President Obama has named attorney Ronald Klain its Ebola czar to oversee the federal goverment’s response to the Ebola crisis.
Mr. Klain, 53, has extensive management experience but no background in medicine. He is a long-time Democratic political operative and chief of staff to two vice presidents, Al Gore and Joe Biden. Mr. Klain left the Obama administration in January 2011 to work at a private law firm.
Mr. Klain’s career has been divided among work in the private sector, politics, and government. In addition to his service as vice-presidential chief of staff, he has played a key role in presidential election campaigns, including Al Gore’s 2000 campaign. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White, served as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and lobbied the federal government on behalf of corporate clients, according to the biography page published by his current firm, Revolution.
“Klain, an attorney, comes to the job with strong management credentials, extensive federal government experience overseeing complex operations, and good working relationships with leading members of Congress, as well as senior Obama administration officials, including the president,” said a senior administration official in a statement emailed to reporters on Friday.