Ron Klain & Geoff Duncan

Ron Klain's Biography

Ron Klain is a partner and member of the Executive committee at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, a global law firm.  He draws on four decades of experience in law, finance, policymaking, and politics to advise clients.

Klain has served as a key advisor to three U.S. Presidents—most recently as White House Chief of Staff in the Biden-Harris administration. President Biden described Ron as “a once-in-a-generation talent” and a “fiercely brilliant intellect” with “a heart as big as his head.”  President Obama, for whom Klain led the U.S. response to the African Ebola epidemic of 2014, said of Klain that “He took on a challenge that many called insurmountable, and, in leading the team responsible for the tremendous progress, helped remind the world what makes America so exceptional.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote that Klain has “one of the coolest heads and quickest minds” in public life.

Selected by Time magazine among the world’s 100 most influential people in 2021, Ron is a recognized authority on matters of government, law, and public affairs. During his time as White House Chief of Staff, Ron oversaw the administration’s COVID-19 response and contributed to major legislative accomplishments, including the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. At the end of his tenure as White House chief of staff, noted White House historian Chris Whipple rated Klain among the top three performers ever to hold the job, and said, “Mr. Klain had a rare combination of assets: White House experience, knowledge of Capitol Hill, political savvy and managerial acumen. His collegial style kept the West Wing practically leakproof and drama-free.”

His long history of public service includes serving as Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Chief of Staff and Counselor to Vice President Al Gore. Earlier, he served as Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Associate Counsel to President Clinton, and then, Counselor to the US Attorney General. He subsequently served as a senior aide to President Barack Obama and Chief of Staff to then Vice President Biden.

Ron’s experience extends far beyond public service. In between tours in government, he previously worked as an O’Melveny partner; served for more than a decade as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of a multibillion-dollar investment firm, and taught as an adjunct professor at Harvard Law School and Georgetown University. Ron began his legal career as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White, after graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Geoff Duncan 's Biography

A former professional baseball player, CNN contributor and successful entrepreneur, Geoff Duncan served as Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor from 2019-2023. As the state’s second-most powerful Republican and president of the State Senate, Duncan used a bipartisan approach to navigate the chamber through a global pandemic, civil unrest and economic tumult. Duncan has established himself as a bold leader, especially in the areas of health care, public safety, technology, and economic development. His efforts to spearhead Georgia becoming the “Technology Capital of the East Coast” have been nationally recognized.

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Duncan stood up to his party leadership and became an outspoken voice against conspiracy theories and for a peaceful transition of power. After rising to national prominence, he authored a book entitled, GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America's Conservative Party. He became one of the most recognizable critics of the political process that led to the failed Senate campaign of Herschel Walker.

During the 2020 legislative session, Duncan built a historic bipartisan coalition to pass Georgia’s Hate Crimes Law in the aftermath of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. In 2021, he authored the LESS Crime Act to empower private citizens to support law enforcement and led successful efforts to defeat the Buckhead secession movement, with the Atlanta Journal Constitution declaring, “Powerful GOP leader delivers blow to Buckhead cityhood.”

Duncan entered public service in 2012 after winning an upstart campaign to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2012. In the House, he served on the Banking, Science & Technology and Ways & Means Committee. Duncan spearheaded the Rural Hospital Tax Credit that created tax credits for donors to rural hospitals, a win-win program that has yielded tens of millions in additional funding to save rural hospitals from closure.

Prior to public service, Duncan enjoyed a successful career in the private sector. In 2001, he founded a marketing company that sold promotional products to mid-size and large corporate clients nationwide. In 2003, he launched a tech-enabled literature fulfillment division for several large corporate clients. In 2006, he founded a design company with the focus of building large contract to build single family homes in the Atlanta metro area. In 2016, Duncan was hired as the CEO of a health care company where he successfully raised several rounds of early round growth capital. In 2019, he founded a consulting business to help growth stage private companies work directly with their management teams, including a 40-year-old construction material company that has more than doubled revenues. Duncan also serves as a strategic advisor to several venture capital firms around the country.

After a successful career as a scholarship pitcher at Georgia Tech, including three straight berths in the NCAA Regionals and the 1994 College World Series, Duncan was drafted by the Florida Marlins’ organization in 1996, where he spent six seasons in their minor league system before a shoulder injury forced his early retirement in 2001.

Duncan is most proud to be a husband to his high school sweetheart, Brooke, and a father of three young men: Parker, Bayler, and Ryder. Duncan is an avid sports fan, an aviation enthusiast and is an instrument rated private pilot.