Council on American Politics

The Honorable Tony Coelho

Tony Coelho is also an established figure on the U.S. political scene. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 from California's Central Valley. He ascended the House Leadership ranks quickly, serving first as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 1981 to 1986, and then as the first-ever elected Majority Whip from 1987 to 1989. As Majority Whip, the third ranking position in the House leadership, Mr. Coelho was responsible for securing the votes needed to pass the legislative agenda.

While in the House, Mr. Coelho authored the Americans with Disabilities Act, widely recognized as the most important piece of civil rights legislation in the last 30 years. Mr. Coelho also served in senior positions on the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Administration Committees during his ten years in the House.

After leaving Congress in 1989, Mr. Coelho joined Wertheim Schroder & Company, Inc., an investment-banking firm in New York . He served as a managing director until 1995. From 1990 to 1995 he also served as president and CEO of Wertheim Schroder Investment Services, a firm that he grew from $400 million to $4 billion in managed investments. In 1995, Mr. Coelho formed ETC w/TCI, an education and training technology company in Washington , D.C. , where he served as chairman and Chief Executive Officer until it was sold in late 1997.

In 1999, Mr. Coelho returned to politics when Vice President Gore asked him to serve as the general chairman of his presidential campaign. Mr. Coelho was instrumental in refocusing the campaign; including relocating its headquarters to Nashville , Tenn. Mr. Coelho's leadership helped Vice President Gore capture the Democratic nomination while winning every primary and caucus. In June of that year, Mr. Coelho resigned his position due to health concerns but continued as a key advisor to the Vice President.

Mr. Coelho's former and current business affiliations include service on a number of corporate boards. He served as executive chairman and director of ICF Kaiser International, Inc., and as director of Circus Circus, Inc. (now Mandalay Bay, Inc.); AutoLend Group; Kaleidoscope Network, Inc.; Pinnacle Global Group, Inc., and Cadiz, Inc. He currently serves on the boards of Universal Access, Cyberonics, Inc. and Service Corporation International.

While on the Circus Circus board, he served as chairman of the Compensation Committee and was a member of the Audit Committee. Currently on the Cadiz Board, he serves on the Compensation and Audit Committees. He is Chairman of the Compensation Committee for Cyberonics and the Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee for Service Corporation International.

In addition to his work in the private sector, Mr. Coelho continues to devote much of his time to public service. He served as chairman of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities from 1994 to 2001. In 1998, President Clinton also appointed him as vice chair to the National Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities and as co-chair to the U.S. Census Monitoring Board. Mr. Coelho was also the U.S. Commissioner General to the 1998 World Exposition in Lisbon , Portugal . Previously, in 1995, he was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the United States Intelligence Community.

A native of California , Mr. Coelho earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1964 from Loyola Marymount University , where he served as student body president during his senior year. He began his career in 1965 as a legislative assistant to Congressman Bernie Sisk and served as Mr. Sisk's chief of staff from 1971 to 1977 before being elected to the House upon Mr. Sisk's retirement.

Mr. Coelho and his wife, Phyllis, live near Washington , D.C. They have two daughters, Nicole and Kristin.