Carl Spielvogel
Encyclopedia
Carl Spielvogel is a former United States
ambassador
to the Slovak Republic. Mr. Spielvogel was appointed to the post by President Bill Clinton
on August 3, 2000 as a recess appointment
. He presented his credentials on September 7, 2000 and served in that post until April 15, 2001. He is a member of the Council of American Ambassadors
, and the Council on Foreign Relations .
Prior to serving as ambassador he served as Chairman of the United Auto Group and co-founded the advertising firm of Backer and Spielvogel. Spielvogel is one of the nation's leading global business executives, and has conducted trade and commerce in fifty-five countries during a forty-year career. He is the Chairman and CEO of Carl Spielvogel Associates, Inc., an international investment, management and marketing company.
, where he started as a copyboy in the News Department.
Until 1980, Mr. Spielvogel was vice chairman, and a member of the executive committee and the Board of Directors of the Interpublic Group, with which he was associated for twenty years, one of the world's largest communications marketing companies. Before joining Interpublic's parent company in 1972, he was chairman of the executive committee and executive vice president and general manager of McCann-Erickson, Inc., Interpublic's largest subsidiary .
In 1980, Mr. Spielvogel became Founder/Chairman and CEO of Backer & Spielvogel, which became Backer Spielvogel Bates Worldwide, Inc., one of the world's largest marketing and advertising communications companies . This worldwide corporation had 178 companies in 55 countries, and employed 8,500 persons -- 1,000 Americans and 7,500 nationals of the countries in which business was being conducted.
From October 1994 until April 1997, Mr. Spielvogel was chairman and chief executive officer of the United Auto Group, Inc., then the nation's largest publicly owned auto dealership group, with sales approximating $4 billion dollars .
In 1995, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton
, and approved by the U.S. Senate, to the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors
, which is responsible for Voice of America
, Radio Free Europe
, Voice of Asia, Radio Marti, Worldnet, and the other non-military "Voices" of the United States Government.
In 1997, he was named Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Financial Times
, the leading global and financial newspaper. He is also chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Intermedia Advertising Group, Inc., a research and technology company.
In 1998, he was appointed a Fellow at The Center for Business and Government, at The John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
. He is a member of the Columbia University
Institute for the Study of Europe, and a Board Member of the Weissman Institute of International Studies at Baruch College
.
He has been elected to the board of many publicly owned companies. He is on the Board of Directors of Interactive Data, Inc. and Apollo Investment, Inc. He has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of CBS Market Watch, Inc.; Interpublic; Josephson International; CMA; Foamex, Inc.; the United Auto Group; Culligan Water Technologies; Alliant Foodservice, Inc., Barney’s New York, Hasbro, Inc., and The Franklin Corporation.
Mr. Spielvogel has had a life-long involvement in numerous civic and cultural organizations: a member of the Board of Trustees, and former Chairman of the Business Committee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art; a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
; a former member, for 20 years, of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Sinai Hospital; a former member (for 22 years) of the Board of Trustees of the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York, Inc.; a former member (for 18 years) of the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society
, where he is Trustee Emeriti and current co-Chair of the Business Council of the Asia Society .
He served on the Board of Trustees of Eureka Communities, which worked to rebuild depressed inner-city neighborhoods across the nation, "one leader at a time" for ten years . Active for forty years in the New York State Democratic Party, he also was Chairman of its Board of Trustees. In 1999, Mr. Spielvogel received the Humanitarian award from H.E.L.P, which provides transitional housing for the homeless.
He has been a member of the International Advisory Board for the Business Council for the United Nations
; the Board of the International Tennis Hall of Fame; the Municipal Art Society; the Board of Bennington College; the Board of the New York State Council for the Humanities; and the Board of the International Media Fund.
He was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and served in the U.S. Army from 1953 - 55.
In 2008, he was elected by the N.Y. State Senate to the Board of Trustees of the State University of N.Y. (SUNY), the largest state university system in the U.S., comprising 64 college campuses, with approximately 450,000 students .
Born in New York City, Mr. Spielvogel received a B.B.A. degree from Baruch College
of the City University of New York. A past President of the board of trustees of the Baruch College Fund; he was the recipient of an honorary LL.D. degree from Baruch College in 1987. He was the recipient in June 1990 of the Baruch College Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Career Accomplishment. In September 1992, Baruch College inaugurated an annual lecture series in Mr. Spielvogel's honor entitled, "The Carl Spielvogel Lecture Series on Global Marketing Communications." In 1998, he was elected to the City College Communications Hall of Fame.
Five years ago, in an attempt to interest honor students of Baruch College in pursuing careers in the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Spielvogel funded a program which was named to honor the service of City College graduate, former Secretary of State, Colin Powell
. The program is entitled “The Colin Powell Fellows,” and two summer interns have been selected each year to serve at the U.S. Department of State .
Mr. Spielvogel lives in New York City, with his wife Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, the author of 19 books on art, architecture and public policy .
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the Slovak Republic. Mr. Spielvogel was appointed to the post by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on August 3, 2000 as a recess appointment
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
. He presented his credentials on September 7, 2000 and served in that post until April 15, 2001. He is a member of the Council of American Ambassadors
Council of American Ambassadors
The Council of American Ambassadors is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of former and incumbent non-career United States Ambassadors. The organization provides advice and assistance to the U.S. Department of State, as appropriate, and endeavors to educate the public on foreign policy issues...
