BOARD CANDIDATE: JERRY MCGEE
The KICA Nominating Committee recommends Jerry
McGee for board service.
Our family love affair with Kiawah started in 2000
when we gathered with friends at sunset on the deck
of a lovely home for our wedding. Since then our
family has rented homes and vacationed here every
summer. We never even considered another place to
vacation.
In 2008 we found our permanent little piece
of paradise in Inlet Cove and bought a cottage
overlooking the Kiawah River. Each year after that,
we spent more and more time on the island availing
ourselves of the abundance of activities here. We
enjoyed turtle Patrol, golf, kayaking, fishing, nature
in abundance and each time we visited, it became
harder and harder to leave.
Two years ago, we sold our California digs and
bought a home in downtown Charleston and wonder
why we waited so long to make South Carolina
our permanent home. We also recently joined the
Kiawah Island Club. People often ask, “what’s your
favorite thing to do on Kiawah?” The answer is and
has been the same for many years; near sunset we
hop on our bikes and head down Beachwalker Drive.
We ride out to Captain Sam’s spit where, hopefully,
we are lucky enough to watch the dolphins strand
feed as the sun sets. Hard to beat.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
I have been and continue to be very civic-minded.
In Los Angeles I served on several non-profit boards
including: US Vets (the largest provider of housing for
homeless vets), KCET (public broadcasting), Harvey
Mudd (Clairmont Colleges), and The Museum of
Flying in Santa Monica. After the OJ Simpson trial
and along with Los Angeles District Attorney Gil
Garcetti, I co-founded Victory over Violence to raise
funds for victims and families of domestic violence.
At UCLA extension school I was for 16 years the lead
professor for the Institute of Advanced Advertising
studies class and at Loyola University was a co-
founder of the M School.
In Charleston, I am now working with Turning Leaf
an anti-recidivism organization and my wife and I
are sponsors of an author presentation at this year’s
Charleston to Charleston Literary Festival. I raised
my hand at a recent Inlet Cove homeowner’s
association meeting and now serve on the newly
formed Security Committee.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
I retired in 2019.
Formerly: Executive VP of The American Association
of Advertising Agencies; President CEO J Walter
Thompson advertising Los Angeles; Chairman
and CEO Ogilvy & Mather Los Angeles; Member
Worldwide Board of Directors Ogilvy & Mather
Overview: My career has had two distinct phases.
First as a creative director and second as a global
manager. First, I wrote major advertising campaigns
for American Express, Mercedes Benz, Maxwell
House, Microsoft, IBM, Owens Corning, Callaway
Golf and many other leading global brands.
Following that, I went on to manage the Western
Region including Hawaii and Japan for Ogilvy and
Mather.
My particular skill set includes a strong technology
background having started the technology practice
as well as running the Region (yes, I did get to work
with Bill Gates). I also worked with Symantec and
Qualcomm.
Continued on page 8.
Candidate biographies were provided by each candidate and have not been edited for content. For all
voting information, including board candidate video interviews and instructions for casting your ballot,
visit KICA.us/vote.
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