Kevin S. Kellems
Kevin Shaw Kellems is BlackPoint’s Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors – roles in which he translates the vision and priorities of the Chief Executive Officer and Board into action that fits within the company’s longer-term corporate strategy.
Mr. Kellems is a veteran analyst, strategist, adviser and communicator; he specializes in executive counsel, strategic communications, government relations, crisis management, advertising and media affairs.
Kellems held senior posts at the White House, Department of Defense, World Bank, U.S. Senate and state government. In these assignments, Kevin grew to appreciate prioritizing the core value of and message precision surrounding – an individual, product or institution.
Prior to joining BlackPoint, during his post-government service years, Kellems has been driving growth initiatives for myriad private clients – including developing strategic business relationships across industries and securing sales into government.
Kellems previously served as White House Communications Director and Press Secretary to Vice President Richard B. Cheney; Special Adviser and Director of Strategic Communications in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Director of Strategy and Acting Vice President of The World Bank Group; and reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal. He has traveled to 71 countries and 49 states, where he met with heads of state; finance, defense and foreign ministers; and major corporate and civic leaders – to include Pope John Paul II, President Nelson Mandela, Bill and Melinda Gates, Queen Rania and Bono, among scores of others.
Mr. Kellems earned an M.A. in national security studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and a B.A. in journalism from The Ohio State University. Kevin Kellems is a recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service – the highest civilian award presented by the Secretary of Defense.