Robert Maginn
Robert A. Maginn Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1956 |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, political leader |
| Known for | Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party (2011–2013) |
Robert A. Maginn Jr. (born October 31, 1956) is a U.S. entrepreneur and political leader who led the Massachusetts Republican Party as its chair from 2011 until 2013.
Education
Maginn earned a B.S. in business administration summa cum laude from the University of Dayton. He also obtained three advanced degrees from Harvard University: a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Harvard Divinity School, an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, and a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in government through Harvard Extension School.
Business
Between 1983 and 2000, Maginn was employed at Bain & Company, where he rose to the positions of senior partner, board member, and director. He was a director at iBasis from 1997 to 2001. In 1998, Maginn co-established Jenzabar, a technology firm specializing in software for higher education institutions, acting as chairman and CEO. Presently, he is an operating partner at Energy Impact Partners and serves as a fellow at Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative.
From 2006 through 2010, he held non-executive directorships at ICx Technologies, where he chaired the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and contributed to the Audit and Compensation Committees. Additionally, Maginn was chair of New Media Japan and managing member of New Media Investors, LLC.
Politics
Maginn participated on the Republican Board of Governors and finance committees supporting Bob Dole, Mitt Romney, and Peter Torkildsen. He was the Republican candidate for Treasurer and Receiver-General in Massachusetts during the 1998 general election but was defeated by Democrat Shannon O'Brien, garnering 626,286 votes against her 1,120,757.
On December 1, 2011, Maginn won election as Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party by securing 51 votes over former U.S. Attorney Frank L. McNamara Jr., who received 21 votes. Following Mitt Romney’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2012—Romney being both a former employer and friend—Maginn chose not to run for another term in 2013.
Legal Affairs
In June 2017, investors in New Media Investors II-B LLC initiated legal action against Maginn for alleged breach of fiduciary duty related to his failure to facilitate the exercise of Jenzabar stock warrants. A March 2022 ruling held him liable for profiting nearly $81 million from stock warrants that were intended for investors. Subsequently, in November 2022, the Delaware Court of Chancery mandated that he compensate $25.5 million in damages for appropriating investors’ opportunity to acquire company shares.
Personal life
Maginn’s father, Robert A. Maginn Sr., served as president of Midwestern Consolidated Enterprises Inc., a plastics manufacturing firm based in Dayton, Ohio; his mother Valerie held the position of vice president.
He married his first wife in 1987. In 2001, he wed Chai Ling, a leader of the Tiananmen Square protests and founder of All Girls Allowed, an advocacy group opposing human rights abuses connected to China’s One-Child Policy. The couple has three daughters and resides in Belmont, Massachusetts.