Allan G. Kaupinen

Overview

Allan G. Kaupinen graduated from Kent State University. He worked at Procter and Gamble from 1958 to 1969, whereupon he began work at the White House as Staff Assistant to the President. He was responsible for staffing all Presidential and departmental public advisory boards and commissions and served as administrative officer in the White House Personnel Office. Beginning in 1970, he was also responsible for the recruitment, screening, and processing of Presidential appointees to Cabinet-level departments and agencies. He served as Special Assistant and later Regional Director on the Committee for the Re-Election of the President from November 1971 to November 1972. Following President Nixon’s reelection, he was once again made responsible for the recruitment, screening, and processing of Presidential appointees as Staff Assistant. In 1973 he became Assistant Administrator of the U. S. General Services Administration and in 1974 was made Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Inverness Capitol Corporation. He became the owner, President, and CEO of TRAC, Inc. in 1980. He has served as an executive consultant to TESI Mid-Atlantic since May 1998.

About the Transcript

In his interview, Alan Kaupinen discusses his observations on women in the workplace, particularly in government positions. He begins by describing his education and his work at Procter and Gamble in Ohio and moving up the management ladder there.  He then goes on to tell how he was hired to work in the White House and discusses his work during Nixon’s re-election campaign (1971-1972) and his duties in the Personnel Office, which included the recruitment and processing of Presidential employees to cabinet-level departments and agencies. During his time in the Personnel Office he worked alongside Barbara Franklin and reports his observations about her work. Next, he discusses his work at the General Services Administration and other more recent projects, such as his work with TEST Mid-Atlantic and his work with postwar planning for Iraq. In conclusion, he talks about his observations regarding women in the White House and in upper-level positions, especially, and the challenges he faced in recruiting them.