Kevin Gentry | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Employer(s) | Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation Koch Industries |
Kevin Gentry is a conservative politicalactivist,fundraiser, andpodcaster who served as vice president ofStand Together.[1][2][3] A top aide toCharles Koch andDavid H. Koch,[4] Gentry served as vice president of special projects atKoch, Inc.[5] before retiring to launch TenX Strategies.
Gentry received a BA in economics[citation needed] from theCollege of William & Mary, where he served as chairman of the school's branch of theCollege Republicans. He is married to Anne Gentry, an attorney, who obtained a JD from theGeorge Mason University School of Law, where she was the president of the school's branch of theFederalist Society.[6]
From 1991 to 1997, Gentry served as executive vice president of theLeadership Institute, a nonprofit organization based inArlington, Virginia. Gentry later served as the vice president of theMercatus Center and theInstitute for Humane Studies during which time the two organizations' combined annual revenue increased threefold, according toPhilanthropy Magazine.[5][7] He served as a fundraising consultant for Virginia GovernorJim Gilmore and U.S. SenatorGeorge Allen during their tenure in those offices. Gentry was the campaign manager forMorton Blackwell when Blackwell ran as the Republican National Committeeman of Virginia in 1988, 1992, and 1996.[6]
In 2003, Gentry was hired at theCharles G. Koch Charitable Foundation to improve the capacity of the foundation's grantees by mentoring them in fundraising best practices.[7] He also served as vice president of special projects forKoch, Inc..[8] According toPolitico, Gentry is the primary fundraiser for theKoch family's political activities.[9] Gentry's responsibilities include leading fundraising efforts at the Koch'sdonor seminars.[2] The Koch fundraising summits, emceed by Gentry, were expected to spend $400 million on conservative causes heading into the 2012 election.[10] According toThe Washington Post, Gentry "raises money for the network of Koch-backed organizations, some of which are prominent conservative think tanks".[11] Gentry led an informal network of fundraisers for think tanks and advocacy groups such asAmericans for Prosperity.[9]
In December 2010, Gentry joined the board of theCato Institute.[12][13] Gentry was placed on the board byCharles Koch andDavid Koch.[10] Cato Institute chairmanRobert Levy and presidentEdward Crane expressed concern that Gentry was a conservative rather than a libertarian, with Crane referring to Gentry as a "Republican activist" and "social conservative."[14] Crane also expressed disappointment that Gentry had not involved Crane or other Cato Institute employees with Koch-sponsored donor events.[12] In an opinion editorial posted onCNN.com, Gentry defended the Koch brothers against allegations that they wanted to compromise the political independence of the Cato Institute.[15] In June 2012, as part of a settlement over the ownership of the Cato Institute, Gentry was removed from the board due to a provision that bars Koch employees from serving on the institute's board.[10]
For contributions to the free market movement, Gentry was presented with theRoe Award in 2007 by theState Policy Network. The award is given to "recognize individuals who exhibit leadership, innovation and achievement in promoting free markets and less intrusive government at the state and local level.[8]
In July 2024, Gentry retired from bothStand Together and Koch to launch TenX Strategies.[16] TenX Strategies states its mission is to help "great causes transform their effectiveness by 10xing their fundraising."[17] As part of TenX Strategies, he also launched theGoing Big! podcast, which features business leaders, nonprofit leaders, and philanthropists to share their stories of elevating their organizations and making a major impact.[18] As of March 2025, the podcast has won both MarCom Gold and Viddy Gold awards for excellence in storytelling[19] and has featured guests includingDoug DeVos,Will Guidara,Phil Gramm,Richard Viguerie, andLord Matthew Elliott.
Gentry serves on the board of directors of Bethany Christian Services of Virginia and the Virginia Future Business Leaders Foundation. He is a member of theCouncil for National Policy, a networking group for social conservative activists.[6] Gentry served on Virginia GovernorBob McDonnell's government reform advisory committee.[20]