, and the Council on Foreign Relations .
Prior to serving as ambassador he served as Chairman of the United Auto Group and co-founded the advertising firm of Backer and Spielvogel. Spielvogel is one of the nation's leading global business executives, and has conducted trade and commerce in fifty-five countries during a forty-year career. He is the Chairman and CEO of Carl Spielvogel Associates, Inc., an international investment, management and marketing company.
Career
He began his working career as a reporter, and then as a six-times-a-week columnist for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, where he started as a copyboy in the News Department.
Until 1980, Mr. Spielvogel was vice chairman, and a member of the executive committee and the Board of Directors of the Interpublic Group, with which he was associated for twenty years, one of the world's largest communications marketing companies. Before joining Interpublic's parent company in 1972, he was chairman of the executive committee and executive vice president and general manager of McCann-Erickson, Inc., Interpublic's largest subsidiary .
In 1980, Mr. Spielvogel became Founder/Chairman and CEO of Backer & Spielvogel, which became Backer Spielvogel Bates Worldwide, Inc., one of the world's largest marketing and advertising communications companies . This worldwide corporation had 178 companies in 55 countries, and employed 8,500 persons -- 1,000 Americans and 7,500 nationals of the countries in which business was being conducted.
From October 1994 until April 1997, Mr. Spielvogel was chairman and chief executive officer of the United Auto Group, Inc., then the nation's largest publicly owned auto dealership group, with sales approximating $4 billion dollars .
In 1995, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and approved by the U.S. Senate, to the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors
Broadcasting Board of Governors
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for all non-military, international broadcasting sponsored by the U.S government. It was previously a department within the United States Information Agency until 1999.-Origins:Starting in...
, which is responsible for Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
, Voice of Asia, Radio Marti, Worldnet, and the other non-military "Voices" of the United States Government.
In 1997, he was named Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, the leading global and financial newspaper. He is also chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Intermedia Advertising Group, Inc., a research and technology company.
In 1998, he was appointed a Fellow at The Center for Business and Government, at The John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He is a member of the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
Institute for the Study of Europe, and a Board Member of the Weissman Institute of International Studies at Baruch College
Baruch College
Bernard M. Baruch College, more commonly known as Baruch College, is a constituent college of the City University of New York, located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, New York City. With an acceptance rate of just 23%, Baruch is among the most competitive and diverse colleges in the nation...
.
He has been elected to the board of many publicly owned companies. He is on the Board of Directors of Interactive Data, Inc. and Apollo Investment, Inc. He has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of CBS Market Watch, Inc.; Interpublic; Josephson International; CMA; Foamex, Inc.; the United Auto Group; Culligan Water Technologies; Alliant Foodservice, Inc., Barney’s New York, Hasbro, Inc., and The Franklin Corporation.
Mr. Spielvogel has had a life-long involvement in numerous civic and cultural organizations: a member of the Board of Trustees, and former Chairman of the Business Committee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art; a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
; a former member, for 20 years, of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Sinai Hospital; a former member (for 22 years) of the Board of Trustees of the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York, Inc.; a former member (for 18 years) of the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society
Asia Society
The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States and around the world Hong Kong, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, and Melbourne...
, where he is Trustee Emeriti and current co-Chair of the Business Council of the Asia Society .
He served on the Board of Trustees of Eureka Communities, which worked to rebuild depressed inner-city neighborhoods across the nation, "one leader at a time" for ten years . Active for forty years in the New York State Democratic Party, he also was Chairman of its Board of Trustees. In 1999, Mr. Spielvogel received the Humanitarian award from H.E.L.P, which provides transitional housing for the homeless.
He has been a member of the International Advisory Board for the Business Council for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
; the Board of the International Tennis Hall of Fame; the Municipal Art Society; the Board of Bennington College; the Board of the New York State Council for the Humanities; and the Board of the International Media Fund.
He was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and served in the U.S. Army from 1953 - 55.
In 2008, he was elected by the N.Y. State Senate to the Board of Trustees of the State University of N.Y. (SUNY), the largest state university system in the U.S., comprising 64 college campuses, with approximately 450,000 students .
Born in New York City, Mr. Spielvogel received a B.B.A. degree from Baruch College
Baruch College
Bernard M. Baruch College, more commonly known as Baruch College, is a constituent college of the City University of New York, located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, New York City. With an acceptance rate of just 23%, Baruch is among the most competitive and diverse colleges in the nation...
of the City University of New York. A past President of the board of trustees of the Baruch College Fund; he was the recipient of an honorary LL.D. degree from Baruch College in 1987. He was the recipient in June 1990 of the Baruch College Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Career Accomplishment. In September 1992, Baruch College inaugurated an annual lecture series in Mr. Spielvogel's honor entitled, "The Carl Spielvogel Lecture Series on Global Marketing Communications." In 1998, he was elected to the City College Communications Hall of Fame.
Five years ago, in an attempt to interest honor students of Baruch College in pursuing careers in the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Spielvogel funded a program which was named to honor the service of City College graduate, former Secretary of State, Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
. The program is entitled “The Colin Powell Fellows,” and two summer interns have been selected each year to serve at the U.S. Department of State .
Mr. Spielvogel lives in New York City, with his wife Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, the author of 19 books on art, architecture and public policy .