Gary R. Edson

Last updated
Gary R. Edson GaryEdson.jpg
Gary R. Edson

Gary Edson is a former American government official, entrepreneur, and former president of Conservation International. [1] He served previously as chief executive officer of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, [2] a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that concluded operations in late 2012. [3]

Contents

From 2001 to 2004, Edson served in the administration of George W. Bush as Deputy National Security Advisor and deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs; he was also Deputy National Economic Advisor. [4] In addition, he was the chief U.S. negotiator or “sherpa” for all presidential summits, including the G8, APEC, US-EU, and the Summits of the Americas. [5]

Edson co-led the development of the $45 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative. [6] He is also credited with establishing the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to fight global poverty. [7] The MCC uses increased aid to reward countries demonstrating a commitment to good governance.

Edson left government in 2005 because of a serious illness, from which he has since recovered. He was a managing director at Stonebridge International, and for a time sat on the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

One observer described Edson as “brainy” and “impatient… a spicy jalapeno pepper in the midst of the smooth cream cheese” [8] of the White House. Former secretary of state James A. Baker has called him “indispensable,” [9] noting, "I've never known anybody from whom the taxpayers get a better deal." [10] In her 2011 memoir, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice praises Edson as being "one of the best 'policy engineers' I'd ever known, one of those rare individuals who can take an idea from inception to implementation." [11]

In 2020, Edson, along with over 130 other former Republican national security officials, signed a statement that asserted that President Trump was unfit to serve another term, and "To that end, we are firmly convinced that it is in the best interest of our nation that Vice President Joe Biden be elected as the next President of the United States, and we will vote for him." [12]

Early career

Earlier in his career, Edson served as chief of staff and general counsel to U.S. Trade Representative Carla A. Hills from 1989 to 1992, and special assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Kenneth W. Dam from 1982 to 1985. He headed a private equity firm, ECG, Inc., which acquired PAR Systems, Inc, a manufacturer of robotics systems, of which Edson was chairman of the board. [13]

Education

Edson received a B.A. with honors in anthropology from Stanford University in 1977, and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from The University of Chicago in 1982. He was a Henry Luce Scholar in Japan, 1977–1978.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Condoleezza Rice</span> American diplomat and political scientist (born 1954)

Condoleezza Rice is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th United States secretary of state from 2005 to 2009 and as the 19th U.S. national security advisor from 2001 to 2005. Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state and the first woman to serve as national security advisor. Until the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, were the highest-ranking African Americans in the history of the federal executive branch. At the time of her appointment as Secretary of State, Rice was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States to be in the presidential line of succession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9/11 Commission</span> 2002–2004 U.S. commission to investigate the September 11 attacks

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, commonly known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, to investigate all aspects of the September 11 attacks, the deadliest terrorist attack in world history. It was created by Congressional legislation, which charged it with preparing "a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks", including preparedness by the U.S. federal government for the attacks, the response following the attacks, and steps that can be taken to guard against a future terrorist attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard A. Clarke</span> American counter-terrorism expert

Richard Alan Clarke is an American national security expert, novelist, and former government official. He served as the Counterterrorism Czar for the National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-Terrorism for the United States between 1998 and 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Bolten</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1954)

Joshua Brewster Bolten is an American lawyer and politician. Bolten served as the White House chief of staff to U.S. president George W. Bush, replacing Andrew Card on April 14, 2006. Previously, he served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2003 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Zelikow</span> American diplomat and international relations scholar (born 1954)

Philip David Zelikow is an American diplomat and international relations scholar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Howard Taft IV</span> American diplomat (born 1945)

William Howard Taft IV is an American diplomat and attorney who has served in the United States government under several Republican administrations. He is a son of William Howard Taft III and a great-grandson of President William Howard Taft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dov S. Zakheim</span> United States Department of Defense official

Dov S. Zakheim is an American businessman, writer, and former official of the United States government. In the Reagan administration, he held various Department of Defense positions. In 2000, Zakheim was a member of "The Vulcans", a group of foreign policy advisors assisting George W. Bush's presidential campaign. From 2001 to 2004 he was Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Zoellick</span> 11th President of the World Bank Group

Robert Bruce Zoellick is an American public official and lawyer who was the 11th president of the World Bank Group, a position he held from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2012. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sachs, United States Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, from February 7, 2001, until February 22, 2005. Zoellick has been a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs since ending his term with the World Bank. He is currently a Senior Counselor at Brunswick Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Hadley</span> American attorney and senior government official (born 1947)

