About Scott Cleland
01/1/2006 — Present
*Precursor LLC*
President
Design Consulting
McLean, VA
Scott Cleland is a precursor: a research analyst with a track record of industry firsts and a history of spotlighting harmful industry behavior and misrepresentation. Cleland is President of Precursor® LLC, a Fortune 500 research consultancy focused on the future of Internet competition, privacy, security, property rights, innovation and algorithmic markets. Scott Cleland is author of the book: Search & Destroy: Why You Can't Trust Google Inc. www.SearchAndDestroyBook.com Cleland also authors the widely-read www.PrecursorBlog.com; publishes www.GoogleMonitor.com; and serves as Chairman of www.NetCompetition.org, a pro-competition e-forum supported by broadband interests. Eight Congressional subcommittees have sought Cleland’s expert testimony and Institutional Investor twice ranked him the #1 independent telecom analyst. Scott Cleland has been profiled in Fortune, National Journal, Barrons, WSJ’s Smart Money, and Investors Business Daily.
07/1/1999 — 12/1/2005
*Precursor Group*
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Independent Research Broker Dealer
Washington , DC
Cleland founded and co-built Precursor Group® Broker Dealer from scratch to the #1 Institutional Investor-recognized independent research firm in communications in four years. The firm served most of the top investment institutions in the U.S., including 39 of the top 50.
At that time and in that role, Cleland was well-known as one of the most-widely quoted and interviewed analysts in the United States. In 2002, Cleland conceived and was the Founding Chairman of the Investorside Research Association, the first and only association of independent research firms. Also in 2002, Institutional Investor Magazine called Cleland "the de facto spokesperson for the independent research community." During this time, he testified before Congress on both the conflicts-of-interest and accounting tricks that contributed to widespread telecom bankruptcies and Internet fraud during the dotcom market bubble. In addition, Cleland was the lead source and primary analyst for Hedrick Smith's Emmy Award winning PBS Frontline Special, "The Wall Street Fix."
EDUCATION:
10/1/1992 - 01/1/1993
*U.S. Department of State*
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Communications & Information Policy
U.S. Government
Washington DC, 20520
Responsible for Communications & Information Policy for the U.S. Department of State.
Professional Organizations:
U.S. Department of State Advisory Council on International Communications and Information Policy Co-founder, Investorside Research Association
Community Service:
McLean Bible Church
Hobbies / Activities:
Family activities, reading, movies, sports
With over 20 years of consulting and policy-making experience, Scott Cleland has established himself as one of the foremost national authorities in the information and communications technologies industry. One of the best-known forward-looking analysts in the nation, Scott Cleland was Founder and CEO of the Precursor Group, an Institutional Investor top-ranked independent investment research boutique in 2004 and 2005, and he also worked in institutional investment research for Legg Mason and Schwab Washington Research Group. In 1982, Scott Cleland earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Kalamazoo College, and he was later honored as an alumnus with the college’s Distinguished Achievement Award for his impressive career history. In 1984, Scott Cleland earned his Master’s in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin; his Master’s thesis was on the polish coal trade based on research conducted in Krakow Poland in the summer of 1983. Although much of his work is now focused on delivering results for businesses, Scott Cleland started his professional career in public service. After working in the U.S. Executive Office of the President at the U.S. Department of Treasury, Scott Cleland concluded his career in the public sector in 1992, serving in the U.S. Department of State, as a Senior Advisor to Secretary of State James A. Baker and as Deputy U.S. Coordinator for Information and Communications Policy for President George H. W. Bush. In 1999, Scott Cleland founded Precursor Group, an acclaimed research broker-dealer serving the vast majority of the United States’ top investment institutions. As the Chairman and CEO of Precursor Group, Scott Cleland produced investment research for almost 200 investment institutions, including 39 of the top 50. During his tenure at Precursor Group, Scott Cleland became the most widely quoted analyst in the country due to his thorough knowledge of the industry. Scott Cleland left Precursor Group in 2005 to become the President of Precursor LLC, a consulting firm for Fortune 500 companies. Scott Cleland and Precursor LLC provide analyses of the future of the technology sector and identify potential changes in public policy and capital markets. In addition, Scott Cleland serves as the Chairman for NetCompetition.org, which represents broadband interests in the net neutrality debate. Scott Cleland also publishes two websites on Google. A watchdog site, GoogleMonitor.com, strives to make Google more transparent and accountable. Googleopoly.net compiles Precursor’s world-leading research on Google antitrust issues.
Scott Cleland Links
