Robert S. Graham (born January 9, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, business owner, author, and the former chairman of the

Arizona Republican Party The Arizona Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the US state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. The party currently controls six of Arizona's nine U.S. House seats, seventeen of thirty State Senate seats, thi ...

(AZ GOP), serving from 2013 to 2017.

Early life and education

Graham was born in

Fort Walton Beach, Florida Fort Walton Beach, often referred to by the initialism FWB, is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is a principa ...

, in 1972. His father was an Air Force Major, and the Graham family moved to the

Kincheloe Air Force Base Kincheloe Air Force Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) base during the Cold War. Built in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1943 during World War II, the base was in service The base was known by various names, including Kinross Munic ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, where they lived until the end of the Cold War. Graham attended high school in

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 47,741. The city is located immediate ...

. He then transferred to

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Sciences in Global Business Management and Finance and graduated cum laude. For his entrepreneurial success and service to ASU, Graham was awarded "Distinguished Alumnus" from the School of Global Management and Leadership. He graduated from the

Thunderbird School of Global Management The Thunderbird School of Global Management (or simply Thunderbird) is a global leadership, management, and business school at Arizona State University, a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It was founded in 1946 as an i ...

in 2013 and received a Masters of Business Administration in Global Management.

Career

In 1997, Graham started working as the director of marketing for Gold and Associates. He then worked as the vice president of business development for CUE Financial until 2001, where he increased the company's national market share. From 2001 until 2004, he worked as a private wealth advisor for Merrill Lynch. In 2004, he left Merrill Lynch and founded RG Capital, LLC and iNation, LLC. iNation is a Scottsdale-based data and digital technology company (SaaS), with a customer relationship management (CRM) tool designed for businesses and professionals worldwide, and Graham served as the founder and chairman until he sold the business in 2008 to a private equity firm. Graham was elected chairman of the Arizona Republican Party in January 2013, when he received 70% of the vote. His primary duty as chairman is to maintain and grow the Republican Party in Arizona. He has been recognized nationally for the successful 2014 midterm elections in Arizona, on account of Republicans winning every statewide office. The Graham Family

In January 2015, Graham was re-elected as the chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, receiving 82% of the vote, a 12% increase from his previous election. Graham is known in the Arizona Republican Party for his outreach to minority communities, and in 2015, Governor

Doug Ducey Douglas Anthony Ducey ( ; ; born April 9, 1964) is an American businessman and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who served as the 23rd List of governors of Arizona, governor of Arizona from 2015 to 2023 and as State Treas ...

and the State of Arizona appointed him to the Arizona Commission of African-American Affairs. Beginning in 2013, Graham has worked with Asian, African American, Latino, and Tribal coalitions.

Publications

In 2010, Graham published his first book ''Job Killers: The American Dream in Reverse.'' The book explains how labor unions can ruin jobs and shrink the economy.

Personal life

Graham has been married to his wife Julia since 1997. They have six children together.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Robert 1972 births 21st-century American businesspeople Latter Day Saints from Florida Latter Day Saints from Michigan Latter Day Saints from Arizona Arizona Republican Party chairs Arizona State University alumni Businesspeople from Arizona Living people Merrill (company) people People from Fort Walton Beach, Florida 2016 United States presidential electors Arizona Republicans Thunderbird School of Global Management alumni