Fred J. Kleisner

Elected to NOLS Board of Trustees: June 1996, June 2003
NOLS Graduate: 1992 Wind River Wilderness, 1993 Alaska Sea Kayaking

Fred graduated from his first NOLS course—a 25 and over Wind River Wilderness course—in 1992. The following year he attended a 25 and over sea kayaking course in Prince William Sound, Alaska. A natural, Kleisner’s instructors noted that he was “born in a kayak.”

Kleisner is chair and chief executive officer of Dallas-based Wyndham International, Inc. He joined Wyndham in 1999 as president and chief operating officer, was named CEO in April 2000, and named chair of the board of directors in October 2000. Wyndham was recently named by Fortune magazine as #12 among its list of “the top 50 companies in the US for minorities.”

Throughout his professional life, Kleisner has assumed an active role in the various communities where he has lived, both in professional and civic pursuits. He is a member of Washington, D.C.’s Alfalfa Club, the chair of the NAACP’s Corporate Campaign Fund, the chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Multi-Cultural and Diversity Advisory Council, a trustee of the Culinary Institute of America, and a number of other professional and business organizations. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan awarded Kleisner for the best summer youth program in the United States.

Kleisner and his wife have four children and four grandchildren. His daughter, an alumna of two NOLS courses, began the Kleisner interest in NOLS.

In addition to his passion for the hotel industry, Kleisner is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys kayaking, mountaineering, skiing, and golf.

Fred Kleisner served as a member of the NOLS Board of Trustees from June 1996 to June 2002, and then joined the NOLS Advisory Council for a year. Fred was re-elected to serve on the NOLS Board of Trustees in June 2003. In June of 2004 Fred was elected vice chair of the NOLS Board and in June of 2005 he was elected as chair. In addition to serving as current chair he also chairs the Executive Committee, serves on the Governance Committee, and serves ex officio on the Risk Management Committee.