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Kathleen Unger

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Kathleen Unger
c. 2012
Born
Los Angeles, California

Kathleen S. M. Unger is the Founder, President, and CEO of VoteRiders,[1][2] a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources and outreach to secure Voter IDs for eligible citizens.[3][4] Unger also is "Of Counsel" to Freeman, Freeman & Smiley LLP,[5] a recognized trusts and estates law firm.[6] Unger was selected for inclusion in the 2016 and 2017 [7] editions of The Best Lawyers in America. This distinction is bestowed upon the most esteemed in the legal profession, and only recognizes the top 4% of attorneys in the country.[8]

She has a long and distinguished career in the non-profit sector, having served previously as president (for 2 years) and board member (for 10 years) of the Scott Newman Foundation and Center alongside its Chairman, Paul Newman.[9][10] Also, Unger served as CEO of the Starbright Foundation (now part of Starlight Children's Foundation), whose Chairman was Steven Spielberg.[11] [12]

Background

Unger was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated Beverly Hills High School. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University and her JD[13] from the San Fernando Valley College of Law where she was named to Law Review and graduated second in her class. Unger received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.[14] She is also certified as a Mediator by the Harvard Negotiation Insight Initiative at Harvard Law School.[5]

Unger is part of a family with deep ties in the entertainment industry. She is married to leading entertainment industry executive recruiter Stephen A. Unger,[14] the daughter-in-law of award-winning film producer, distributor and exhibitor Oliver A. Unger, and aunt of talent agent David A. Unger. The Ungers have homes in Santa Monica and Carmel.

Professional career

Unger began her career as in-house counsel at MCA/Universal Studios (now NBCUniversal) and remained there for 15 years, rising to Vice President, MCA Services Corporation.[10] Unger went directly from MCA/Universal to serve as CEO of the Starbright Foundation, working with Steven Spielberg, Chairman,[5] to improve the quality of life for children with serious medical conditions by providing entertainment, education and family activities.

After Starbright, Unger was the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Talking Heads,[5] the quarterly publication of the Worldwide Entertainment and Communications practice of Spencer Stuart, one of the three largest executive search firms in the world.[15] Subsequently, Ms. Unger was the Senior Strategist for Independent World Television.[5] She also provided editorial services to Diana L. Schwarzbein for The Schwarzbein Principle II[16] and for Schwarzbein’s current book.

Election integrity

From October 2002 to the present, Unger has devoted herself to Election Integrity.[17] Starting in latter 2007 Unger developed and ran www.ElectionPreparedness.com,[18] of which she was Co-Founder and Editor, as well as executive-produced related videos and radio spots.

In April 2012 Unger founded and is the President and CEO of VoteRiders.[19][20][21] Dedicated to ensuring that eligible Americans can vote, VoteRiders supports on-the-ground organizations that assist citizens to obtain their voter ID and inspires local volunteers and communities to sustain such programs and galvanize others to emulate these efforts.[22][23][24][25] On September 21, 2013 VoteRiders hosted its first Voter ID Clinic in Houston, Texas.[26]

Unger has been quoted in the media on non-profit organizations and in connection with voter rights issues.[27][28][29][30] She has spoken at Pepperdine University[31][32] and Occidental College.[33]

Political and non-profit

Unger co-chaired Rep. Edward Markey's successful 1984 Congressional campaign; served as Director, Business for California's 1988 Presidential Campaign; and was appointed a National Finance Vice Chair and a Trustee for John Kerry's 2004 Presidential campaign. In 2013, Unger served as California Co-Chair for Congressman Markey's successful campaign for the United States Senate (MA).

