Our partner Maureen Kindel
December 28, 1937 – September 26, 2024
Longtime civic leader Maureen Kindel passed away on September 26. She was 86. For more than five decades, she mentored and advised dozens of elected and appointed officials and was a significant participant in the political, educational, and business life of the city. She also counseled young people, especially young women, who became professionals in public affairs, government, and education.
Throughout her career, Dr. Kindel distinguished herself in prominent public and private sector leadership positions. She was an adviser to Mayor Tom Bradley and was treasurer of his two campaigns for governor. Bradley appointed her President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, the first woman in the history of the city to serve in that position. Among other things, she initiated the city’s first program to increase the participation of minority and women-owned businesses in public contracting.
Kindel was a member of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 1984 Olympics, and along with Rafer Johnson, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Gil Vasquez, and Peter Ueberroth founded the LA84 Foundation which to this day helps young people “become life-ready through sports.” She also helped organize the hugely successful Los Angeles Summer Arts Festival preceding the games.
Kindel co-founded two prominent public affairs and lobbying firms. In 1987, Kindel and Cristina Rose founded Rose & Kindel. In 2010, she co-founded Kindel Gagan with five partners. She was founding director of the Los Angeles Business Federation, the Los Angeles Business Council, and the Pacific Council on Foreign Relations. For many years she served on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Committee of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. She also served on the board of the LA84 Foundation. She was a longtime member of The Trusteeship of Southern California, a chapter of the International Women’s Forum, to which she also belonged.
She served on the board of the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management’s Council on American Politics. She also served as a Regent Emeritus of Loyola Marymount University and Chair of the Board of Visitors of the LMU School of Education.
For decades, she embraced public education as a personal and professional passion. She helped design, organize, and lead three major Education Summits in Los Angeles, integrating participation by business and civic leaders, educators and public officials in examining the status and acute needs of the public education system. She obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in education from LMU.
Kindel is the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Los Angeles League of Women Voters Founder’s Award. Among her proudest achievements was working with President Nelson Mandela when he was released from prison and after he was elected President of South Africa.
Maureen Kindel was born in New York City. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1971, she worked in the Law Placement Office at New York University School of Law. She is survived by sons Tom and Gerry Flintoft, daughters-in-law Ingrid and Janette, and grandchildren Chelsea, Stefan, Collin, Caroline, and Aidan.