Bill Walton hosts The Bill Walton Show which focuses on in-depth conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs and thinkers who offer deep insights into money, culture and politics. He also chairs the Resolute Protector Foundation, a 501(c)(3) media production company that creates and produces original, educational and entertainment content.

Bill has an extensive background in multiple leadership roles as an executive, investor and entrepreneur.

He has been involved in launching, leading and financing a wide variety of organizations. This includes established businesses, start-ups, art, music, education and theater organizations, as well as policy and political action groups and feature films.

In 2016 and 2017, Bill led the Agency Action and Landing Teams for all the Federal economic agencies – Treasury and the IRS, Commerce, USTR, SEC, Social Security, FCC and other independent financial agencies – for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Transition Team.

Bill served as chairman of the board and CEO of Allied Capital Corporation (NYSE) from 1997 to 2009, and as chairman until 2010 when the company was successfully merged with Ares Capital. Under his leadership Allied Capital grew from $600 million in managed assets to $9 billion. Its private equity portfolio held a majority interest in over 20 companies with aggregate revenues of over $5 billion.

Bill founded Rush River Entertainment, which was a producer of Max Rose, starring Jerry Lewis, released in August 2016 with an early cut screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2013. A second film, The Ticket, starring Dan Stevens, was selected as one of only 10 films for Tribeca Film Festival’s 2016 U.S. Narrative Competition.

Bill has served as a leader and board member of leading national policy, economics and business organizations: Heritage Foundation, American Conservative Union (CPAC), American Enterprise Institute, Media Research Center, Council for National Policy (President), US Chamber of Commerce, National Venture Capital Association, National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the Financial Services Roundtable.

In 2015 he served as Chairman of the Tea Party Patriots.

He has also served as a leader and board member of several of America’s major cultural institutions: The National Symphony Orchestra (President), Kelley School of Business (Chairman), Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts (Executive Committee and Chairman of the Finance Committee) and the National Gallery of Art (Collectors Committee and Trustees Council).

Earlier in his career, Bill worked as a Managing Director of Butler Capital Corporation, a private equity firm; as the personal investment advisor to William S. Paley, founder of CBS; Senior Vice President in Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb’s Merger and Acquisition Group and Vice President of Continental Illinois Bank.

With his wife Sarah, Bill also founded two for-profit education service providers: Language Odyssey which taught Spanish and French to K through 6th grade elementary schools students in 12 states, and SuccessLab which taught reading to inner-city public-school children in Chicago.

Bill earned his BS and MBA degrees (Beta Gamma Sigma) from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. He was educated in public schools in Indianapolis. In 1971-1972 he served in the U.S. Army at The Pentagon.

A Life member of NRA and MENSA, he lives with his wife, Sarah and their three terriers in Washington, VA. He is President of the Washington Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company.

Other Allied Capital Highlights:

• Doubled the Company’s market capitalization in 1997 by merging 5 publicly traded Allied Capital affiliates into one entity with a superior balance sheet and diversified income stream.
• Pioneered and partnered with GE Capital in a $3.6 billion SSLP Unitrache Fund (senior/mezzanine debt). The fund was wound down in 2017, earning a gross lifetime IRR of 20%.
• Started the nation’s leading CMBS B piece investor in 1998; anticipating deteriorating mortgage market conditions, exited the business in 2005 generating an IRR of 24% and a $228 million capital gain.
• Led Allied into the private equity buyout business which generated over $1 billion in realized capital gains; partnered with Goldman Sachs in 2007 in a $750 million buyout fund.
• Earned Investment Grade private and public debt ratings from all three major rating agencies.
• Increased annual dividends paid to shareholders from $68 million in 1998 to $417 million by 2007.
• After the 2008-2009 capital markets collapse and a “mark-to-market” portfolio decline, preserved significant shareholder value through the Company’s all-stock merger with Ares Capital in 2010.