Thomas J. Donohue is president and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce, the Federation’s largest business, representing 3 million companies, associations and local chambers, and American Chambers of Commerce abroad.
Since taking office in 1997, Donohue has revitalized the organization of the company to significantly increase enrollment and revenues, strengthening relations with national and local chambers, and expansion of the weight of the House in Washington DC, and its international activities in the world.
Donohue has more than tripled the size of the advocacy team of the House, adding dozens of policy experts recognized nationally for staff. The House once again expanded the political agenda has supported, financed and helped to elect pro-business candidates in close congressional races.
These and other initiatives Donohue, the Chamber led to significant legislative achievements such as major tax cuts, a trade agreement with China, and increased funding for transportation and the defeat of the fight against the trade such as the new ergonomics regulations and increased business tax.
Donohue led by less than a new body of law reform has been created to challenge the class action trial lawyers, judicial reform, and elect judges fair. Aggressive National Litigation Center, the Chamber of Commerce, Office of General Counsel, has won more than 70 cases over the past two years alone save American business over $ 100 billion a year.
According to Industry Week magazine, is the Ministry of Donohue “more aggressive, energetic and animated than at any time in its history.” The Washington Post wrote: “Nobody has mastered the new game better than Washington’s Tom Donohue. … ”
Declaring that “business should stop apologizing” to provide Americans with 130 million jobs, retirement benefits for 90 million, and healthcare for 177 million, is Donohue and companies of all sizes Chamber hub through major challenges that will shape the future of America. These challenges include the promotion of free trade, modernize our transportation infrastructure, strengthen our country’s leadership in technology, increasing the supply of skilled and available, and advocate for legal and tax reform law.
Prior to his current post, Donohue served for 13 years as president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the national organization for the trucking industry. He was the driving force in making ATA one of the most powerful and effective lobbies in Washington, DC
Before leaving ATA, Donohue served as vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce for eight years. Before that, he was postmaster general assistant vice president in Washington, DC, general regional assistant postmaster in San Francisco and New York and vice president of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Donohue also serves on several boards, including Union Pacific Corporation, Qwest, XM Satellite Radio, Sunrise Assisted Living Corporation and Marymount University.
He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Chairman of the Committee for Trade Negotiations and the President of the Council of the 21st century workforce.
Donohue is also President of the Center for International Private Enterprise program, the National Endowment for Democracy, which is dedicated to developing market-oriented institutions around the world.
Born in New York City in 1938, Donohue earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and a Masters in Business Administration from Adelphi University. He also received honorary degrees from Adelphi, St. John’s, and Marymount Universities.
Tom Donohue and his wife, Liz, live in Potomac, Maryland. They have three son.
