Brad Handler
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Brad Handler | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 19, 1967 |
| Education | Thomas Jefferson High School |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS) |
| Occupation | Chairman |
| Employer | Inspirato |
| Board member of | New Moon |
| Website | inspirato.com |
Brad Handler (born July 19, 1967) is an American entrepreneur and attorney best known for his success in the destination club industry and his role as the first in-house attorney at eBay. He is a founder and chairman of Inspirato, a private, luxury destination club. In 2002, along with his brother Brent Handler, he founded Exclusive Resorts,[1] where he served as chairman, CEO and vice-chairman.[2] He served as eBay's in-house attorney from 1997 to 2001.[3] He is based in Palo Alto, California.
Handler was born July 19, 1967, in Denver, Colorado, the son of Suzanne and Norton Handler. He has one sibling, younger brother Brent Handler. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School (Denver), where he played tennis and competed on the debate team, and graduated in 1985. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. In 1995, he earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law,[4] where he served as the managing editor of the Virginia Law Review from 1994 to 1995. In 2000, Handler helped establish the University of Virginia School of Law's Law and Technology Initiative Fund in support of research, scholarship and entrepreneurial activity.[5]
Early career
From 1989 to 1990, Handler worked as a consultant for American Management Systems. From 1990 to 1992, Handler worked as a technical review specialist at Apple Inc. After graduating from law school, he worked for two years as an associate at Cooley Godward LLP.
eBay
In October 1997, Handler joined eBay after being recruited to run their business development group but convincing them they needed an in-house attorney.[6] As eBay's first in-house lawyer, Handler was responsible for eBay's user agreement, privacy policy and eBay's government relations group.[7] He was also instrumental in the establishment of the eBay Foundation in 1998,[8] creating the first framework for allocating pre-IPO shares into a company foundation. Handler left his full-time position at eBay in December 2001, but continued as a consultant for another 18 months.
Exclusive Resorts
In 2002, Handler and his brother Brent, along with Tom Filippini, founded destination club Exclusive Resorts after coming up with the idea while sitting on the beach together in Hawaii.[9] Brad Handler served as the company's chairman, CEO and vice-chairman between 2002 and 2009, a period of great innovation and growth that led to Exclusive Resorts becoming the recognized industry leader.[10] In 2004, the Handler brothers sold majority ownership of Exclusive Resorts to Steve Case.[11] By the end of 2009, Exclusive Resorts claimed over 3,250 members, nearly 400 homes, and delivered nearly 100,000 completed vacations.[12] Brad Handler stepped down from his role on the Exclusive Resorts’ board of directors in 2011.