Ronald T. Gault

Businessman and consultant Ron Gault was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 18, 1940. After high school, Gault attended Grinnell College, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1962. From there, Gault attended the University of Michigan Graduate School of Public Policy and Management and the Washington University School of Law.

Gault started his professional career working with the Urban League doing voter education and registration, and, in 1964, he joined USAID. The next year, Gault joined the Foreign Service, and though he wished to go to the Francophone Africa program, he instead went to Vientiane, Laos. In 1965, Gault returned, taking a job at the U.S. Justice Department, where he worked under Ramsey Clark and Roger Wilkins in mediation. In 1969, Gault left the Justice Department to go to work with the Ford Foundation,where he remained until 1978. That same year, Gault took a position as a senior advisor to Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City. In 1979, Gault began focusing his energies on busing and employment issues, and, in 1984, he was named the managing director of 1st Boston Corp. In 1994, Gault joined J.P. Morgan, where he headed to Johannesburg, South Africa, to serve as the CEO of business development and client relations for the new branch located there.

Gault is married to Charlayne Hunter-Gault, former CNN bureau chief for South Africa. During their time there, the Gaults were victims of an assault and went unaided by watching policemen. After an international backlash, the officers were reprimanded and the offender jailed. After moving back to the United States, the couple maintained a home in Massachusetts, where they remained active supporters of the arts.