Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Kilman.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in New Jersey, and my family moved to South Florida when I was a teenager. We lived in the suburbs but it was an easy drive to Pompano Beach, and some of my happiest memories from that time are of driving with friends to hang out and play beach volleyball on weekends. After high school, I studied finance at the University of Florida and then law at Harvard Law School. I’ve traveled extensively and studied and worked up and down the East Coast of the U.S., but South Florida always had a magnetic pull that brought me back.
My wife, Jessica, and I moved to Miami ten years ago when her then-employer transitioned its senior executive team down from New York City. I was then a partner in a law firm and had some flexibility as to where I could work. She’s built a great career here, and she is now Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel to a South Florida company that manages the largest privately-owned residential ship that travels the world. When we arrived, we saw that Miami had the potential to evolve into a world-class city, but the pace of change has been an exciting surprise and has created opportunities we could not have imagined. We’ve made great friends here, and despite our busy careers, we feel like we’ve become a part of the community.
We live with our children in Miami Beach. We chose Miami Beach because we like the vibrancy and diversity of the community, the relaxed vibe on weekends, and access to culture. Previously, we lived in a condominium in midtown Miami, but we found a great house we could buy just before the COVID lockdown.
My parents live in Boynton Beach, and my brother lives with his wife in Orlando. We are fortunate to have some family nearby. I have six children, so I’ve learned proximity to family is important. Our family loves to travel, and every summer we take the kids on an international adventure, always ending the summer in Jessica’s home state of Michigan, where we enjoy Michigan fudge and cool summer nights.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Perhaps the biggest challenge I have with such a busy career is maintaining a work/life balance. Putting the phone down when I am home is a daily struggle. Fortunately, our family takes time to travel together, and I’ve gotten better at living in the moment on vacations, especially ones that involve being outdoors.
What’s the point of taking them otherwise, right? I also focus on my health, especially as I get older and become more conscious of the science of healthy aging. I have not eaten meat in twenty-four years, and I try to maintain a low-inflammation diet.
I’d like to incorporate more stress management techniques—more yoga, more meditation, more time listening to music I love. I’m open to suggestions. Oh, and my wife also told me to mention that we could use a good handyman to help fix things around the house to lower our collective stress!
As you know, we’re big fans of Converge Public Strategies/Marcman Solutions/Govo Venture Partners. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am the Chairman and CEO of Converge Public Strategies, a Miami-headquartered government and public affairs firm that operates across the United States, Executive Chairman and co-founder of management consulting and services delivery firm Marcman Solutions, and general partner of venture capital firm GOVO Venture Partners. The path that led me from traditional legal practice to my current career has been winding and fulfilling. I’ve learned a lot along the way and I’ve met incredibly interesting people.
I began my career as a transactional lawyer in the Boston office of well-known law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. I then followed my passion for public policy, returned to the Sunshine State, and pivoted to government-related legal work. I first worked at a law firm as outside counsel to the Florida Speaker of the House, then as outside counsel to several agencies of Florida’s executive branch of government.
Following that evolution, I dove into a career representing clients before the executive and legislative branches of government, both as an attorney and as a lobbyist. I’ve had the chance to work at the forefront of policy innovation in sectors such as ridesharing, autonomous vehicles, micromobility, telehealth, fintech, and proptech, as well as the opportunity to advocate for nonprofit and government clients. After becoming a partner at a Florida-only law firm, I joined an international law firm, Foley & Lardner LLP, where I became partner and co-chair of a practice. I loved the work and my colleagues, but I had an entrepreneurial itch that couldn’t be scratched in the confines of law firm partnership.
In 2018, I took the entrepreneurial leap and co-founded Converge Public Strategies with a couple of trusted colleagues. Since that time the firm has grown tremendously. Our team has represented hundreds of clients on cutting-edge government business and policy matters at the state and local levels in Florida and across the United States. For example, on behalf of Miami-based parking and technology company REEF, Converge lobbied for the passage of the first-of-its-kind cloud kitchen ordinance in the country, unlocking a new legal model that empowers restaurant entrepreneurs. My colleagues and I also helped to advance legislation that created Florida’s often-touted autonomous vehicle laws. Today, Converge has professionals based in markets such as Florida, New York City, and Chicago, and we provide government relations services throughout North America to innovative companies, governments, and nonprofits.
In 2021, I co-founded Marcman Solutions along with fellow attorney Russell Marcus. Russell and I saw an opportunity to build a company that would deliver best-in-class solutions—and implementation of those solutions—to public sector clients. Marcman’s first project was helping the State of Florida to oversee the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars for Floridians who were financially impacted by COVID. On the foundation of the successful execution of that project, the company expanded its service lines, attracted top-level talent, and began to offer services in the private sector. Marcman’s current business verticals include Program and Funds Management, IT and Cybersecurity, Health & Human Services, and Infrastructure & Natural Resources. The company is working on exciting projects ranging from IT infrastructure modernization to solving resiliency problems and combatting opioid addiction with case management and analytics tools.
Most recently, at the beginning of 2023, along with general partners Rob Panepinto, Brian D’Ambrosio, and 1858 Capital Partners, I launched GOVO Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. Through GOVO’s initial fund, GOVO Fund I, the firm invests in early-stage companies, seed round through series A, for which doing business with government or navigating government regulation is an important success factor. The Fund has made three investments, including Rezilient Health, a hybrid in-person/telehealth primary care company, Jacksonville-based Urban SDK (where I serve on the board of directors), a geographic information systems data that help the government manage traffic and transportation challenges, and Kind Designs, a Miami-based company that produces 3-D printed “Living Seawalls.”
The current stage of my career may seem like a lot, but there is a common thread of innovation, government, and the private sector generating solutions to complex problems. Every day I wake up knowing there is a full to-do list, and that suits me well. I love the challenges, and even with the successes I’ve had, I feel like I am just getting started.
What do you most enjoy doing with your free time? What do you like least?
I like to travel with my family, exploring different cultures and cuisines. My favorite outdoor activities are hiking, kayaking, and skiing. I also love to visit contemporary art museums.
For a long time, I didn’t connect with contemporary art, especially the more abstract stuff. Now, contemporary abstract pieces dominate my art preferences. I am a big fan of hearing live music. Nothing compares to the energy of hearing music performed live.
I won’t share my dislikes. There is too much to enjoy in life to focus on the negatives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://convergepublic.com/
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-kilman-750a0951
