Ron Klain biography: 13 things about 30th U.S. White House chief of staff

Ronald “Ron” A. Klain is the 30th chief of staff of the White House, the executive office of the president of the United States. He was appointed by 46th U.S. president Joe Biden.

Klain is married to lawyer and environmental activist Monica Medina. They have three children namely Hannah Klan, Michael Klain and Daniel Klain.

Ron is a Democratic political consultant, civil servant and attorney. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA in 1961 to building contractor Stanley Klain and travel agent Sarann Horwitz Warner, who are both Jewish.
2. In 1979, he graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis. In the same year, he enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., USA, making him the first in his family to attend college. In 1983, he graduated summa cum laude.
3. In 1987, he received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and graduated magna cum laude.
4. In July 1989, Biden appointed him as chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He held the position until July 1992.
5. In 1992, he started serving a debate coach for Democratic presidential candidates and joined the campaign of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, who went on to become the 42nd U.S. president and 45th U.S. vice president, respectively.
6. He became chief of staff and counselor to 78th U.S. attorney general Janet Reno in 1994 and chief of staff to Gore in 1995. Also in 1995, South Dakota senator Tom Daschle appointed him as the Senate Democratic Leadership Committee’s staff director.
7. In August 1999, Gore’s campaign chairman Tony Coelho ousted him. In October 1999, he joined the O’Melveny & Myer law firm’s office in Washington, D.C. In 2005, he left his partnership at the law firm to become the executive vice president and general counsel of Revolution LLC, a technology venture capital firm launched by AOL co-founder Steve Case.
8. In 2000, he returned to Gore’s campaign as general counsel of his recount committee.
9. He was played by Kevin Spacey in “Recount,” an television film about Florida’s vote recount during the 2000 U.S. presidential election. It premiered on HBO on May 25, 2008.
10. On November 12, 2008, his appointment as Biden’s chief of staff was announced.
11. In January 2011, he left the White House for a position in the private sector despite being the likely candidate to replace then White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
12. From October 17, 2014 to February 2015, he served as the White House Ebola response coordinator, also referred to as Ebola czar, under the Barack Obama administration.
13. Biden selected him as the White House chief of staff, which was announced on November 11, 2020. He will assume office on January 20, 2021.