Amory Houghton, Chairman and Founder
At his retirement, former Congress-man Amo Houghton (R-New York) was the sixth ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired its Oversight Subcommittee, and served on its Trade Subcommittee. He also was a member of the International Relations Committee and vice chairman of its Subcommittee on Africa.Houghton built a reputation as a results-oriented congressman who espoused moderate social programs and conservative fiscal policy. He was a founder of 1997′s historic Bipartisan Congressional Retreat, which focused on the role of civility in political life.
Houghton is the founder of the John Quincy Adams Society, an issues forum that brings together moderate officeholders with top business leaders. He also is an active member of a group of moderate Republicans that has worked to produce a balanced budget.
The only former CEO of a Fortune 500 firm ever to serve in the House, Houghton is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School. He joined Corning Glass Works (now Corning, Incorporated) as an accountant in 1951 after serving as a Pfc. in the Marine Corps. He retired from Corning in 1986 after serving as president, board chairman and chief executive officer.
Houghton and his wife, Priscilla, make their home in Corning, New York.
Tom Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer
Former U.S. Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) is President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership. Congressman Davis served seven terms in the United States House representing Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.In the House Davis served as Chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, as well as Chair of the subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy. Congressman Davis’ vigilant oversight of large dollar federal contracts resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars saved for the taxpayers. Davis also authored significant portions of the 9-11 Implementations Act and under his leadership the Committee conducted oversight on and investigated matters related to the effective administration of government programs of great public interest.
Davis’ success on the legislative front has been matched by his success at growing the GOP. In 1998, Davis was elected Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. After defying the pundits by maintaining the GOP’s majority in the House in November 2000, Davis was easily re-elected to again lead the NRCC through 2002.
Davis’ tenure as NRCC Chairman reached an end after the fall 2002 elections, in which House Republicans made history: only three times since the Civil War has the President’s party added House seats during the midterm elections.
Prior to his election to Congress, Tom was the chief elected official in Fairfax County, the eleventh most populous municipality with the second largest county budget in the United States. In 1993, during Tom’s tenure as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County was recognized as the nation’s best financially managed county.
Formerly the Vice President and General Counsel of PRC, Inc., a high technology and professional services firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Tom moved to the position of Corporate Counsel upon his election as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Before his election to that post, Tom served for 12 years as Mason District’s representative to the Board. Tom is also a charter member and past president of the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club, and he has served on numerous charity boards.
Tom was born in Minot, North Dakota on January 5, 1949, and moved with his family to Fairfax County at an early age. He graduated as president of his class from the United States Capitol Page School following four years as a U.S. Senate Page. He went on to Amherst College, graduating with honors in Political Science, and subsequently earned his law degree from the University of Virginia. Tom also attended Officer Candidate School, served on active duty in the U.S. Army, and spent eight years with the Virginia National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.
In addition to serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Republican Main Street Partnership, Congressman Davis has also accepted a position as director with Deloitte’s Federal Government Services. Davis will advise Deloitte’s clients on major trends, opportunities and challenges facing the federal government, with a focus on technology innovation and government transformation.
Nancy Johnson, Board Member
Nancy Johnson (R-CT) represented Connecticut’s Sixth District from 1983 to 2007. Representative Johnson was the first Republican woman to serve on the Ways and Means Committee and was the first woman ever to chair one of its subcommittees. Throughout her congressional career, Johnson was a national leader on health care reform, winning passage of several measures making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
As a leading spokesperson on women’s issues, Johnson sponsored legislation to maintain quality mammogram standards and to ban discrimination against women and others with a genetic disposition toward diseases like breast cancer. Thanks to her efforts, homemakers can contribute to their Individual Retirement Accounts at the same level as their wage-earning spouses. Representative Johnson was an active and outspoken member of the Republican Main Street Partnership during her time in Congress.
Doug Ose, Board Member
Former Congressman Doug Ose (R-CA) represented California’s 3rd Congressional District for three terms. First elected in 1998, Ose was was named a “Hero of the Taxpayers” by Americans for Tax Reform, earned a “Tax Fighter” award from the National Tax Limitation Committee and was saluted as a “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Business. In Congress, Ose voted for one of the largest tax cuts in American history — a $1.35 trillion tax reform package that ended the marriage penalty tax, lowered the death tax and increased child tax credits for American families. He was Chairman of a House Government Reform Committee, holding the IRS and other federal agencies accountable for wasting tax money. He spearheaded the Government Waste and Corrections Act aimed at stopping wasteful federal spending that was costing taxpayers $30 billion annually. He opposed automatic pay raises for members of Congress, and introduced legislation requiring members of Congress to forfeit their pay for every day the federal budget is late.
Ose was born in Sacramento in 1955. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife, Lynnda, have two daughters, Erika and Emily.
David Thomas, Executive Director
David Thomas is Executive Director of the Republican Main Street Partnership. Thomas joined Main Street in 2008. Thomas came to Main Street after serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Tom Davis (R-VA).
Before serving as Chief of Staff to Rep. Davis, Thomas was Associate Political Director for the Office of Political Affairs in the Bush White House. During his time at the White House, Thomas oversaw the Western Region of the United States, where he facilitated regional political and policy discussions.
In addition to his time in the White House, Thomas also previously served as Campaign Manager and District Director for Rep. Davis.
Thomas is a graduate of George Mason University and resides in Virginia with his wife and two children.
Sarah Chamberlain, CPA Chief Financial Officer
Sarah Chamberlain serves as Chief Financial Officer for Republican Main Street Partnership. Prior to serving as CFO, Chamberlain was Executive Director of the John Quincy Adams Society and RMSP.
Chamberlain is a graduate of the University of Delaware and received her Masters from Elmira College in New York. She resides with her daughter in Virginia.
