Karl Zinsmeister (left) and Ben Sasse Karl Zinsmeister was an American original. I worked for Karl for about a year and a half many years ago. He had an unusual career path that matched his eclectic interests; when he joined the Philanthropy Roundtable, he had been a magazine editor, war correspondent, domestic policy adviser in the George W. Bush White House, and head of marketing for an Arts and Crafts-style furniture manufacturer in his native Central New York.