Kneeland Youngblood
Encyclopedia
Kneeland Youngblood is an African-American physician
, businessman, and political figure. He is the co-founder of the venture capital
firm Pharos Capital Group, LLC, which specializes in raising private equity
for undercapitalized businesses in underserved regions across the nation. Youngblood is listed as a top bundler for Barack Obama, having bundled more than $200,000.
Youngblood was born in Galena Park, Texas
. He became involved in politics at a young age, and was a page in the Texas State Legislature wat age 14. Youngblood attended Princeton University
and earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree
in political science
in 1978. Before he graduated (at the risk of expulsion
) Youngblood participated in a sit-in calling for Princeton to divestment from South Africa
under apartheid
.
Youngblood traveled to Oxford
, England
, and Stockholm
, Sweden
, before returning to the United States. He attended the University of Texas Health Science Center and earned his M.D.
in 1982. He was a resident in Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine
from 1983 to 1985, training primarily at Grady Memorial Hospital
. Youngblood worked in medicine from 1985 to 1997 as an emergency medicine physician at the Medical Center of Plano.
From 1993 to 1999, Youngblood served on the board of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) as a trustee
and chairman of the Fund's Real Estate Committee, directing asset allocations and managing the fund's $1.4 billion portfolio. In 1994, President
Bill Clinton
nominated Youngblood to the Board of Directors of the United States Enrichment Corporation
(USEC). While on the board Youngblood traveled to Africa and met Nelson Mandela
, which led him to write the essay "From Sit-in to Soweto
." While with the Clinton administration
, he also served on the Task Force on National Health Care Reform headed by First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton
.
In 1997, Youngblood, along with Michael Devlin and Robert Crants
, founded Pharos Capital Group, LLC, a private equity firm.
Youngblood's other board memberships include: AMR Investments, Starwood Hotels & Lodging, Burger King
, The Gap, Inc., and the City of Dallas
Employee Retirement System. He is Director Emeritus of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation and iStar Financial, a NYSE
-traded real estate investment trust
(REIT). He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
..
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, businessman, and political figure. He is the co-founder of the venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm Pharos Capital Group, LLC, which specializes in raising private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
for undercapitalized businesses in underserved regions across the nation. Youngblood is listed as a top bundler for Barack Obama, having bundled more than $200,000.
Youngblood was born in Galena Park, Texas
Galena Park, Texas
Galena Park is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 10,887 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. He became involved in politics at a young age, and was a page in the Texas State Legislature wat age 14. Youngblood attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and earned his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1978. Before he graduated (at the risk of expulsion
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
) Youngblood participated in a sit-in calling for Princeton to divestment from South Africa
Disinvestment from South Africa
Disinvestment from South Africa was first advocated in the 1960s, in protest of South Africa's system of Apartheid, but was not implemented on a significant scale until the mid 1980s...
under apartheid
History of South Africa in the apartheid era
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party governments of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained...
.
Youngblood traveled to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, before returning to the United States. He attended the University of Texas Health Science Center and earned his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1982. He was a resident in Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine, a component of Emory’s Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, is ranked among the nation’s institutions for biomedical education and research...
from 1983 to 1985, training primarily at Grady Memorial Hospital
Grady Memorial Hospital
Grady Memorial Hospital, frequently referred to as Grady Hospital or simply Grady, is the largest hospital in the state of Georgia and the public hospital for the city of Atlanta. It is the 5th largest public hospital in the United States, as well as one the busiest Level I trauma centers in the...
. Youngblood worked in medicine from 1985 to 1997 as an emergency medicine physician at the Medical Center of Plano.
From 1993 to 1999, Youngblood served on the board of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) as a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
and chairman of the Fund's Real Estate Committee, directing asset allocations and managing the fund's $1.4 billion portfolio. In 1994, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
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...
nominated Youngblood to the Board of Directors of the United States Enrichment Corporation
United States Enrichment Corporation
The United States Enrichment Corporation, a subsidiary of USEC Inc. , is a corporation that contracts with the United States Department of Energy to produce enriched uranium for use in nuclear power plants.-History:...
(USEC). While on the board Youngblood traveled to Africa and met Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, which led him to write the essay "From Sit-in to Soweto
Soweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
." While with the Clinton administration
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
, he also served on the Task Force on National Health Care Reform headed by First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
.
In 1997, Youngblood, along with Michael Devlin and Robert Crants
Robert Crants
Robert Crants is a managing partner and co-founder of Pharos Capital Group, LLC with Michael Devlin and Kneeland Youngblood. He has been involved with private equity investments for fifteen years after graduating summa cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in Economics.Before founding...
, founded Pharos Capital Group, LLC, a private equity firm.
Youngblood's other board memberships include: AMR Investments, Starwood Hotels & Lodging, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, The Gap, Inc., and the City of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
Employee Retirement System. He is Director Emeritus of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation and iStar Financial, a NYSE
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...
-traded real estate investment trust
Real estate investment trust
A real estate investment trust or REIT is a tax designation for a corporate entity investing in real estate. The purpose of this designation is to reduce or eliminate corporate tax. In return, REITs are required to distribute 90% of their taxable income into the hands of investors...
(REIT). He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
..