Fred P. Hochberg
Encyclopedia
Fred P. Hochberg is an American businessman who has played leadership roles in government, non-profit and academic organizations. He is currently chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, having been appointed in January 2009 and confirmed in May 2009. He was a fundraiser for the campaign of Barack Obama
for President
and a member of the Obama transition team. He has also contributed opinion pieces and commentaries to a number of news outlets. He previously served as acting administrator of the Small Business Administration
(SBA) in the Clinton Administration.
and an MBA from Columbia
before attending the executive leadership program of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
. He was in December 2003 appointed Dean of the Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
, a post he left in late 2008.
Corporation, which he developed over the next 20 years into a publicly traded direct marketing corporation described by Forbes as "one of the great success stories of American entrepreneurship." He is listed as of 2008 as a director of Fusion Telecommunications International, Incorporated,
Hochberg has been dedicated to community service and philanthropic involvement in civil rights, education and the arts. He recently sat on the boards of the Citizens' Budget Commission, FINCA International
(an international lending institution) and Seedco
, a company that provides financial, technical and management support to nonprofits and small businesses in disadvantaged communities. He was also, in 2008, a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
.
's Management Council.
Hochberg was a bundler of contributions for the Obama campaign; some bundlers collected $500,000 for the campaign.
Hochberg was an Agency Review team leader for the SBA on then-President-elect Barack Obama's transition team.
President Obama nominated Hochberg to be chairman and president of Ex-Im Bank on April 20, 2009. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination by unanimous consent on May 14, 2009, for a term ending on January 20, 2013. He was sworn in on May 21, 2009.
Press reports had suggested Hochberg might be chosen as Obama's Secretary of Commerce, becoming the first openly LBGT member of the US Cabinet, but ABC News reported on January 9, 2009 that Hochberg would instead be appointed chair of the Export-Import Bank, which finances the sale of US exports. Today as head of Ex-Im Bank, Hochberg is one of the most senior openly gay members of the Obama Administration.
, a prominent lesbian and gay rights group. In the April 2007 issue of Out Magazine he was ranked the 15th most powerful gay person in America. He lives with his partner, the writer Tom Healy
.
He has also served on the boards of Playwrights Horizon and the Wolfsonian Art Museum, and on the Democratic National Committee
.
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and a member of the Obama transition team. He has also contributed opinion pieces and commentaries to a number of news outlets. He previously served as acting administrator of the Small Business Administration
Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses...
(SBA) in the Clinton Administration.
Education and academic career
Hochberg received his B.A. from New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and an MBA from Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
before attending the executive leadership program of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He was in December 2003 appointed Dean of the Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy is a college at The New School within The New School for Public Engagement that teaches Nonprofit Management, Organizational Change Management, Urban Policy, and International Affairs to Master's students, as well as a Ph.D....
, a post he left in late 2008.
Business career
Hochberg began his business career managing his mother's mail order business, the Lillian VernonLillian Vernon
Lillian Vernon Corporation is an American catalog merchant and online retailer that sells household, children's and fashion accessory products. In business since 1951 Lillian Vernon Corporation is an American catalog merchant and online retailer that sells household, children's and fashion...
Corporation, which he developed over the next 20 years into a publicly traded direct marketing corporation described by Forbes as "one of the great success stories of American entrepreneurship." He is listed as of 2008 as a director of Fusion Telecommunications International, Incorporated,
Hochberg has been dedicated to community service and philanthropic involvement in civil rights, education and the arts. He recently sat on the boards of the Citizens' Budget Commission, FINCA International
FINCA International
The Foundation for International Community Assistance is a non-profit, microfinance organization, founded by John Hatch in 1984. Sometimes referred to as the "World Bank for the Poor" and a "poverty vaccine for the planet", FINCA is the innovator of the village banking methodology in microcredit...
(an international lending institution) and Seedco
Seedco
Seedco, the Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation, is a national, nonprofit, community development organization that works with local organizations in low-income communities to promote economic advancement and help people move out of poverty...
, a company that provides financial, technical and management support to nonprofits and small businesses in disadvantaged communities. He was also, in 2008, a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
.
Political career
In 1998 Hochberg became deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration, later becoming the organization's acting administrator. He remained in the post at the SBA until January 2001, serving also on US President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's Management Council.
Hochberg was a bundler of contributions for the Obama campaign; some bundlers collected $500,000 for the campaign.
Hochberg was an Agency Review team leader for the SBA on then-President-elect Barack Obama's transition team.
President Obama nominated Hochberg to be chairman and president of Ex-Im Bank on April 20, 2009. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination by unanimous consent on May 14, 2009, for a term ending on January 20, 2013. He was sworn in on May 21, 2009.
Press reports had suggested Hochberg might be chosen as Obama's Secretary of Commerce, becoming the first openly LBGT member of the US Cabinet, but ABC News reported on January 9, 2009 that Hochberg would instead be appointed chair of the Export-Import Bank, which finances the sale of US exports. Today as head of Ex-Im Bank, Hochberg is one of the most senior openly gay members of the Obama Administration.
Personal life
Hochberg is a native of the greater New York metropolitan area. He has served as chair of the Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
, a prominent lesbian and gay rights group. In the April 2007 issue of Out Magazine he was ranked the 15th most powerful gay person in America. He lives with his partner, the writer Tom Healy
Tom Healy (poet)
-Life:Tom Healy received his B.A. at Harvard in Philosophy, before earning his M.F.A. from Columbia University.Healy has a wide range of professional experience. He opened one of the first art galleries in Chelsea, Manhattan. Healy has also served as president of the Lower Manhattan Cultural...
.
He has also served on the boards of Playwrights Horizon and the Wolfsonian Art Museum, and on the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
.
External links
- Fred Hochberg profile at the Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy website