He graduated from American University School of Public Affairs,[7] where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1981.
[10] In May 2018, he gave the commencement address to the university's School of Communications and was given an honorary PhD degree.
Kempner was presented The Gay And Lesbian Victory Fund's 2014 Corporate Leadership Award on behalf of MikeWorldWide.
[8] In 2010, Kempner hosted a $30,400/plate Democratic Party fundraising dinner attended by President Obama at his home in Cresskill, New Jersey.
"[8][34] In September 2012, he was listed by The New York Times as one of the top "bundlers" for Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, having raised $3 million in 2011 and through May 2012.
[5] In January 2014, President Obama nominated Kempner to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees federally controlled outlets that operate overseas.
[37] Kempner is on the board of directors for three US Agency for Global Media networks: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL); Radio Free Asia (RFA); and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).