Michael Powell (lobbyist)
Michael Kevin Powell (born March 23, 1963) is an American attorney and lobbyist who served as the 24th chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 2001 to 2005.[2] Since leaving office, Powell has since worked as the president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), a broadband industry trade association.[3]
Michael Powell
2
- Colin Powell (father)
- Alma Johnson (mother)
Linda Powell (sister)
$4,645,202.00 (2015)[1]
1985–1988
Powell was appointed to the FCC by President Bill Clinton on November 3, 1997, and was chosen by President George W. Bush to serve as chairman of the commission on January 22, 2001. Powell is the son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell and his wife Alma Powell.
Early life and education[edit]
Michael Kevin Powell was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 23, 1963, the first child of Colin and Alma (née Johnson) Powell.[4]: 94 Because of his father's military career, Michael grew up in various places in the U.S., including Dale City, Virginia; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and Burke, Virginia, graduating from Lake Braddock High School in Burke in 1981.[4]: 216, 266 He graduated from the College of William & Mary, where he was initiated into Theta Delta Chi, on an ROTC Scholarship. Powell later received a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center
Career[edit]
Powell served as an armor officer in the United States Army. He spent the majority of his active service with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Amberg, Germany, serving as a cavalry platoon leader and troop executive officer. In 1987, Powell was seriously injured during a training mission.[5] He and his unit were traveling in a convoy on the autobahn. Powell was riding in a jeep at the time. Due to heavy rain, the jeep crashed and Powell was ejected from the vehicle. After he hit the pavement, the jeep bounced and crashed down on Powell's midsection.[6]
After his rehabilitation he served as an expert advisor to the Secretary of Defense. and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He then worked for a year and a half as a private attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of O’Melveny & Myers. From 1996, Powell served in the Clinton Administration as chief of staff of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division.[7]
Personal life[edit]
Powell married Jane Knott in 1988; they have two children.[2][4]: 385 While serving in the Army, half of Powell's pelvis had snapped off its rear anchor on the lower spine. In the front, it had ripped free of the cartilage connecting it to its other half. His bladder and urethra were torn and several vertebrae were cracked.[6]
After initial attention from German emergency room doctors, Powell was flown to a U.S. Army hospital in Nuremberg. After being stabilized, he was flown to Washington, D.C., and admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he spent a year in recovery. To this day, his spine is still fused at its base, forcing him to walk with a slight forward pitch.[6]