David Morehouse
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David Morehouse (born 1960) is an American businessman and former president and chief executive officer of
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. During his tenure, the Penguins won three Stanley Cups (2009, 2016, 2017), reached four Stanley Cup finals and was sold out every game for 14 seasons. He previously served in politics as a member of the Clinton administration, and on the presidential campaigns of
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...
(2000) and
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
(2004).


Biography

Morehouse grew up in the Beechview neighborhood of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. He graduated from South Hills Catholic High School in 1978. He did not attend college immediately, working as a union boilermaker until a construction-site injury changed his outlook and career path. He enrolled at the
Community College of Allegheny County Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is a public community college in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. With four campuses and four centers, the college offers associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas. History The Pennsylvania legis ...
, earned an associate degree in general studies and attended Duquesne University while working for the Allegheny County Register of Wills. In 1992, he volunteered to work on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign when it made its way through Pittsburgh, leading to a 12-year career in politics.


Political career

Morehouse started as a volunteer motorcade driver for Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign and later hired as a paid member of the advance team, arranging crowds for Clinton's speeches. When Clinton won the election, Morehouse was named to the inauguration committee. That led to full-time work in the legislative affairs department at the Pentagon and a stint at the White House as deputy director of advance, coordinating advance operations for the President and First Lady. He later worked as communications director for Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Lee Brown; as director of strategic planning for retired U.S. Army general
Barry McCaffrey Barry Richard McCaffrey (born November 17, 1942) is a retired United States Army general and current news commentator, professor and business consultant who served in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as the Director of the Office of National Dru ...
at the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and as deputy director of D.A.R.E. Morehouse also went back to school, earning a master's degree in public administration from Harvard's
John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
.


Presidential campaigns

Vice President
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...
tapped Morehouse as senior advisor and trip director for his 2000 presidential campaign. On election night, when campaign officials heard about disputed returns from Florida, it was Morehouse who was assigned to physically prevent Gore from going on stage to concede at Nashville's War Memorial. That scene is recounted in the 2008 HBO film
Recount An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...
. Four years later, Morehouse joined Senator John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, working first in communications and becoming traveling chief of staff. He was responsible for day-to-day management of the road campaign and was named senior campaign representative during debate preparations and negotiations.


Sports management

Morehouse expected to transition to a career in consulting work after Kerry lost the election, but a new opportunity arose in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
Ron Burkle Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and managing partner of The Yucaipa Companies, LLC, a private investment firm that specializes in U.S. companies in the distribution, logistics, food, ...
, a co-owner of the NHL's
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
, was also a prominent Democratic donor and knew Morehouse from the campaign trail. Burkle hired him in a temporary role as senior consultant to help with the team's struggling bid for a new arena. Morehouse succeeded in that task, and, as a consequence, was added to the Penguins' senior management team by Burkle and co-owner
Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...
. Morehouse was named team president in 2007 and added the CEO duties in 2010, when the new arena (then CONSOL Energy Center, now PPG Paints Arena) opened its doors. "He came on as a consultant and when his deal was done, we just couldn't afford to lose him," Lemieux told the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
in 2010. "He was a great talent and a Pittsburgh guy, and he really understood the marketing and branding." Morehouse immediately commissioned a brand study, reshaped the Penguins' strategic vision and added an emphasis on youth hockey development. With a talented roster led by
Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
and
Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...
, the team has sold out every game since February 2007 and is consistently among the NHL's leaders in local TV ratings and social media. Two of his innovative ideas were a free pre-season game for kids (18,000 free tickets) and an annual event where Penguins players personally deliver season tickets to fans' homes.


Personal life

Morehouse and his wife, Vanessa, reside in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Shadyside with their four children. He received the Art Rooney Award for leadership and contributions to the Greater Pittsburgh Region in 2017 and an honorary doctorate in business leadership from Duquesne University in 2018. He also is a member of the board of directors of Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI), where he serves on the audit and technology committees. His charitable connections include Children's Hospital, the Hillman Cancer Center, the Strategic Investment Fund and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morehouse, David 1960 births Living people American boilermakers Businesspeople from Pittsburgh Clinton administration personnel Duquesne University alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Office of National Drug Control Policy officials Political activists from Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Penguins executives