Stephen John Hadley is an American attorney and senior government official who served as the 20th United States National Security Advisor from 2005 to 2009. He served under President George W. Bush during the second term of his administration. Hadley was Deputy National Security Advisor during Bush's first term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert D. Blackwill</span> American diplomat (born 1939)

Robert Dean Blackwill is a retired American diplomat, author, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, and lobbyist. Blackwill served as the United States Ambassador to India under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003 and as United States National Security Council Deputy for Iraq from 2003 to 2004, where he was a liaison between Paul Bremer and Condoleezza Rice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vulcans</span>

The Vulcans is a nickname used to refer to Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's foreign policy advisory team assembled to brief him prior to the 2000 US presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John B. Bellinger III</span> American lawyer (born 1960)

John Bellinger Bellinger III is an American lawyer who served as the Legal Adviser for the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration. He is now a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm Arnold & Porter, and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Membership in the Council on Foreign Relations comes in two types: Individual and Corporate. Individual memberships are further subdivided into two types: Life Membership and Term Membership, the latter of which is for a single period of five years and is available to those between the ages of 30 and 36 at the time of their application. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have applied for U.S. citizenship are eligible. A candidate for life membership must be nominated in writing by one Council member and seconded by a minimum of three others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy M. Carney</span> American diplomat (born 1944)

Timothy Michael Carney is a retired American diplomat and consultant. Carney served as a career Foreign Service Officer for 32 years, with assignments that included Vietnam and Cambodia as well as Lesotho and South Africa before being appointed as ambassador to Sudan and later in Haiti. Carney served with a number of U.N. Peacekeeping Missions, and until recently led the Haiti Democracy Project, an initiative launched under the presidency of George W. Bush to build stronger institutional foundations for the country's long-term relationship with the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Waxman</span> American law professor

Matthew Curtis Waxman is an American law professor at Columbia University and author who held several positions during the George W. Bush administration. He is also currently a Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded on January 16, 2010, by former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, to aid the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The organization was formed in response to the request of President Barack Obama for the former Presidents to assist in the Haitian rescue effort. The fund concluded formal operations on December 31, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John J. Danilovich</span> American business executive (born 1950)

John Joseph Danilovich is an American business executive who was secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce from 2014 – 2018. He previously held roles as a senior United States government executive, diplomat, and ambassador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign Affairs Policy Board</span> Advisory board concerning US foreign policy

The Foreign Affairs Policy Board is an advisory board that provides independent advice and opinion to the Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of State, and the Director of Policy Planning on matters concerning U.S. foreign policy. The Board reviews and assesses global threats and opportunities, trends that implicate core national security interests, tools and capacities of the civilian foreign affairs agencies, and priorities and strategic frameworks for U.S. foreign policy. The Board meets in a plenary session several times a year at the U.S. Department of State in the Harry S. Truman Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential transition of George W. Bush</span>

The presidential transition of George W. Bush took place following the 2000 United States presidential election. It started after Bush was declared the victor of the election on December 12, 2000, when the Bush v. Gore decision by the Supreme Court halted the election recount in Florida, making Bush the victor in that state. The decision delivered him the state's 25 electoral votes, thus giving him a total of 271 electoral votes. This was one more vote than the 270 needed to win the presidency outright, making him president-elect.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.conservation.org/NewsRoom/pressreleases/Pages/Gary-Edson-Steps-Down-as-President-of-Conservation-International.aspx Press Release: "Gary Edson Steps Down as President of Conservation International" October 9, 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  2. ↑ http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/media/entry/press-release-clinton-bush-haiti-fund-appoints-board-of-directors-CEO/ Archived 2010-12-23 at the Wayback Machine Press Release: "Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Appoints Board of Directors & CEO," March 10, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
  3. ↑ "The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Commits Its Remaining Funds | Clinton Bush Haiti Fund". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  4. ↑ Becoming President: The Bush Transition, 2000-2003, by John P. Burke; Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2004; pp.51-52.
  5. ↑ “Edson: A Mind Always Working,” by Bob Deans, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 6, 2004.
  6. ↑ "AIDS and the President--An Inside Account". Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  7. ↑ Rice,Condoleezza. No Higher Honor. New York: Crown Publishers, 2011. pp. 226.
  8. ↑ The Right Man, by David Frum, Random House, 2003, pp. 70-71.
  9. ↑ Work Hard, Study...and Keep Out of Politics! Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life, by James A. Baker, III, Putnam, 2006, p. 401.
  10. ↑ “Edson: A Mind Always Working,” by Bob Deans, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 6, 2004.
  11. ↑ Rice, Condoleezza. No Higher Honor. New York: Crown Publishers, 2011. pp. 227.
  12. ↑ "Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden". Defending Democracy Together. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Home". par.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.