David Wilhelm

David Wilhelm (born 2 October, 1956) is an American political operative and businessman. A native of Appalachian Ohio, Wilhelm is now a venture capitalist who focuses on spurring sustainable economic growth in areas that tend not to receive much investment. 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. Wilhelm is an avowed Methodist.

Business

Wilhelm is the founder and president of Woodland Venture Management, which launches venture capital funds in regions of the United States that lie between the two coasts. The premise is that a business opportunity exists in areas that investors have failed to capitalize on. Some argue that this strategy is questionable because it targets regions that have not proven themselves to be profitable.

Adena Ventures, Woodland's first fund, focuses on businesses in central Appalachia, one of the poorest regions in the United States. The Small Business Administration designated Adena the nation's first company to receive funding under the Clinton administration's New Markets Venture Capital Program, which gave incentives to firms investing in poor communities.

Hopewell Ventures is Woodland's second fund and targets the Midwest, from Pittsburgh on the east to Omaha on the west. A PricewaterhouseCooper study suggests that the Midwest receives less venture capital financing than the city of San Diego alone.

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

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

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. The numerous political failures of Clinton's first two years in office -- especially, many argue, the attempt to establish universal health insurance -- helped lead the Democrats to lose control of Congress in 1994. Historical factors such as the rise of Republicanism in the South also contributed to the Democrats' demise.

Throughout his career, Wilhelm has managed the campaigns of Senator Paul Simon, Senator Joe Biden, Governor Rod Blagojevich, and Chicago 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. He is currently playing an undefined role on Joe Biden's campaign for the 2008 presidential election.

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.

Notes

• As DNC chair in 1993, Wilhelm gave a speech to the Christian Coalition and was greeted with jeers for arguing that good Christians can belong to any political party.

• Wilhelm's father came to the United States as a refugee from Germany after World War II. He was brought to the country by the Brethren Church.

• Wilhelm met his wife, Degee, on Joe Biden's presidential campaign in 1988. Degee is from Iowa and her father was a lay Baptist minister.

• 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.

• Citing privacy concerns, Wilhelm refused to participate in the making of the 1993 documentary The War Room, which examined the Clinton presidential campaign. As a result, he barely appears in the movie despite being the campaign manager.

Quotations

• "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

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

• "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

• "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

• "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

• "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

• "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