Frederic Malek

AFoCR Director and Chairman, Fred Malek was raised in a middle class ethnic area near Chicago. He won an appointment to West Point and post graduation served as an airborne ranger army officer, attached to a Special Forces (green beret) group in Vietnam in the early 1960s.

Following his army tour, Mr. Malek has had success in four careers encompassing corporate management, government, politics, and finance. As a corporate executive, Fred served Marriott Corporation for 14 years rising to President of Marriott Hotels and Resorts where he was responsible for more than $3 billion in sales, 70,000 workers, and a quadrupling of profits. He later served as President and Co-Chief Executive Officer and then Vice Chairman of Northwest Airlines where he led major improvements in performance.

Mr. Malek has played a key role in government over the past 30 years. He served as Deputy Under Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Elliot Richardson, as Special Assistant to the President, and as Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In his White House role, he was responsible for recruiting Cabinet level officials, pioneered professional executive search in government, and led a government wide effort to improve government management. The latter was highlighted in his book "Washington’s Hidden Tragedy, The Failure to Make Government Work." He served President Reagan in a number of advisory capacities and served President Bush as Director of the 1990 Summit of Major Industrialized Nations, with the lifetime rank of Ambassador.

Mr. Malek’s political activities also comprise almost three decades including three presidential elections. He served as the post Watergate Deputy Chairman (to Clark MacGregor) of the 1972 Presidential campaign, as Director of the 1988 Republican Convention (for George Bush) and as 1992 Campaign Manager for President Bush.

During the 1990's, Mr. Malek started his fourth career as a financier, and founded Thayer Capital Partners where he is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. During this period, he co-led the buyouts of Northwest Airlines, CB Richard Ellis (formerly Coldwell Banker), and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Companies with Marriott as the majority partner and investor.

Mr. Malek received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and he and his wife of 39 years have two children. He currently serves on the boards of several university and other non-profit institutions. Fred Malek blogs at http://www.fredmalekblog.com