The formal announcement of the resignation in the coming weeks of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has fueled the rumor mill of who will replace him. At the same time, we wonder where does a former Chairman go for the next gig, given it is pretty hard to beat his last job as the top cop on the telecom beat.
Looking at the last five decades of FCC Chairmen (and yes, they have all been men) stretching back to Newton Minow to Kevin Martin who was the current chair’s predecessor, we have a few suggestions for Chairman Genachowski’s next career move.
Ambassador and Other Fancy Diplomatic Titles: This is a pretty prime career move if you want to keep the "Honorable" title. Former FCC Chairman Bill Kennard (1997 to 2001) is currently the US Ambassador to the European Union since November 2009, following a stint as Managing Director of The Carlyle Group. Newton Minow (1961 to 1963) served as Honorary Consul General to the Republic of Singapore. Since President Obama is still in office, Chairman Genachowski could try for a fancy title and an exotic foreign posting.
Law Firm: Genachowski is a Harvard Law School graduate but he hasn’t spent that much time practicing law. Dick Wiley (1970 to 1977) devoted his post FCC career to founding and building the powerful Washington D.C. law firm of Wiley Rein. Other former Chairs who joined law firms include Newton Minow who went with Sidley and Austin, Mark Fowler who joined Latham and Watkins as Communications Counsel immediately after his FCC service from 1981 to 1987, and Kevin Martin who became a partner at Patton Boggs after his stint as Chair from 2005 to 2009.
Association Head: Michael Powell parlayed his FCC Chairman service in 1997 to 2005 to the coveted post of leading the National Cable Telecommunications Association as President from April 2001 to present. Before that he served as an advisor to Providence Equity Partners.
Establish a University Program in Your Name: James H. Quello, a 23-year FCC veteran who served as Interim Chair in 1993, established the James H. and Mary B. Quello Center for Telecommunications Management & Law Program at Michigan State University the year after he stepped down. He was also as a consultant to the government affairs group of the Wiley Rein law firm, and actively wrote op-eds and made speeches in Washington until his death in 2010.
Board Work: Many former FCC Chairman are heavily sought after for industry board work. Former Chairman Reed Hundt (1993-1999) took the board seat of tech icon Gordon Moore at Intel, while Mark Fowler (1981-1987) was on the boards of EON Corp. (dba TV Answer) and Talk America, and was chair of AssureSat from 1999 to 2004. Minow has served on the boards of Tribune, Sara Lee, RAND and CBS. Bill Kennard served on the Boards of the New York Times, Sprint/Nextel, Handspring and eAccess Ltd.
Non Profit Work: Newton Minnow was on the Board of Governors’ for the Public Broadcasting Corporation, was President of the Carnegie Corporation, and was the original funder of the children’s educational show, "Sesame Street." Al Sikes, the FCC Chair from 1989 to 1993, founded a non-profit organization called "Reading Excellence And Discovery Foundation (READ) which worked on reading literacy one-on-one for at risk youth in New York City. Bill Kennard served on the boards of One Economy Corp, Common Sense Media, Year-Up Inc., the Yale University Council, Media Access Project and Gallaudet University.
Industry Work: Al Sikes was hired by Hearst Corp. in 1993 to oversee its New Media and Technology Group.
Dabble in Presidential Politics: Reed Hundt served as an advisor to President Barack Obama on technology and communication issues during the presidential campaign, and served on the Obama Transition team.
Join a Think Tank, to Well, Think: Kevin Martin left the FCC in 2009 and joined the Aspen Institute as a senior fellow in the think tank’s Communications and Society Program.
In summary, the former FCC Chairmen have done well overall. The world is Mr. Genachowski’s oyster.
