Tom Perriello
President and CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and Counselor for Policy to the Center for American Progress
Tom Perriello is President and CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and Counselor for Policy to the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining American Progress, he served in the U.S. Congress, representing rural, urban, and suburban communities across central and southern Virginia. He was a member of the Veterans Affairs and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees, and a founding member of the House Majority Leader’s National Security Working Group.
While serving in Congress, Perriello was the 2009 recipient of the Truman National Security Project Wise Man/Woman of the Year award. He also received Legislator of the Year honors from the National Association of Development Organizations and the UFCW Minority Coalition as well as an A+ rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association—one of fewer than 20 members of the House or Senate to do so—for his work to expand GI bill benefits to cover vocational training, require pre- and post-service PTSD screening, and protect returning heroes from foreclosure.
Since leaving office in January 2011, he conducted research and wrote commentary on the Arab Spring through a variety of nongovernment organizations. Before serving in Congress, Perriello managed teams working on conflict resolution and democratic transitions in Africa, Afghanistan, and other regions, and taught courses on Justice and Security at the University of Virginia Law School and the University of Sierra Leone. He also served as special advisor and acting spokesperson to the International Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone from the tribunal’s launch through the diplomatic showdown that forced Liberian dictator Charles Taylor from power.
Perriello also was assistant director of the Center for a Sustainable Economy, an organization that develops economic incentives to promote sustainability in developed and emerging markets. And he helped lead a resurgence of moderate and progressive faith leaders advocating on issues of poverty, economic fairness, tolerance, and environmental stewardship. He helped to launch Faith in Public Life, FaithfulAmerica.org, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and Catholics United. He also has advised and served on the boards of organizations dedicated to preserving Social Security and Medicare, developing grassroots legal empowerment, and promoting youth civic participation.
Perriello is a graduate of Yale University and the Yale Law School.
