• EDUCATION:
  • B.S. - Vanderbilt University

David Thomas

Principal

When it comes to shaping public policy, David R. Thomas is a triple threat. He has 12 years’ seasoning in the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government: first as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for Vice President Al Gore; later as the top lobbyist at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); and most recently as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).

David is the Co-Founder of Majority Under 40 - a group of young Democratic lobbyists whose mission is to help new Democrats in Congress adapt to life in Washington. Majority Under 40 was created after the 2006 midterm elections, and the group has organized meet and greets for over 50 Congressional Democrats during the 110th and 111th Congresses.

David served for more than four years as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Lofgren who represents San Jose and Silicon Valley. He developed and oversaw all legislative, political and communications initiatives for Congresswoman Lofgren. He frequently met and strategized with constituents in the high tech community on a varitey of issues including cybersecurity, tax and trade policy, intellectual property and innovation.

During his tenure with Congresswoman Lofgren, she was elected chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, which consists of thirty-four Democratic Members of the House of Representatives from California. David also engaged directly with the Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, Science and House Administration.

Prior to working for Congresswoman Lofgren, David was the Director of Congressional Relations at the Federal Trade Commission. There he advised the FTC Chairman and Commissioners on legislative strategy and promoted all FTC policy initiatives on Capitol Hill. Among them: online privacy issues, the principles of corporate merger reviews, Hart-Scott-Rodino reform, consumer protection and gasoline pricing investigations. He also proved his mettle by shepherding the FTC’s budget request through the appropriations process.

During the Clinton Administration, David served as a senior liaison between Vice President Gore and the U.S. Congress. Working from the Vice President’s office of Legislative Affairs, David advanced White House policy propsals on Capitol Hill. He helped create a long-term strategy for the Vice President’s interactions with Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. David’s management skills were tried and proven true as he traveled with Vice President Gore throughout the United States and organized the involvement of Members of Congress on all domestic trips. Attending the Kyoto Global Warming Conference, David coordinated the Vice President’s travel with large Congressional delegations in attendance.

David began his career in Washington, D.C. working in the office of U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH).

David resides with his wife Brooke and their two children in Washington, D.C.