26 Facts About William Kennard

William Earl Kennard was born on January 19,1957 and is an American attorney and former government official.

In 2009, William Kennard was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Ambassador to the European Union, serving until 2013.

William Kennard has served on the board of directors of several public and private corporations.

William Kennard was born January 19,1957, in Los Angeles, California.

William Kennard's father, Robert A Kennard, was a renowned architect who owned the oldest African-American architecture firm in Los Angeles.

The youngest of three children, William Kennard grew up in the Hollywood Hills, and attended Hollywood High School, where he was student body president.

William Kennard received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.

William Kennard served as chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission from November 1997 to January 2001.

William Kennard presided over the agency at an historic time.

William Kennard is well known for his advocacy for people at risk of being stranded on the wrong side of the digital divide.

William Kennard implemented the FCC's e-rate program, which brought the Internet to almost every school and library in the United States.

William Kennard enacted policies to create more ownership and employment opportunities for women and minorities.

William Kennard pioneered an innovative FCC Development Initiative to assist countries in the developing world to participate more fully in the global growth of digital technology.

William Kennard joined The Carlyle Group in May 2001, where he led investments in the telecommunications and media sectors.

William Kennard was the first US Ambassador to the European Union to work with the institutions created by the EU's Lisbon Treaty, including the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President of the European Council, and the European External Action Service.

William Kennard strengthened ties and encouraged dialogue with the increasingly powerful European Parliament.

William Kennard was a key force behind the February 2013 decision to launch negotiations on an ambitious Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which aims to expand trade and investment across the Atlantic and contribute to the development of rules that will strengthen the multilateral trading system.

William Kennard worked to revitalize the Transatlantic Economic Council so that it could better fulfill its mission of promoting economic growth through increased trade and job creation.

Ambassador William Kennard helped cement close US-EU coordination on a range of common foreign policy priorities, including policies related to the Balkans, Libya and the transitions in the Middle East, and the adoption of historic non-proliferation sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

William Kennard worked to ensure that the EU "pivoted" with the US when it came to dealing with Asia and integrating emerging powers into the global system.

William Kennard was a tireless advocate of the need for the EU and US to work out compatible data privacy regimes in a manner that protects the personal data of citizens while facilitating the flow of commerce and allowing for effective law enforcement cooperation.

William Kennard was the first US Ambassador to the EU to actively engage with European audiences through social media.

William Kennard serves on the boards of several private and nonprofit organizations.

William Kennard currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of Yale University.

William Kennard is a co-founder of Astra Capital Management, a private equity firm.

In 2021, William Kennard joined the National Board of Advisors at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina.