Gary Edson

About Gary

Gary Edson is a White House veteran, non-profit executive, and business entrepreneur.

He is Co-Chair and President of More Perfect, a bipartisan alliance of 44 Presidential Centers and over 100 other organizations committed to forging a more perfect union by advancing five sustainable Democracy Goals – civic learning, national service, bridging divides, trustworthy elections, and access to trusted news and information. Edson was also President of the Covid Collaborative, a national assembly of leaders across health, education, and the economy, focused on combatting the pandemic and   strengthening U.S. and global health security.

In government, Edson served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy National Economic Advisor to President George W. Bush. He co-led the development   of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment ever by any nation to combat a single disease, which has saved an estimated 26 million lives; led the creation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation to fight global poverty, which has benefited 400 million people across 48 countries; coordinated the crackdown on terrorist finance after 9/11; oversaw the response to financial crises in Latin America and elsewhere; and shepherded initiatives on global peacekeeping, human trafficking, and neglected tropical diseases.

Edson was the President’s chief negotiator for summits of G7, Latin American, EU, and Asia-Pacific (APEC) leaders. He also served as deputy to Special Presidential Envoy and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III in successfully forging an unprecedented international agreement to forgive the bulk of Iraq’s $120 billion debt.

Earlier in his government career, Edson served as General Counsel to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and as Special Assistant to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.

In the non-profit sector, Edson served as CEO of Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (now, Go Further), overseeing the development of a strategy to end cervical cancer deaths among HIV-positive women in Africa. He previously served as President of Conservation International, Chief International Officer of the Case Foundation, and CEO of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, helping Haiti recover after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Edson is an affiliate partner of Lindsay Goldberg LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, and was previously Chairman of PAR Systems, Inc., a provider of intelligent robotic systems. He also was Managing Director of Baker & McKenzie Policy and Compliance Consulting, and a Managing Director of Stonebridge International (now the Albright Stonebridge Group).

Edson earned a B.A. with distinction and honors in anthropology from Stanford University, and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago. He was a Henry Luce Scholar, working for The Japan Times in Tokyo.