Keith Gottfried
Encyclopedia
Keith E. Gottfried is an American
lawyer
, most notably nominated by President George W. Bush
on July 29, 2005, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 2005, to serve as General Counsel
for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD).
in Brooklyn, New York and raised in the neighboring borough of Queens
. In April 2005, Mr. Gottfried married attorney
Cindy Gottfried at a ceremony held in Aruba. On March 14, 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Gottfried announced the birth of their daughter, Sophie Regine, at the University of Maryland Medical Center. On July 12, 2008, they announced the birth of their son, Benjamin Max, at the Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland.
Mr. Gottfried has commented on both his personal life and upbringing in regards to his views on housing and urban development; this can be seen in a prepared statement (while a Nominee to be General Counsel) given to the Senate during a hearing of the United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on September 15, 2005.
. At Arthur Young, Mr. Gottfried advised clients in the hospitality, technology, manufacturing, retailing and defense sectors.
, and was a named an Edward F. Hennessey
Distinguished Scholar of Law and a G. Joseph Tauro
Scholar of Law. He also holds an M.B.A. with high honors from Boston University
Graduate School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics
, with a concentration in accounting, from the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School.
Mr. Gottfried is admitted to the state bars of California
, New York
, Pennsylvania
, New Jersey
, Massachusetts
and the District of Columbia. Mr. Gottfried is also able to practice before a number of federal courts, including the Ninth Circuit, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the District of New Jersey.
From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Gottfried was a corporate attorney in the Philadelphia office of the law firm Blank Rome LLP. From 1994 until 2000, Mr. Gottfried was a corporate attorney in the New York
office of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP where he practiced in the mergers & acquisitions group, representing both public and private clients, with respect to unsolicited takeover bids, proxy contests, consent solicitations, corporate governance, securities law compliance, SEC
reporting issues, and compliance with the New York Stock Exchange
and NASDAQ
.
, a global provider of software development solutions located in Scotts Valley, California
, representing Borland (as its outside counsel) prior to this. As an executive, Mr. Gottfried held the positions of Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, which made him responsible for all aspects of the company's legal function. In his final position at Borland, Mr. Gottfried served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Special Advisor to the CEO, which involved enhancing company relationships with industry leaders.
(HUD) from 2005 to 2006, Mr. Gottfried led a nationwide organization headquartered in Washington, DC. He also served as the Chief Legal Officer and was the Senior Legal Advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and other agency principal staff in the department. Mr. Gottfried also served as the chief legal officer for the Government National Mortgage Association
(Ginnie Mae).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, most notably nominated by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on July 29, 2005, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 2005, to serve as General Counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
(HUD).
Background
Keith Gottfried was born in 1966 to parents Rosalie P. Gottfried, of Queens, New York City, and Bertram D. Gottfried, of Melbourne, FloridaMelbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
in Brooklyn, New York and raised in the neighboring borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. In April 2005, Mr. Gottfried married attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Cindy Gottfried at a ceremony held in Aruba. On March 14, 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Gottfried announced the birth of their daughter, Sophie Regine, at the University of Maryland Medical Center. On July 12, 2008, they announced the birth of their son, Benjamin Max, at the Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland.
Mr. Gottfried has commented on both his personal life and upbringing in regards to his views on housing and urban development; this can be seen in a prepared statement (while a Nominee to be General Counsel) given to the Senate during a hearing of the United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on September 15, 2005.
Accounting Career
Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Mr. Gottfried practiced public accounting with the Philadelphia office of Arthur Young & Company, a predecessor firm to Ernst & Young LLP, and became a certified public accountantCertified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
. At Arthur Young, Mr. Gottfried advised clients in the hospitality, technology, manufacturing, retailing and defense sectors.
Law Career
Mr. Gottfried holds a law degree cum laude from Boston University School of LawBoston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law is the law school affiliated with Boston University, and is ranked #22 among American law schools by US News and World Report magazine. It is the second-oldest law school in Massachusetts and one of the first law schools in the country to admit students regardless...
, and was a named an Edward F. Hennessey
Edward F. Hennessey
Edward F. Hennessey was the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1976 to 1989.-Biography:...
Distinguished Scholar of Law and a G. Joseph Tauro
G. Joseph Tauro
G. Joseph Tauro was the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1970 to 1976.Tauro was born in Lynn to an Italian immigrant cobbler and his wife. He graduated from Lynn public schools and attended Boston University's College of Business Administration for a year before...
Scholar of Law. He also holds an M.B.A. with high honors from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
Graduate School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, with a concentration in accounting, from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Wharton School.
Mr. Gottfried is admitted to the state bars of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and the District of Columbia. Mr. Gottfried is also able to practice before a number of federal courts, including the Ninth Circuit, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the District of New Jersey.
From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Gottfried was a corporate attorney in the Philadelphia office of the law firm Blank Rome LLP. From 1994 until 2000, Mr. Gottfried was a corporate attorney in the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
office of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP where he practiced in the mergers & acquisitions group, representing both public and private clients, with respect to unsolicited takeover bids, proxy contests, consent solicitations, corporate governance, securities law compliance, SEC
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is a federal agency which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States...
reporting issues, and compliance with the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
and NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
.
Business career
From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Gottfried served as a senior executive with Borland Software CorporationBorland
Borland Software Corporation is a software company first headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, Cupertino, California and finally Austin, Texas. It is now a Micro Focus subsidiary. It was founded in 1983 by Niels Jensen, Ole Henriksen, Mogens Glad and Philippe Kahn.-The 1980s:...
, a global provider of software development solutions located in Scotts Valley, California
Scotts Valley, California
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles south of downtown San Jose and six miles north of Monterey Bay, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,580...
, representing Borland (as its outside counsel) prior to this. As an executive, Mr. Gottfried held the positions of Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, which made him responsible for all aspects of the company's legal function. In his final position at Borland, Mr. Gottfried served as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Special Advisor to the CEO, which involved enhancing company relationships with industry leaders.
Political career
As General Counsel of the United States Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentUnited States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
(HUD) from 2005 to 2006, Mr. Gottfried led a nationwide organization headquartered in Washington, DC. He also served as the Chief Legal Officer and was the Senior Legal Advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and other agency principal staff in the department. Mr. Gottfried also served as the chief legal officer for the Government National Mortgage Association
Government National Mortgage Association
The Government National Mortgage Association , or Ginnie Mae, was established in the United States in 1968 to promote home ownership. As a wholly owned government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development , Ginnie Mae’s mission is to expand affordable housing in the U.S. by...
(Ginnie Mae).