Rick Stamberger : Interview for the John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Rick Stamberger, president and CEO of SmartBrief, Inc. and a former White House fellow, discusses his early involvement with politics, entering the business world, and his work on the documentary on John W. Gardner titled John Gardner: Uncommon American. Stamberger discusses growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, and his work for Gerald Ford’s presidential campaign. He recalls attending Northwestern University, transferring to Williams College where he studied History, and then becoming a reporter. He explains his decision to move to Washington, DC, to work for the National Cable Television Association. He then talks about his White House Fellowship working for Vice President George H.W. Bush, where he focused on encouraging tax reform and engaging the African-American community. Stamberger recounts his decision to attend Harvard Business School and working in consulting before founding SmartBrief. He also talks about serving on Barack Obama’s transition team. Stamberger then discusses the process of creating John Gardner: Uncommon American and fundraising for it. He notes how difficult it was to find people willing to criticize Gardner. Stamberger reflects on Gardner’s life and legacy, including Gardner’s decision to leave the White House in protest of the Vietnam War, his productivity late into his life, his genuine interest in the lives of other people, and his commitment to his family. Stamberger concludes by discussing the singular importance of Gardner’s example.
Description
Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text, still image |
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Extent | 1 audio file; 1 text file; 1photograph |
Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Date created | September 22, 2017 |
Language | English |
Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
Interviewee | Stamberger, Rick | |
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Creator | Stamberger, Rick | |
Interviewer | Abel, Suzanne | |
Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
Subject | Gardner, John W. (John William), 1912-2002 |
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Subject | Civil Society > United States |
Subject | White House Fellows Foundation |
Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
Biographical profile | Rick Stamberger is president and CEO of SmartBrief, which he co-founded with Dan O'Brien and Tom Wheeler. He has spent much of his career at the intersection of business, public policy and the not-for-profit sector. Inspired by John Gardner’s work and life, Stamberger served as executive producer of John Gardner, Uncommon American, a documentary for public television that aired in 2001. He also created a webpage on the pbs.org website that includes many resources on Gardner. Before his work at SmartBrief, Stamberger was a founding partner of Quest Partners LLC, a management consultancy based in Boston. He also served as executive vice president and a director of a Washington, DC-based technology firm owned by nine cable television companies and NBC. Stamberger began his career in Washington with the National Cable Television Association. Stamberger served as a White House Fellow in 1984-85 in the Office of the Vice President. From 2008 to 2009, he was a member of President-elect Barack Obama's Transition Project, serving as an agency lead for the Executive Office of the President. Stamberger is chairman of the board of directors of the Van Eck Funds. He is also an independent trustee of the Van Eck Market Vectors ETF Trust. He has been an active board member of numerous nonprofit organizations. He is a graduate of Williams College and the Harvard Business School. |
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Transcript |
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Location | |
Finding Aid | |
Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/pb678vj8544 |
Location | SC1355 |
Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project
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