Bo Kemp

Newark, New Jersey Business Administrator (Chief Operating Officer)

Bo spent the first decade of his professional career in finance with Morgan Stanley and TSG Capital Group, a private equity group. Then, after leading Cory A. Booker’s successful transition to the office of Mayor of Newark, N.J., Bo became the city’s Business Administrator (COO). In his time with Booker (now a U.S. Senator), Bo and the senior leadership team helped Newark evolve from a city close to bankruptcy to a community growing in population for the first time in 40 years.

In this role, Bo oversaw all 5,000 city employees and the operations of the city, including public safety (police and fire), economic development, child and family well-being, public works and administrative services. He also was responsible for all state and federal lobbying, union negotiations, and emergency management/homeland security preparedness.

Senior Advisor to Mayor in Gary, Indiana

After leaving Newark, Bo returned to the private sector until 2011 when another mayor, Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, Indiana asked him to run her transition and to continue to help lead her effort to reposition Gary for future growth once she took office. Under the direction of the Mayor, Bo developed a strategy to leverage analysis and to present data to secure federal, state and philanthropic grants and to establish partnerships with universities and private companies to initiate major initiatives, including: a $100 million public-private partnership with the Gary/Chicago International Airport; the development of the Gary Port Authority and intermodal facility; a Clean Tech strategy to address blight elimination; a restructuring of the Gary Sanitary District (waste and storm water); and the development of several economic development projects.

Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting

Bo’s work at Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting has included several public-private partnerships (P3s), including a restructuring and P3 with the Illinois Lottery, work with a private company developing electric vehicle infrastructure, and the development of growth strategies for philanthropic advocacy organizations. In 2018, Bo turned his attention to Opportunity Zones and has worked with investment funds, municipalities and developers on the implementation of the Opportunity Zones program across the country. This work has included developing city and regional strategies to attract Opportunity Zone funding and projects as well as working with developers and fund managers to leverage Opportunity Zone funding.

Personal Interests

Bo enjoys traveling and hopes to visit 100 countries in his lifetime. He’s a dangerous golfer (and not in the good way) but an aspiring aquaponics and micro farmer.