Ken Mehlman
Kenneth Brian "Ken" Mehlman (born August 21, 1966) is an American businessman, attorney, and political figure who held several national posts in the Republican Party and the George W. Bush Administration. Mehlman managed Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and subsequently chaired the Republican National Committee from 2005–07. After leaving the RNC, Mehlman worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and, in 2008, subsequently joined Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a multinational private equity firm, as Global Head of Public Affairs. In 2007, Mehlman was appointed by Bush to a five-year term on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council . In 2013, Mehlman joined the Mt. Sinai Hospital Board of Trustees in New York. In 2010, Mehlman came out as gay, making him one of the few prominent openly gay figures in the Republican Party. Mehlman came out in an interview with journalist Marc Ambinder, who noted that Mehlman's roles with the RNC and the Bush campaign "coincided with the Republican Party's attempts to exploit anti-gay prejudices and cement the allegiance of social conservatives". Since coming out, Mehlman has advocated for the recognition of same-sex marriage.