Alumni Alumni in the News In the News

June 17, 2014 at 10:03 pm

Political Science Alum Appointed to Foundation for a World in Transition Board

Ohio University alum David Wilhelm ’77 has been appointed as member of the Foundation for a World in Transition’s International Advisory Board, according to a June 12 foundation news release.

Wilhelm earned a bachelor’s degree in Government from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University.

David Wilhelm is best known for his work in the political realm where he has managed the campaigns of persons such as William J. Clinton, Richard M. Daley, Joseph R. Biden, and the late Paul Simon and was a leading national surrogate for the campaign of Barack H. Obama in 2008. Upon his election in 1992, President Clinton nominated David Wilhelm to serve as Chair of the Democratic National Committee, the leadership of the Democratic Party, making him the youngest person in American history to serve in that post.

David Wilhelm is a partner and the Chief Strategy Officer of Hecate Energy, a leading U.S.-based developer of renewable energy projects and one of the charter members of ‘Power Africa’, a $7 Billion U.S. Government’s initiative announced by President Obama over his latest trip to Africa to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa.

David Wilhelm is also the founder of Woodland Venture Management, a company that raises and invests private equity in parts of the United States that are underserved by the nation’s financial industry, and of two regionally focused venture capital funds designed to bring investments to underserved regions of the Midwest and Appalachia. He served as the Co-Chair of the statewide campaign to renew the Ohio Third Frontier, one of the United States’ model programs in support of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Early in his career, David Wilhelm was the Executive Director of one of the nation’s leading tax reform organizations and was a co-author of studies that provided impetus for federal tax reform under President Reagan.

David Wilhelm holds a B.A. from Ohio University, a M.P.P. from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and has received honorary doctorates from Ohio University, the University of Charleston, and Wheeling Jesuit University. David Wilhelm has taught or served as a fellow at Harvard University, the University of Chicago, Ohio University, DePaul University, and the University of Akron. He is Co-Chair of the Strategic Partners Group of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, and recently served as Chair of Ohio University’s National Alumni Board.

Louis-Lyonel Voiron, President of the Foundation for a World in Transition, commented on the appointment of David Wilhelm: “The Foundation for a World in Transition is thrilled to benefit from David’s Wilhelm’s unmatched political acumen and considerable expertise in venture capital. We very much look forward to his contribution to the work of our International Advisory Board.”

David Wilhelm declared: “I am thrilled to join the Foundation for a World in Transition’s International Advisory Board and I am looking forward to working with my board’s colleagues.”

The Foundation for a World in Transition is a Washington DC-based non-profit, non-partisan membership organization, whose goal is to help current and future decision-makers remain a step ahead of the challenges of our time and shape the future.

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