Kahlil Byrd

Byrd holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morehouse College.

Byrd began his career in broadcast journalism, working for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C.[3] He later joined The BBC as a producer. Following his graduate studies at Harvard, Byrd became an entrepreneur to focus on "driving events" rather than just commenting and interpreting them. In 2005, he was appointed spokesman and communications director for Deval Patrick's 2006 campaign for governor of Massachusetts. Byrd left the campaign in April 2006 to "return to business interests".[4] In 2007, Byrd joined the Patrick administration as Director of Gubernatorial Appointments.[5]

Byrd was also a Term Member and an International Affairs Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.[6]

Byrd served as the first president of StudentsFirst, the grassroots education reform advocacy organization founded by Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of District of Columbia Schools.[7][8] StudentsFirst was a non-profit organization based in Sacramento, California. As president, Byrd managed the organization's long-term strategy, operations budget and growth. In announcing his departure in July 2013, Rhee credited Byrd with "leav[ing] the organization stronger and more prepared to challenge the status quo on behalf of kids".[9]

From 2009 through the 2012 election cycle, Byrd was chief executive of Americans Elect, a national organization that aimed, through technology, to nominate and bipartisan ticket for president. Under Byrd’s leadership Americans Elect was placed on the ballot in 29 states to conduct an online convention, with the intention of placing a cross partisan presidential ticket on all 50 state ballots.[10][11] During the 2012 presidential election cycle, Americans Elect worked to nominate and elect a third-party candidate for president, but no candidate gained sufficient support to meet the national threshold for candidacy for the convention, as established by the organization.[12] In May 2012, Americans Elect decided to suspend the planned online convention without fielding a candidate.[13] but not before being widely praised for its technology and brand innovations. The organization won 2012 People’s Choice Award at South by Southwest,[14] the Campaigns & Elections 2012 CampaignTech Innovator Award,[15] and Campaigns & Elections Magazine awarded Byrd a Campaign Tech Innovator award in the nonpartisan innovator category.[16] The organization was awarded two 2012 CLIO Awards, for content and interactive excellence.[17] During his tenure, the organization raised over US$40 million and established a fully functioning start-up with over 150 paid staff, 4,000 contractors and 3,000 volunteers nationwide. Over two years, Americans Elect had 3.5 million unique visitors to its website and acquired more than 450,000 members.

Byrd is founder and CEO of Invest America, a seed fund focused on financing and guiding political reform investors by leveraging data, analytics and nationwide research.[18] Invest America advises entrepreneurs, family offices, foundations, and corporations in efforts to develop effective, issue-driven spending programs and strategies for investing effectively in winning across the issue spectrum.[19]

Invest America partners include Ipsos Public Affairs, the world’s third-largest marketing research firm, with whom Invest America has launched "Our Age of Uncertainty",[20] a sustained national discussion and public private engagement. This initiative is designed to shape the thinking and understanding of America’s top 200 influencers and decision makers as they grapple with an historically political environment in the United States and throughout the world.

In January 2019, the Washington Post reported that Byrd and Invest America are among the insiders working with former Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz in his "extensive operation" to explore an independent bid for president.[21] According to the article, Byrd is working on ballot access plans alongside Kellen Arno of Grandview Campaigns. The article stated, "If he moves forward, Schultz this fall would begin the process of collecting signatures to gain ballot access in all 50 states. The campaign would have a goal of polling above 15 percent nationally to ensure Schultz’s inclusion in the general-election debates."

Byrd is a board member or advisor of a number of organizations, including With Honor[22] and Take Back our Republic.[23] He is also a council member at NationSwell[1] and an alumnus of the Council on Foreign Relations International Fellows program.[24] Byrd is a senior advisor and board member of With Honor, which is helping to elect principled military veterans in Congress and help amplify their cross-partisan agenda that finds solutions for the American people.[25]

Byrd is married to Sarah Haacke Byrd,[26] executive director at Women Moving Millions.[27] Haacke Byrd previously held directorships at the Joyful Heart Foundation,[28] Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture[29] Facing History and Ourselves[30] (Choosing to Participate initiative, advancing civic participation and positive change in democracy) and the Anti-Defamation League.