“Obama might do well to remember that his fast rise from the Illinois state Senate was due in large part to an uncanny ability to make friends and find mentors.”

American business executive and former journalist

Ron Fournier is an American business executive and former journalist. He was the publisher and editor of Crain's Detroit Business until 2018, and earlier held senior reporting and editing roles at the Associated Press, National Journal, and The Atlantic. He worked as Washington bureau chief for the AP until leaving in June 2010. He later became a senior advisor at the public relations and lobbying firm Truscott Rossman, reflecting a career that moved between political reporting, business journalism, and communications.