Blagojevich’s transition to the Governor’s office. Wilhelm also served as chair of the [[Illinois]] presidential campaign of [[John Kerry]] and [[John Edwards]] in 2004.

Wilhelm is a founder of a newly created Ohio Appalachian Business Council and in 2010 served as co-chair of a successful statewide campaign in support of the Ohio Third Frontier. He is co-chair of the advisory council for the Voinovich School for Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University.

Earlier in his career, Wilhelm served as Executive Director of Citizens for Tax Justice, a public interest group that advocates for middle- and lower-income families.

He is also the founding Partner of Empower Gas & Electric, a [[Columbus, Ohio]]-based energy services company designed to help communities capture the economic benefit of their spending on electricity through local generation projects and the deployment of energy efficiency strategies.

== Notes ==

Wilhelm previously served as a senior consultant to the Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Earl Gohl. This furthered Wilhelm's many efforts to promote entrepreneurship within the region and focuses on Appalachia's "Emerging Opportunities" for business growth and capital investment in energy, food, and health care as a pathway to a more diversified economy.

* As DNC chair in 1993, Wilhelm gave a [http://www.skepticfiles.org/american/wilhelm.htm speech to the Christian Coalition] and was greeted with jeers for arguing that good Christians can belong to any political party.

==Hecate Energy==

* Wilhelm's father came to the United States as a refugee from [[Germany]] after [[World War II]].

David Wilhelm is a partner and the Chief Strategy Officer at Hecate Energy, a leading American-based developer of renewable energy projects. Hecate Energy is actively pursuing large scale solar and wind projects internationally, including countries such as Jordan, Tanzania, Kenya, and Pakistan.

Wilhelm is leading Hecate's efforts on the African continent, which include projects both large and small, both on-grid and off-grid. Hecate is working in Tanzania to install 100 MWs worth of solar power on the campus of Tanzania's largest university, the University of Dodoma.

* Adena Ventures, Wilhelm's first venture capital fund, is named for a Native American tribe that established a vast trade network throughout what is now Appalachia. Hopewell Ventures, Wilhelm's second fund, is named for the tribe that succeeded the Adena Indians.

Hecate Energy is one of the charter members of President Obama's "Power Africa" initiative, which was launched during his recent visit to Africa. There, President Obama announced plans to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa, where about two thirds of the population has no electricity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hecateenergy.com/who-we-are/|title=Our Team - Hecate Energy LLC}}</ref>

== Quotations ==

==Non-profit involvement==

* "If you want to win, always be the aggressor. Always. Get on offense and stay there. That's it, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you and good night." - 8/13/02, speech at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Wilhelm is Co-Chair of the Strategic Partners Group of the [[Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs]] at Ohio University and a co-founder of its Center for Public and Social Innovation.

Early in his career, Wilhelm was the executive director of one of the nation's leading tax reform organizations, Citizens for Tax Justice, and was a co-author of studies that provided impetus for federal tax reform during President Reagan's presidency.

* "The flip-side of a capital gap is a market opportunity." - 3/5/05, speech at the FamilyFarmed.org gala.

==References==

* "I am a Christian and I am a Democrat. However inconvenient it might be, God is an Independent." - 9/10/93, speech to Christian Coalition

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* "When I was younger, the Don Quixote types easily impressed me. But effectiveness comes with the realization that there is no moral superiority in constantly losing." - 5/1/05, commencement address at the University of Charleston

*{{C-SPAN|21990}}

{{s-start}}

* "Little is more tragic than a 21 year-old cynic, except perhaps for a 50 year-old cynic who once dreamed big dreams. The moment you lose your big idea is the moment that your day turns to twilight." - 5/1/05, commencement address at the University of Charleston

{{s-ppo}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Ron Brown]]}}

* "Winning is not the end game in life; winning for a reason is." - 1/23/05, Speech accepting the Bow Tie Award from Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century

{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Democratic National Committee]]|years=1993–1994}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Debra DeLee]]}}

* "If you are a true believer, if the rationale for your political participation lies beyond mere self-aggrandizement, you know that there are no such things as lost causes, just battles not yet won." - 8/13/02, speech at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland

{{s-end}}

==External links==

Companies that Wilhelm has founded:

* [http://www.woodlandvc.com/ Woodland Venture Management]

* [http://www.hopewellventures.com/ Hopewell Ventures] (focused on the Midwest)

* [http://www.adenaventures.com/ Adena Ventures] (focused on central Appalachia)

* [http://www.wcstrategies.com/ Wilhelm & Conlon Public Strategies]

* [http://www.strategygroup.com/ The Strategy Group]

{{DNCchairmen}}

{{Democratic Party (United States)}}

[[Category:1956 births|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:American campaign managers|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:DNC Chairmen|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:Living people|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:People from Ohio|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:Political consultants|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:United States presidential advisors|Wilhelm, David]]

[[Category:Venture capital|Wilhelm, David]]

[[de{{DEFAULTSORT:David Wilhelm]], David}}

[[Category:1956 births]]

[[Category:American campaign managers]]

[[Category:American financiers]]

[[Category:American political consultants]]

[[Category:American venture capitalists]]

[[Category:Democratic National Committee chairs]]

[[Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:Ohio University alumni]]

[[Category:People from Athens, Ohio]]

[[Category:United States presidential advisors]]

[[Category:People from Greater Columbus, Ohio]]