Karl Zinsmeister is vice president at the Philanthropy Roundtable, a Washington, D.C. organization that helps foundations, corporations, and major living donors be effective and efficient in their giving. Private philanthropic enterprise now totals more than $300 billion annually, and is central to American civic health. Among other responsibilities, Zinsmeister oversees the Roundtable’s magazine, book publishing, and Web sites. He also established its landmark program in philanthropy for veterans, servicemembers, and military families. He is editing a series of "Wise Giver's Guides" that offer philanthropists practical help in specific fields. And he is creating the Almanac of American Philanthropy as an important new reference book for the field.
One recent book — a storytelling cookbook
From 2006 to 2009 Zinsmeister served in the West Wing as President George W. Bush’s chief domestic policy adviser. His responsibilities stretched across many issues: the mortgage and student-loan credit crises, the formulation of new immigration policies, stem-cell and biotechnology innovation, improving care for military veterans, school reform, issues in health, transportation, environmental quality, and national competitiveness.
For nearly 13 years Zinsmeister was editor-in-chief of The American Enterprise, a national monthly magazine of politics, business, and culture based in Washington, D.C. Author and former Cabinet Secretary William Bennett called it “one of America’s finest magazines.... intellectually interesting, well-written, lively, wide-ranging, and above all useful.” Zinsmeister wrote nearly 300 articles for the magazine, and conducted interviews with public figures ranging from Rudy Giuliani to Pat Moynihan, and Andres Duany to Rupert Murdoch.
For nearly 13 years Zinsmeister was editor-in-chief of The American Enterprise, a national monthly magazine of politics, business, and culture based in Washington, D.C. Author and former Cabinet Secretary William Bennett called it “one of America’s finest magazines.... intellectually interesting, well-written, lively, wide-ranging, and above all useful.” Zinsmeister wrote nearly 300 articles for the magazine, and conducted interviews with public figures ranging from Rudy Giuliani to Pat Moynihan, and Andres Duany to Rupert Murdoch.
In the private sector, Zinsmeister was an executive at L. & J. G. Stickley, Inc., an historic firm that designs, manufactures, and markets iconic American Arts & Crafts furnishings worldwide. His particular responsibilities included marketing and sales, advertising, catalogs, photography, Web sites, communications, the Stickley Museum, some product design, and the modernization of many business and data systems.
He has also operated his own business over a period of years that designs, finances, renovates, and builds properties with historic appeal. Seven historic boutique properties have been re-developed under his direct management, in Washington and New York.
Zinsmeister is the author of numerous books—reported works, academic analyses, literary collections. One of the latest is Finger Lakes Feast, a storytelling cookbook and beautifully photographed regional culture guide he co-created with his daughter and son. It was praised by the New York Times and other reviewers. His book on charter schools was released in 2014, with a kickoff essay in the Wall Street Journal and an extract in Philanthropy magazine.
His two influential Iraq War journals were written during four lengthy stints embedded with infantry troops in urban war zones: Boots on the Ground (2003) was the first book published by an embedded journalist; Dawn Over Baghdad (2004) was the first book to provide details on the U.S. counterinsurgency effort. At the invitation of Marvel Comics, Zinsmeister also wrote a non-fiction graphic novel entitled Combat Zone (2005) that chronicled the actions of actual American soldiers.
In concert with his wife Ann, Zinsmeister conceived and produced a feature documentary film entitled Warriors that aired nationally on PBS in 2007. The film won $450,000 of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in a major international competition. It presented personal profiles of America’s fighting forces via on-the-scene footage that Zinsmeister and two combat cameramen shot in Iraq, and was described as "entirely compelling" by the New York Times.
Zinsmeister’s articles, essays, and stories have been published in many national publications—from cover stories for The Atlantic Monthly and features in Reader’s Digest to essays in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
A graduate of Yale University, Zinsmeister did further studies at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. During college he won rowing championships in both the U.S. and Ireland.
He was a U.S. Senate aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been an adviser to many public policy groups, and has testified before Congressional committees and Presidential commissions.
He has given many public lectures, originated a weekly radio commentary syndicated nationally to 100 stations, and has appeared often on a wide variety of national television and radio programs. He has lived, worked, or traveled in 40 countries, and nearly every U.S. state. He holds the highest U.S. security clearance.
Zinsmeister is married and has three grown children. He has been an avid woodworker, photographer, gardener and keeper of hens, taught Sunday school, and sung in his church choir. He is an active outdoorsman and bicycles, sculls, kayaks, skis cross-country and downhill, and enjoys extended wilderness backpacking trips. He currently lives on a houseboat in Washington, D.C.
He has also operated his own business over a period of years that designs, finances, renovates, and builds properties with historic appeal. Seven historic boutique properties have been re-developed under his direct management, in Washington and New York.
Zinsmeister is the author of numerous books—reported works, academic analyses, literary collections. One of the latest is Finger Lakes Feast, a storytelling cookbook and beautifully photographed regional culture guide he co-created with his daughter and son. It was praised by the New York Times and other reviewers. His book on charter schools was released in 2014, with a kickoff essay in the Wall Street Journal and an extract in Philanthropy magazine.
His two influential Iraq War journals were written during four lengthy stints embedded with infantry troops in urban war zones: Boots on the Ground (2003) was the first book published by an embedded journalist; Dawn Over Baghdad (2004) was the first book to provide details on the U.S. counterinsurgency effort. At the invitation of Marvel Comics, Zinsmeister also wrote a non-fiction graphic novel entitled Combat Zone (2005) that chronicled the actions of actual American soldiers.
In concert with his wife Ann, Zinsmeister conceived and produced a feature documentary film entitled Warriors that aired nationally on PBS in 2007. The film won $450,000 of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in a major international competition. It presented personal profiles of America’s fighting forces via on-the-scene footage that Zinsmeister and two combat cameramen shot in Iraq, and was described as "entirely compelling" by the New York Times.
Zinsmeister’s articles, essays, and stories have been published in many national publications—from cover stories for The Atlantic Monthly and features in Reader’s Digest to essays in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
A graduate of Yale University, Zinsmeister did further studies at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. During college he won rowing championships in both the U.S. and Ireland.
He was a U.S. Senate aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been an adviser to many public policy groups, and has testified before Congressional committees and Presidential commissions.
He has given many public lectures, originated a weekly radio commentary syndicated nationally to 100 stations, and has appeared often on a wide variety of national television and radio programs. He has lived, worked, or traveled in 40 countries, and nearly every U.S. state. He holds the highest U.S. security clearance.
Zinsmeister is married and has three grown children. He has been an avid woodworker, photographer, gardener and keeper of hens, taught Sunday school, and sung in his church choir. He is an active outdoorsman and bicycles, sculls, kayaks, skis cross-country and downhill, and enjoys extended wilderness backpacking trips. He currently lives on a houseboat in Washington, D.C.
