Travels from New York City, New York, USA
Harold Ford, Jr.'s speaking fee falls within range: $25,000 to $30,000
Harold Ford, Jr. started his political career at age 26 when he went from being the underdog to winning Tennessee’s 9th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a position he would be re-elected to four more times by an overwhelming majority. The former Congressman continues to advocate healthy non-partisan debate, compromise, and unity, in order to solve the nation’s most pressing dilemmas.
One of the youngest and most charismatic members of the U.S. Congress, Ford built a reputation as a moderate, skilled at working across party lines to get things done. He played a prominent role in the House serving on the Education, Workforce, Government Reform, Financial Services, and Budget Committees. Throughout his tenure, he consistently demonstrated what he believed public service was about: “a willingness to work hard, a willingness to listen and having the courage to stand up for what you believe in and having the courage to stand up for those that you represent.” Ford was the keynote speaker for both the 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions.
Currently, he is a senior client relationship manager at Morgan Stanley and political analyst for MSNBC and CNBC. He has been a visiting faculty member teaching seminars on domestic policy and American political leadership at Vanderbuilt University, the University of Texas at Austin, New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, and the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. Ford is active with several nonprofits and foundations.
Former U.S. Representative & Political Analyst for MSNBC and CNBC
Harold Ford, Jr. served Tennessee in the United States Congress for 10 years. As the former chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, an organization that has long been at the forefront of the reform movement, Ford became close to the Clinton wing of the Democratic Party and was described by President Bill Clinton as “the walking, living embodiment of where America ought to go in the 21st century.”
Both during and following his tenure in Congress, Ford has been a longtime supporter of small and mid-size businesses, as well as a staunch advocate for fiscal and economic reform. As an unapologetic supporter of the historic energy renaissance the country has undergone over the last decade, Ford continues to be one of energy reform’s leading voices. Since leaving office in 2007, he continues to work diligently to promote healthy non-partisan debate on today’s most pressing issues, both in Washington and in communities across the country. With profound changes to America’s political landscape set to take place following the midterm elections of November 2014, Ford helps organizational and political leaders understand what the Obama administration and congress can do to make progress on the key hot-button issues that can move the country forward.
During his five terms in the Congress, Ford’s focus was results. He served on both the Financial Services and Budget Committees and worked passionately to balance the budget and promote free enterprise for the House Blue Dog coalition, the organization which gave then Governor Bill Clinton his start in national politics.
Ford’s eye-opening book, More Davids Than Goliaths (Crown 2010), became an instant New York Times best-seller. Reflecting on what he’s learned from his extended political family, the slings and arrows of the campaign trail, and those across our nation who inspire him, More Davids Than Goliaths explains Ford’s conviction that “at its best, leadership in government can solve, inspire, and heal.” Along the way, Ford reminds us that, in America, there are more Davids than Goliaths, more solutions than problems, more that unites us than divides us.
Currently, Ford serves as a political analyst and contributor for CNBC and MSNBC, and a Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Ford is active with several nonprofits and foundations. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A. in American History, and a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.
Harold Ford, Jr. lives and works in New York City with his wife and daughter.
Harold Ford, Jr. gives the audience a rare look at what campaigning is like from a politician’s point of view in this transparent account of the scrutiny and ridicule he faced during his first campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. In the midst of local media making jokes at his expense and criticizing him for lack of experience, Ford was campaigning diligently following an odd agenda that his former high school principal and campaign manager had set up for him: speaking gigs at a variety of kindergarten and elementary school graduations.
Ford admittedly did the graduations only to honor his campaign manager’s hard work, but honestly did not think they would help the fact that no one was saying anything good about him. However it turned out, that by attending the ceremonies and just being himself, he won over a majority of voters, including one grandmother who called in to a local radio program that had been crucifying Ford.
“What made me change my mind about him, is that I saw what he did after he spoke,” the grandmother told the hosts, detailing that after her granddaughter’s kindergarten graduation, Ford had gone into the school’s kitchen to speak with workers and shake hands. “I was just doing what came naturally to me,” Ford commented, explaining that his father, a former politician, had always taught him that “you shake hands with everybody, that nobody is better than anybody.”
At a time when the U.S. political party system is being challenged with division and shifting ideologies, Harold Ford, Jr. brings his expertise as a political insider to the table. The former U.S. representative examines the domestic and international issues linked to the security and welfare of our country tying them to the latest political trends. A famed moderate, Ford offers informed outlooks and wise advice to politicians and voters desiring to forge a positive future for the country.
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More Davids Than Goliaths
Harold Ford Jr. has long distinguished himself as a charismatic, results-oriented politician with fresh ideas. His career began at age 26 after he won his father’s Congressional seat, serving his Tennessee district for ten years. He stepped into the national spotlight with his electric keynote at the 2000 Democratic National Convention, and in 2006 his reputation was further shaped during the closest Senate race in Tennessee’s history, which he lost. Ford feels passionately that our country’s best days are ahead, and in More Davids Than Goliaths, he presents his mission statement for America.
Reflecting on what he’s learned from his extended political family, the slings and arrows of the campaign trail, and those across our nation who inspire him, More Davids Than Goliaths explains Harold Ford’s conviction, “At its best, leadership in government can solve, inspire, and heal.” Along the way, Ford reminds us that in America, there are more Davids than Goliaths, more solutions than problems, more that unites us than divides us.
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