Ronald Weiser

Ronald N. Weiser (born July 7, 1945) is an American businessman, philanthropist, diplomat, politician, and political fundraiser. He is the founder of McKinley Associates Inc., a real estate investment company. From 2001 to 2004, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia under the George W. Bush administration. A major donor and financier for the Republican Party, Weiser played key fundraising roles in the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, John McCain, and Donald Trump. He was elected to the University of Michigan Board of Regents in 2016, serving until 2025, and chaired the Michigan Republican Party during three separate terms (2009–2011, 2017–2019, and 2021–2023).

Early life, education and real estate career Weiser was born in South Bend, Indiana on July 7, 1945. He graduated in 1966 from the School of Business at University of Michigan.

In 1968, Weiser founded the real estate company McKinley Associates Inc., which is based in Ann Arbor. He was its chairman and chief executive officer until 2001, when he retired from the role upon being confirmed as ambassador to Slovakia. In 2016, McKinley reportedly had $500 million in annual revenue, and had a real estate portfolio valued at $4.6 billion.

University of Michigan In 2014, Weiser unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan. He was elected to the Board of Regents in 2016, defeating incumbent Laurence Deitch. Weiser was, at the time of his election, the only Republican on the board. His term expired on January 1, 2025.

By June 2020, Weiser and his ex-wife had donated more than $100 million to the University of Michigan. He announced donations of $50 million in 2015, $10 million in 2018,

The relationship between Weiser's ownership of an Ann Arbor real-estate company, and his roles on the Board of Regents and as a major donor, became controversial during arguments over whether to re-open the university during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Republican Party

Weiser and other state party chairs meet with President Donald Trump in 2017.

Weiser is a major Republican financier and one of Michigan's biggest political donors. He held fundraising roles for the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush and the 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain. He was Ambassador to Slovakia under President George W. Bush from December 5, 2001 to December 19, 2004.

Weiser was Michigan Republican State Finance Chair from 2005 to 2006. He held the position from 2009 to 2011, and again from 2017 to 2019. In 2021, Weiser defeated the incumbent chair, Laura Cox, amid an acrimonious internal party feud sparked by Cox's allegations that Weiser was involved in two payoff schemes. Weiser denied the allegation made by Cox.

In February 2011, he was appointed as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC)'s National Finance Transition Committee. He was the RNC's National Finance Chair from April 2011 to February 2013.

Weiser was selected in 2016 to lead the RNC's fundraising efforts for Donald Trump. Weiser was a Michigan delegate to the 2020 Republican National Convention; the 73-member Michigan delegation voted unanimously for Trump. In the 2020 election cycle, Weiser and his ex-wife gave $1.6 million to Republican causes, including nearly $168,000 to support Republican state House candidates. He elaborated further, emphasizing, “We happen to live in a democracy where officials are elected by the people. The only way you can change the leadership is to get out and vote.”

After the remarks were publicized, causing an uproar, Weiser said, "I apologize to those I offended for the flippant analogy about three women who are elected officials and for the off-hand comments about two other leaders." He claimed that he had never advocated for violence and added, "While I will always fight for the people and policies I believe in, I pledge to be part of a respectful political dialogue going forward." Ilitch added, "It has become clear that serving as chair of a statewide political party is simply not compatible with serving on this board."

Personal life Weiser married Eileen in 1983, and was divorced in 2021. He currently resides in Petoskey, Michigan. He has three adult children.

Weiser is on the Atlantic Council's Board of Directors.

Weiser is Jewish.