Bob Poe

Bob Poe is an American businessman and former cabinet member who ran for Governor of Alaska in the 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election. Poe announced his candidacy in January 2009 and was the first Democrat to announce his intention to run for governor. On June 14, 2010 he announced that he was withdrawing from the gubernatorial race.

Early life and education Poe spent his early years in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood of Webster Groves, St. Louis, Missouri.

Poe's mother was a teacher, and his father received training in dentistry. Poe's father was forced to cease studying dentistry after he experienced momentary blindness.

He graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School. In 1977, he earned a bachelor's degree in business finance from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). Poe studied for a Master of Business Administration from the same university, earning his degree in 1979 with a concentration in international finance and economics. Poe managed the state's international trade offices in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and was in charge of overseeing trade relations with the Russian government.

Poe became the vice president of the ASCG Inc., a subsidiary of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and in 2004 he became the president and CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC).

Run for governor

On January 8, 2009, Bob Poe announced his candidacy for Governor of Alaska in the 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election. Poe withdrew from the gubernatorial race in June 2010 because he did not have enough funds.