New on the Job: Dan Glickman, President, Refugees International
February 7, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Job history: Mr. Glickman is chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, in Washington. Before that, he served as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Government service: He served as Secretary of Agriculture in the Clinton administration from 1995 to 2001 and spent 18 years as a Democratic congressman from Kansas.
Age: 65
Education: He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan and a law degree from George Washington University.
Why he was hired: “The board was particularly impressed by Dan’s genuine interest in our mission, his breadth of experience, and his ability to reach and build relationships with Washington’s most influential people,” said Eileen Shields-West, chair of the search committee, in a statement. Mr. Glickman succeeds Kenneth H. Bacon, who died in August.
His agenda: The new president intends to spend a couple of months speaking with the advocacy organization’s staff members and supporters worldwide. “I’m new enough to know what I don’t know,” he says.
How he expects to contribute: Increasing the number of donors to the 31-year-old group, which runs on a $4-million budget drawn largely from foundations and individuals. As a former politician, he says, “I’m not uncomfortable with fund raising. And it’s easier to do it for a cause you believe in than for yourself.”
Salary: Mr. Glickman would not reveal his compensation.
Favorite movies: In his role as the American film industry’s chief lobbyist, he says, “I would always be afraid to offend one of my companies” if he revealed his choices. But the ones herevisits most often are The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, and Gandhi.
What he’s reading: The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America, by Timothy Egan; Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin; and Have a Little Faith: A True Story, by Mitch Albom.
