Northern Kentucky Democratic Veterans
At The Point!

Paul Louis Hackett, III was born March 30, 1962 and is a trial lawyer and a veteran of the Iraq War. Paul was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Paul and Beth Hackett, who lived at that time in Gates Mills. When an infant, Paul’s family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida and his father worked for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Company.

Before Paul started school his family returned to Ohio, and his father took a job with General Electric Company’s Aircraft Engine Division in the Cincinnati suburb of Evandale. Paul attended Seven Hills School and Indian Hill High School. He has a BA from Case Western Reserve University and a Juris Doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. He has also attended American University in Washington D.C., studying under the University’s Washington semester program in journalism. Paul was admitted to the Ohio Bar on November 7, 1988 and practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Paul saw active duty in the Marine Corps in 1989 to 1992 and then he joined the Select Marine Corps Reserve. In 2004 he volunteered for active duty in the Iraq War, spending seven months as a Civil Affairs Officer with the Fourth Civil Affairs Group of the First Marine Division. He was assigned to Ramadi and supported the Fallujah campaign and reconstruction efforts there. On October 12, 2004, a convoy under his command was hit by two roadside bombs, and fortunately Paul was uninjured. He returned to Ohio in early 2005.

Paul has served on the Milford City Council and entered the House of Representatives race against Jean Schmidt during the Ohio Second Congressional District Election in 2005. Although the District is heavily Republican, Paul gained instant recognition for his intellect, progressive ideas and vision. Paul narrowly lost the election and has been actively engaged in politics and has been getting his message out since that time.

We welcome Paul as an honorary member of our group and look forward to working with him in the future. More can be found out about Paul on his website.

Max Cleland was born in 1942 in Lithonia, Georgia and is a patriot, a Democrat, a former United States Senator and an American War Hero. Senator Cleland was a captain with the Sixty-Eighth Signal Battalion, First Calvary Division in the United States Army from 1965 through 1968. He lost both legs and his right arm when a grenade exploded during his service in Vietnam. Drawing on his own experience of pain, depression, and frustration, he arose to accomplish significant improvements for veterans returning from war and served his state and country well during his time in Congress.

Senator Cleland was the youngest administrator ever of the Veteran’s Administration, and a Senator from Georgia for six years. He has earned respect for his work and health care, bio-terrorism preparedness and homeland security.

We are honored to have Senator Max Cleland as an honorary member of the Democratic Veterans NKY At The Point. More information can be found regarding Senator Cleland on his website.

Roderick Macdonald has been Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development for General Cable since September 2001. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager, Electrical Cables since December 1999. With over $3.5 billion of annualized revenues and 7,700 employees, General Cable is a global leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial, and communications markets.

Macdonald began his career in military service. He was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1968 and served for 25 years in the British Army. He ended his distinguished career as a Brigadier General, commanding a special engineer brigade and all Army engineer training leading 6,500 people. In 1982 Macdonald was mentioned in dispatches for bravery in combat and in 1983 was made a member of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for leading commando forces in the Falkland’s War. Macdonald served in airborne and armored units as well as commando forces. He completed two operational tours in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and served in Belize and the Middle East.

Prior to retiring from the Army Macdonald ran a management consultancy business for 10 years with his brother Dr. Ian Macdonald. In 1983 he started up a small manufacturing business designing and manufacturing ultra-light aircraft and hang gliders and taught management for one year at the University of Southern California while studying for a Defense Fellowship. He began his full time civilian business career in January 1994 as Vice President Human Resources, Information Technology and Corporate Secretary for Commonwealth Aluminum Corporation, a leading manufacturer of flat rolled aluminum products. In 1995, Macdonald was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President, Corporate Systems for Commonwealth, and in 1997 he assumed the role of President of Alflex Corporation, a subsidiary of Commonwealth that manufactures armored cable products.

Macdonald holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Science and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in the UK and a registered (Chartered) engineer in both the UK and Europe. Macdonald has contributed published articles on varied subjects from defense to leadership.