Ronald Gidwitz
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ronald J. Gidwitz (born March 28, 1945) is an American businessman, diplomat, and political candidate who served as
United States Ambassador to Belgium In 1832, shortly after the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium, the United States established diplomatic relations. Since that time, a long line of distinguished envoys have represented American interests in Belgium. These diplomats included men ...
, while also serving as acting
United States Ambassador to the European Union This is a list of United States ambassadors to the European Union. The formal title of this position is Representative of the United States of America to the European Union (prior to May 9, 1994: European Communities), with the rank and status o ...
. Gidwitz is the son of prominent
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
businessman Gerald Gidwitz. Gidwtiz served as president and
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Helene Curtis Industries, which was sold to
Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...
in 1996. In 1998, Gidwitz co-founded the
private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...
firm GCG Partners, in which he served as a partner. In terms of public-sector and political activities, in addition to serving as ambassador, Gidwitz held the positions of chairman of the
Illinois State Board of Education The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) administers public education in the state of Illinois. The State Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. Board members serve four-year terms, wit ...
from 1999 through 2003 and chairman of the Board of
City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges sys ...
from 1991 through 1999. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for
governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...
in
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
. Gidwitz worked as the Illinois state chair for
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
's 2008 presidential campaign, the Illinois state finance chair for
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's 2016 presidential campaign, and chaired both Kirk Dillard's unsuccessful 2010 Illinois gubernatorial campaign and
Bruce Rauner Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, venture capitalist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he had a decades-long career in inves ...
's successful 2014 Illinois gubernatorial campaign. He also worked as finance chair for the
National Republican Senatorial Committee The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to the Senate. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. It was reor ...
. Gidwitz has also been involved with political advocacy organizations. In addition to his private sector and political work, Gidwitz has been involved in
philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
and
nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
activities.


Education

Gidwitz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
.


Business career

Gidwitz served as president and CEO of Helene Curtis Industries, which was sold to
Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...
in 1996. He served as its CEO from 1979 through 1998. Since 1998, he has been a co-founder and partner at the
private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...
firm, GCG Partners, and serves as a regional chairman for Business Executives for National Security in Chicago. Gidwitz's family owns a majority stake in Continental Materials Corp., whose board Gidwitz resigned from when he became ambassador. For many years, a company controlled by Gidwitz and his cousin Ralph owned the Evergreen Terrace housing project in
Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...
, a 356-unit complex of high-rise apartments where 90% of tenants were families with young
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
single mothers. Their management of the complex attracted strong criticism, including from then-Senator
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. There were descriptions made of "inhumane conditions" and an overwhelming stench of
urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...
in the complex. The mayor of Joliet described the complex as "unsafe and dangerous, a public nuisance and a blighted area". A judge declared that the standards were "deplorable". Gidwitz, in court, blamed the City of Joliet, claiming that they had repeatedly blocked attempts to secure federal financing for improvements. He especially noted his frustration in being turned down by the city in his effort to improve security—one of the main issues the same city had questioned.


Political career


City of Chicago positions

Mayor
Harold Washington Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st mayor of Chicago. In April 1983, Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city’s mayor at the age of ...
appointed Gidwitz the Chairman of the Chicago Economic Development Commission. He retained this position during the mayoralty of
Eugene Sawyer Eugene Sawyer Jr. (September 3, 1934January 19, 2008) was an American businessman, educator, and politician. Sawyer was selected by the Chicago City Council as the 53rd Mayor of Chicago, Illinois after the sudden death of then–mayor Harold Was ...
. Gidwitz was appointed chairman of the Board of
City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges sys ...
by mayor
Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...
in 1991. He was confirmed by the Chicago City Council on October 2, 1991. He replaced previous CCC chairman Reynaldo Glover. His appointment was seen as an effort by Daley to involve the business community in the city's education reform. His tenure ended when he resigned on April 14, 1999, amid a power struggle with the new chancellor Wayne Watson. Gidwitz's tenure was highly criticized by faculty in the system. Between 1991 and 1995, the system lost $50 million in high-risk investments.


Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education

Gidwitz was appointed a member of the
Illinois State Board of Education The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) administers public education in the state of Illinois. The State Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. Board members serve four-year terms, wit ...
in 1999. Gidwitz soon became chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education in April 1999, having been nominated by Governor George Ryan. In 1999, early into his tenure as chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, Gidwitz made comments about the state's
mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
score on
standardized testing A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent or standard manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predetermine ...
, which accused the state's public school teachers of being inadequately trained on providing instruction on the subject. Superintendents of many school districts took issue to his remarks, with
Paul Vallas Paul Gust Vallas Sr. (; born June 10, 1953) is an American politician and former Superintendent (education), education superintendent. He served as the superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut and the Recovery School Distri ...
(the CEO of Chicago Public Schools) remarking on Gidwitz, "he's not a supporter of
public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
, and he has a low opinion of teachers and schools in general." Having again been nominated by Governor George Ryan, Gidwitz was reconfirmed by the
Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...
on November 14, 2001, to continue to serve as chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education. His term as board president expired on April 18, 2003. He continued to serve as a member of the board until the following year.


