K. Riva Levinson is a globally recognized political strategist and international field operative. For over four decades, she has navigated the corridors of power—from the legendary firm of Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly in the mid-1980s, where the blueprint for modern political chaos was born—to the founding her own consultancy, KRL International. Some describe Riva’s career as having a "Forrest Gump-like" ability to find herself at the center of historical events, with a knack for making the impossible possible. Others remain convinced she was a spy.

Riva holds degrees from Tufts and Georgetown universities and an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Ghana. Her first book, Choosingthe Hero, chronicles her work advising Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—Africa’s first democratically elected female president—guiding her through exile, war, historic elections, and the rebuilding of a nation. The book was hailed as a “riveting geopolitical thriller” and is being republished for its tenth anniversary this year. Misadventures on K Street serves as its prequel: the raw origin story revealing how today’s lobbying machinery was built, and how Riva was forged inside it.