Kevin Gentry

Kevin Gentry is a conservative political activist and fundraiser who serves as vice president of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.[1][2][3] A top aide to Charles Koch and David H. Koch,[4] Gentry serves as vice president of special projects at Koch Industries.[5]

Kevin Gentry
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materCollege of William & Mary
EmployerCharles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
Koch Industries

Education and personal life

Gentry received a BA in economics from the College of William & Mary, where he served as chairman of the school's branch of the College Republicans. He is married to Anne Gentry, an attorney, who obtained a JD from the George Mason University School of Law, where she was the president of the school's branch of the Federalist Society.[6]

Career

From 1991 to 1997, Gentry served as executive vice president of the Leadership Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia. Gentry later served as the vice president of the Mercatus Center and the Institute for Humane Studies during which time the two organizations' combined annual revenue increased threefold, according to Philanthropy Magazine.[5][7] He served as a fundraising consultant for Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore and U.S. Senator George Allen during their tenure in those offices. Gentry was the campaign manager for Morton Blackwell when Blackwell ran as the Republican National Committeeman of Virginia in 1988, 1992, and 1996.[6]

Fundraising

In 2003, Gentry was hired at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation to improve the capacity of the foundation's grantees by mentoring them in fundraising best practices.[7] He also serves as vice president of special projects for Koch Industries.[8] According to Politico, Gentry is the primary fundraiser for the Koch family's political activities.[9] Gentry's responsibilities include leading fundraising efforts at the Koch's biannual free enterprise donor seminars.[2] The Koch fundraising summits, emceed by Gentry, were expected to spend $400 million on conservative causes ahead of the 2012 election.[10] According to the Washington Post, Gentry "raises money for the network of Koch-backed organizations, some of which are prominent conservative think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation".[11]

Gentry leads an informal network of fundraisers for conservative think tanks and advocacy groups such as Americans for Prosperity.[9]

For contributions to the free market movement, Gentry was presented with the Roe Award in 2007 by the State Policy Network. The award is given to "recognize individuals who exhibit leadership, innovation and achievement in promoting free markets and less intrusive government at the state and local level.[8]

Cato Institute

In December 2010, Gentry joined the board of the Cato Institute.[12][13] Gentry was placed on the board by Charles Koch and David Koch.[10] Cato Institute chairman Robert Levy and president Edward Crane expressed concern that Gentry was a conservative rather than a libertarian, with Crane referring to Gentry as a "Republican activist" and "social conservative."[14] Crane also expressed disappointment that Gentry had not involved Crane or other Cato Institute employees with Koch-sponsored donor events.[12] In an opinion editorial posted on CNN.com, Gentry defended the Koch brothers against allegations that they wanted to compromise the political independence of the Cato Institute.[15] In June 2012, as part of a settlement over the ownership of the Cato Institute, Gentry was removed from the board due to a provision that bars Koch employees from serving on the institute's board.[10]

Affiliations

Gentry serves on the board of directors of Bethany Christian Services of Virginia and the Virginia Future Business Leaders Foundation. He is a member of the Council for National Policy, a networking group for social conservative activists.[6] Gentry served on Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's government reform advisory committee.[16]

References
  1. Bennett, Laurie (March 2, 2012). "Who Knew That Cato Had Shareholders?". Forbes. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  2. Friedman, Brad (September 6, 2011). "Exclusive Audio: Inside the Koch Brothers' Secret Seminar". Mother Jones. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  3. Bloom, Jordan (April 30, 2012). "The Frumming of Cato". The American Conservative. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  4. Vogel, Kenneth (August 1, 2012). "Romney, GOP high-rollers to meet in Aspen". Politico. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  5. "Faculty Bio: Kevin Gentry". Leadership Institute. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  6. "Selected Member Biographies". Council for National Policy. April 5, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  7. "Staffing Up: Koch Foundation". Philanthropy Roundtable. November–December 2003. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  8. "Gentry Receives 2007 Roe Award". State Policy Network. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  9. Vogel, Kenneth; Parti, Tarini (June 15, 2012). "Inside Koch world". Politico. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  10. Vogel, Kenneth (June 25, 2012). "Cato, Koch brothers settle ownership fight". Politico. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  11. McDuffee, Allen (June 15, 2012). "Is Heritage raising millions for access to Clarence Thomas?". Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  12. Mullins, Luke (June 2012). "The Battle for the Cato Institute". The Washingtonian. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  13. Weigel, David (March 5, 2012). "Cato Goes to War". Slate. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  14. Weigel, David (March 22, 2012). ""Who the Hell is Going to Take a Think Tank Seriously If It's Controlled by Billionaire Oil Guys?" Cato's President Speaks". Slate. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  15. Gentry, Kevin (April 5, 2012). "Koch believes in an independent Cato". CNN. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  16. Kumar, Anita (December 11, 2009). "McDonnell's advisers". Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
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