2006 gubernatorial campaign

Gidwitz was a candidate for the Republican nomination for
Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...
in the 2006 election. He came in fourth place, having been defeated by Judy Baar Topinka. Democratic incumbent
Rod Blagojevich Rod R. Blagojevich ( ; born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nickname "Blago", is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Blagojevich previously worked ...
would go on to win the general election. Gidwitz spent $5.3 million of his own funds on the campaign, which was then a record amount of self-financing for an Illinois gubernatorial campaign. This would not be surpassed until
Bruce Rauner Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, venture capitalist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he had a decades-long career in inves ...
's 2014 campaign. Gidwitz co- endorsed and jointly campaigned with State Senator Steve Rauschenberger as his preferred choice of running mate. The lieutenant gubernatorial nominee was selected by voters in the coinciding lieutenant gubernatorial primary (which was held sperately from the gubernatorial primary). Lacking name recognition, his campaign spent large sums on early advertising in media markets such as Quincy. His campaign would later run
attack ad In political campaigns, an attack ad is an advertisement designed to wage a personal attack against an opposing candidate or political party in order to gain support for the attacking candidate and attract voters. Attack ads often form part of ...
s against Topinka, which characterized her as being supportive of large government spending and unsuited for bringing reforms to the state government. Gidwitz received the endorsement of the
editorial board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...
of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
''.


Ambassadorship

In May 2018, he was nominated to become the Trump administration's Ambassador to Belgium. He was confirmed by the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
on June 28, 2018. He presented his credentials to King Philippe on July 4, 2018. On May 4, Trump named Gidwitz to additionally serve as the interim ambassador to the European Union, replacing
Gordon Sondland Gordon David Sondland (born July 16, 1957) is an American businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Provenance Hotels. Sondland is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served as the United States Ambassador to the Europe ...
(who had been fired the previous month after having provided testimony for the impeachment inquiry into Trump).


Other political work

In February 2003, Gidwitz founded the advocacy group Students First Illinois. In 2008, Gidwitz and Greg Baise formed the Economic Freedom Alliance, a
527 organization A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (). A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat ...
, to oppose the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Gidwitz was the Illinois co-chair of
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
's 2008 presidential campaign. In the early stages of the Republican primaries for the 2016 presidential election, Gidwitz was a supporter of the candidacy of
Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Bush family, Bush political family, he was an unsuccessful candidate for pre ...
. Gidwitz subsequently gave his support to the campaign of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, and served as Trump's Illinois campaign finance chairman. In the summer of 2016, Gidwitz met with
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
chairman
Reince Priebus Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus ( ; born March 18, 1972) is an American politician, attorney, and naval officer who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011 to 2017 and as White House chief of staff during the first s ...
to urge him to pressure Trump into being more disciplined in his messaging against Democratic presidential nominee
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. On October 31, 2016, Gidwitz organized a meeting at Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago between Trump and wealthy Republican donors. Gidwitz served as campaign chairman and finance chair of Kirk Dillard's unsuccessful 2010 Illinois gubernatorial campaign. Gidwitz served as campaign co-chair and finance chair for Bruce Rauner's successful 2014 bid for Illinois governor. He was a key early supporter of Rauner's campaign, and ultimately contributed $55,300 in funding to support Rauner's campaign. By 2016, Gidwitz had established himself as one of the Republican Party's largest Illinois campaign donors. He gave large amounts to Republican national campaigns. In 2016 alone, he gave $700,000 to Trump, pro-Trump
PAC Pac or PAC may refer to: Aviation * IATA code PAC Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama City, Panama * Pacific Aerospace Corporation, New Zealand, manufacturer of aircraft: ** PAC 750XL ** PAC Cresco ** PAC CT/4 ** PA ...
s, Republican House and Senate candidates, and national Republican organizations. He also gave to state and local Republicans in Illinois. From 1991 through 2016, he gave $1.3 million in contributions to Republican state and local candidates, party organizations, and causes. In 2022, Gidwitz served as finance chair for the
National Republican Senatorial Committee The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to the Senate. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. It was reor ...
. He continued to work with the committee in 2024, and attended the
2024 Republican National Convention The 2024 Republican National Convention was an event in which delegates of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party selected the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of ...
to asssist its fundraising efforts. In the
2024 Republican Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories between January 15, 2024, and June 4, 2024. These elections selected most of the 2,429 delegates to ...
, Gidwitz endorsed former
New Jersey Governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
.


Nonprofit work

During his business career, Gidwitz devoted a portion of his time to philanthropic activities. He was Chair of the
Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...
Board of Trustees, and the Economic Development Commission of Chicago. Gidwitz also served on the boards of the Council for Aid to Education, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, National Board of the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
, the Museum of Science and Industry,
Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...
,
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization promoting business in the Chicago metropolitan area of the United States. The organization is located in the Wrigley Building at 410 N. Michigan Avenue on Chicago's Magnificent Mile ...
and the founding Chair of the Chicago Chapter of Business Executives for National Security. In 2006, the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has i ...
bestowed him with the Herbert Hoover Humanitarian Award for his "extraordinary service to the organization and the nation's youth." In 2014, the
Chicago History Museum Chicago History Museum is the museum of the Chicago Historical Society (CHS). The CHS was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. The museum has been located in Lincoln Park since the 1930s at 1601 North Clark Street (Chicago) ...
gave him the Bertha Honoré Palmer Making History Award for Distinction in Civic Leadership. His leadership in promoting better educational opportunities resulted in Gidwitz receiving the National Association of State Boards of Education's Distinguished Service Award in 2003. Since 2013, Gidwitz has served as chairman emeritus of the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has i ...
.


Personal life

Gidwitz is the son of prominent Chicago businessman, Gerald Gidwitz. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Christina Gidwitz (), and two sons. His wife Christina's father was the late James S. Kemper.


References


External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gidwitz, Ronald 1945 births Living people American chief executives First Trump administration personnel Brown University alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium Illinois Republicans Chairs of the Illinois State Board of Education 21st-century American diplomats