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Adam Kovacevich

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Adam Kovacevich
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materHarvard University
OccupationLobbyist
Political partyDemocratic Party[1]
Websiteadamkovacevich.com

Adam Kovacevich is an American lobbyist and the CEO and founder of Chamber of Progress. He formerly worked as a Google executive and Democratic aide.[2][3]

Early life and education

Kovacevich is the son of John J. Kovacevich, a California agriculture businessman who owned the 650-acre non-union Kovacevich Vineyards outside Bakersfield, California.[4][5] He graduated from Harvard University.[4][1]

While at Harvard, Kovacevich befriended Tom Cotton, and would later support several of the Arkansas Republican's political campaigns.[6] Kovacevich said of Cotton, “I support him as a friend, but that doesn’t mean we agree on policies.”[7]

As a student, Kovacevich lobbied Harvard to end a ban on serving grapes that had been organized to express solidarity with a 1984 United Farm Workers grape boycott.[8][9] Supporters of the ban from National Council of La Raza opposed Kovacevich's efforts, saying the grape ban was about respecting the human rights of farmworkers.[8] Kovacevich rebutted criticism of the working conditions of farm laborers by noting that, at his family's vineyards, workers were permitted to listen to the radio while picking grapes.[1] Kovacevich was successful in having the Harvard grape ban overturned.[8][10][11] In 2000, following the vote by Stanford students to overturn their university's grape ban, the United Farm Workers announced a permanent end to its grape boycott.[12][13]

Career

After graduating from Harvard, Kovacevich worked in Democratic politics. He served as spokesperson for then-congressman Cal Dooley,[14][15] co-founder of the moderate New Democrat Coalition. He also worked for Senator Joe Lieberman in the United States Senate and on his 2004 presidential campaign[16][17] and for Inez Tenenbaum on her 2004 campaign for the United States Senate.[18][19]

In 2007, he went to work for Google, where he spent 12 years, eventually becoming senior director of public policy.[20] He launched Google’s public policy blog.[21]

His op-eds, on tech issues, have appeared in media such as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,[22] The Philadelphia Inquirer,[23] and Fortune,[24] and he has appeared on TV channels such as Cheddar,[25] C-SPAN,[26] and Bloomberg Television.[27]

Politics

Kovacevich describes himself as a progressive, though others have disputed this assertion.[1][6] Speaking of Kovacevich, Mike Lux, board chair of American Family Voices, said in 2021 that "there is no evidence that this guy is progressive".[6]

During his time at Google, Kovacevich personally donated to both Democratic and Republican candidates.[6][28]

In 2021, Kovacevich expressed support for President Biden’s proposed tax increase on corporations.[29]

Personal life

According to Kovacevich, he lives in Arlington, Virginia, and is married with three children.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "About Adam". adamkovacevich.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Birnbaum, Emily. "Leaked Google email reveals ties to new pro-tech group". POLITICO. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ Birnbaum, Emily. "'Nowhere to be found': The internet industry's D.C. powerhouse recedes". Politico PRO. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b Anderson, Caitlin (December 1, 1997). "Non-Unionized Farms Not Exploitative, Says Grape Grower". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "Non-Unionized Farms Not Exploitative, Says Grape Grower | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  6. ^ a b c d Friedman, Dan (April 9, 2021). "An Ex-Google Lobbyist Who Backed Jim Jordan Is Leading Big Tech's Bid to Court the Left". Mother Jones. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Friedman, Dan (9 April 2021). "An ex-Google lobbyist who backed Jim Jordan is leading Big Tech's bid to court the left". Mother Jones. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Millbank, Dana (December 10, 1997). "Sour Grapes? Fine Whine? Students Debate Harvard Ban". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "The Great Grape Debate | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  10. ^ "Not-So-Sour Grapes". Harvard Magazine. March 1998. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  11. ^ "Sour Grapes: Harvard Students Pound the Table Over Table Grape Boycott | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  12. ^ Rainey, James (22 November 2000). "Farm Workers Union Ends 16-Year Boycott of Grapes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Campus suspends dorm votes as UFW ends grape boycott: 12/00". Stanford Report. 6 December 2000. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  14. ^ Shaw, Donald (April 1, 2021). "House Dem Celebrates the Launch of a Big Tech Lobbying Group". The Brick House Cooperative. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Adam Kovacevich - Previously held position: Neutron Holdings Inc. (Jan. 2020-Jan. 2021), Head of Government Relations, North America - Congressional Salaries". legistorm.com. LegiStorm. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  16. ^ "Source: Lieberman to Quit if No Wins Tonight". Associated Press. February 3, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  17. ^ Hardisty, Dianne (February 10, 2006). "In the eye of a political storm". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  18. ^ "Inez Tenenbaum for U.S. Senate (South Carolina) - Summary from LegiStorm". legistorm.com. LegiStorm. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  19. ^ Cillizza, Chris (September 3, 2004). "Carrick Ousted as Tenenbaum Lags". Roll Call. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  20. ^ Reisinger, Sue (March 29, 2021). "Ex-Google Exec Aims To Rekindle Tech-Government Romance". Law360. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  21. ^ Kovacevich, Adam (June 25, 2007). "Our first week". Google Public Policy Blog. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  22. ^ Kovacevich, Adam (28 September 2021). "Adam Kovacevich: Europe's tech discrimination could reverse Pittsburgh's rebound". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  23. ^ Kovacevich, Adam (1 July 2021). "Regulating big tech: Should Congress pass the most sweeping antitrust bills in generations?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  24. ^ Kovacevich, Adam (21 December 2021). "Evictions are coming–but these innovations could help". Fortune. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Cheddar: Judge Rules in Apple v. Epic". Cheddar. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Chamber of Progress CEO on C-SPAN's "Communicators": What is the Chamber of Progress?". C-SPAN. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Judge Dismisses FTC Complaint Against Facebook". Bloomberg Television. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Donor Lookup – KOVACEVICH, ADAM". opensecrets.org. OpenSecrets. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  29. ^ Feiner, Lauren (15 April 2021). "Tech industry group funded by Amazon, Facebook and Google says it supports a corporate tax hike". CNBC. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
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