Unger also held a number of high-profile Board positions, such as Santa Monica-based KCRW,[34] one of the most successful public radio stations in America,[35] for a decade; and the Valley Community Clinic of North Hollywood, CA,[36] including as Vice Chairman. Since 1994, she has served on the Board of Directors of the Eagles Charitable Foundation, formerly known as Eagles Youth Partnership,[37] the foundation of the Philadelphia Eagles football franchise.[38]

References

  1. ^ Zimmermann, Alex (27 March 2013). "Voter ID laws applied unequally, study shows". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ^ Rainey, James (20 October 2012). "Ohio has early voting, but other vote access issues remain". LA Times. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  3. ^ Leslie, Jacques (8 October 2016). "From Voting Rights to Voting Wrongs". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2016. {{cite news}}: Check |first= value (help)
  4. ^ Ringe, Don (10 October 2012). "Voter ID Laws Live On". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Kathleen Unger, Of Counsel". Freeman, Freeman & Smiley LLP.
  6. ^ "2013 Best Law Firms". U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Best Lawyers 2017 Recognizes Four Freeman Freeman & Smiley Partners". 15 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Best Lawyers 2016". Best Lawyers, Los Angeles. Woodward/White Inc.: Page 31 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Congressional Record - House V155, Pt. 4". H. Res 18. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Unger Named Prexy Newman Foundation". Daily Variety. 19 February 1988. Kathleen Unger, v.p. MCA Services, has been elected president of Scott Newman Foundation by the board, which at the same time named Paul Newman vice president, and Dr. Joseph Van Der Meulen, v.p. of the University of California, secretary.
  11. ^ "Audio Special: Celebrity Readings From 'The Emperor's New Clothes'". New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Kathleen Unger". Source Watch.
  13. ^ "State Bar of California". Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  14. ^ a b "Executive Search Executive Stephen Unger Profiles the Entertainment Industry for Students at The Anderson School at UCLA". Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  15. ^ "Top Executive Search Firms". Executive Trumpet.
  16. ^ Schwarzbein, Diana (2002). The Schwarzbein principle II : The Transition : a Regeneration Process to Prevent and Reverse Accelerated Aging. Deerfield Beach, Fla.: Health Communications. ISBN 1558749640.
  17. ^ Sloan, Ellen (23 August 2012). "Women of All Political Stripes May Be Disenfranchised at November Polls". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  18. ^ Magruder, Melonie (26 September 2012). "Taking Aim at ID Laws". The Malibu Times. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  19. ^ "Voter beware: Thanks to ID laws, being registered isn't enough to vote in many states". Los Angeles Times. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  20. ^ Field, Andy (18 June 2012). "Protecting Your Voting Rights". ABC News Radio. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  21. ^ Ringe, Don (30 September 2012). "Time Sensitive Democracy". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  22. ^ Gawronsky, Nathan (2 October 2012). "Voter ID laws to prevent fraud". The Corsair, Santa Monica College. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  23. ^ Coghlan, Ed (5 November 2012). "California group poised to work on voter ID this week, but not in California". CAFwd.org. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  24. ^ Roth, Zachary (2014-11-04). "Texas sees surge of disenfranchised voters". MSNBC. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  25. ^ Brunet, Romain (2014-11-02). "Élections de mi-mandat : ces Américains privés de leur droit de vote". France 24. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  26. ^ Florsheim, Lane. "VoteRiders President Kathleen Unger, Who Aims to Help Disenfranchised Voters in States with Stringent Voter ID Laws". Bustle. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  27. ^ Pereda, Christina (10 September 2012). "Las elecciones de EE UU también se disputan en los tribunales". El Pais. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  28. ^ "VoteRiders Campaign". The Real News. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  29. ^ Ringe, Don (4 November 2012). "GOP Suppression Smacks Down Ohio Turnout". Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  30. ^ Diallo, Amadou (10 February 2016). "Republicans champion voter ID laws absent credible evidence of fraud". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  31. ^ LaZebnik, Ken (8 October 2012). "VoteRiders Org Addresses Voter ID Laws at Payson Library". Pepperdine University. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  32. ^ Irick, Whitney (17 October 2012). "Media strategist speaks on voter ID laws". Pepperdine University Graphic. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  33. ^ "Election Speaker Series - Kathleen Unger - "Voter ID Laws: How You Can Help"". 18 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  34. ^ "KCRW Foundation - Board of Directors". One Source. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  35. ^ Meyer, Richard (1 February 2010). "After more than three decades in charge of KCRW, Ruth Seymour takes a bow, confronts criticism, and gives some parting advice to her successor". LA Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  36. ^ "Valley Community Clinic".
  37. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership". Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  38. ^ Merlo, Debbie (2013-05-20). "Eagles Youth Partnership". Montgomery Media. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
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