Kneeland Youngblood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kneeland Youngblood (born December 13, 1955) is an American, African-American surgeon, businessman, and political figure. He is the the co-founder of the venture capital firm Pharos Capital Group, LLC, which specializes in raising private equity for undercapitalized businesses in underserved regions across the nation.
Youngblood was born in Galena Park, Texas. He became involved in politics at a young age, and was a page in the Texas State Legislature wat age 14. 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.
Youngblood traveled to Oxford, England, and Stockholm, Sweden, before returning to the United States. He attended the University of Texas Health Science Center and earned his M.D. in 1982. Youngblood worked in medicine from 1983 to 1997 as an emergency physician at the Medical Center of Plano.
From 1993 to 1999, Youngblood served on the board of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) 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, LLC, a private equity firm.
Youngblood's other board memberships include: AMR Investments, Starwood Hotels & Lodging, Burger King, The Gap, Inc., and the City of Dallas Employee Retirement System. He is Director Emeritus of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation and iStar Financial, a NYSE-traded real estate investment trust (REIT). He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
