Kneeland Youngblood

Background

Youngblood was born in Galena Park, Texas.

Education

Youngblood attended Princeton University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1978. Before he graduated (at the risk of expulsion) Youngblood participated in a sit-in calling for Princeton to divestment from South Africa under apartheid.

Career

Youngblood is listed as a top bundler for Barack Obama, having bundled more than $200,000. He became involved in politics at a young age, and was a page in the Texas State Legislature at age 14. Youngblood traveled to Oxford, England, and Stockholm, Sweden, before returning to the United States.

He attended the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1982.

He was a resident in Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine from 1983 to 1985, training primarily at Grady Memorial Hospital. Youngblood worked in medicine from 1985 to 1997 as an emergency medicine physician at the Medical Center of Plano.

From 1993 to 1999, Youngblood served on the board of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (Travel Related Services) as a trustee and chairman of the Fund"s Real Estate Committee, directing asset allocations and managing the fund"s $1.4 billion portfolio. In 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Youngblood to the Board of Directors of the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC).

While on the board Youngblood traveled to Africa and met Nelson Mandela, which led him to write the essay "From Sit-in to Soweto." While with the Clinton administration, he also served on the Task Force on National Health Care Reform headed by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In 1997, Youngblood, along with Michael Devlin and Robert Crants, founded Pharos Capital Group, Limited Liability Company, a private equity firm. Youngblood"s other board memberships include: The Automated Meter Reading Investments, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Burger King, The Gap, Incorporated., and the City of Dallas Employee Retirement System. He is Director Emeritus of the United States. Enrichment Corporation and iStar Financial, a New York Stock Exchange-traded real estate investment trust (Real Estate Investment Trust).

Achievements

• He is the co-founder of the private equity firm Pharos Capital Group, Limited Liability Company, which focuses on providing later stage funding, generally for growth, acquisitions, and recapitalizations, to undercapitalized healthcare and business services oriented companies located in underserved regions across the nation.

Membership

He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.