Don Avenson has 44 years of legislative experience including eight years as Speaker of the Iowa House, nearly twice as long as any other Speaker in Iowa history. Don was the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1990. Since founding AOC in 1991 he has been called a visionary consultant and a master strategist and he has the respect of both sides of the aisle. Todays Iowas legislative leaders in both parties often seek his advice on managing the legislative process.
Brice Oakley has served since 1961 in virtually every branch of state and local government including Assistant Attorney General, School Board, State Representative, and Governors Administrative Counsel. He managed state government relations services for nine years for the largest health insurers in America. His volunteer civic work has included chair of the Iowa Arts Council and the Iowa State Capitol Planning Commission. He joined AOC in 1996.
Tom Cope served for nearly seven years as the chief of staff to the Iowa Senate Majority Leader. Prior to that, he served as Republican Congressman Jim Leach's Iowa district office director, and later as Director of Communications for the Iowa GOP. He joined AOC in 2003. In 2011 Tom was elected to the Johnston City Council, one of the fastest growing cities in Iowa. He currently serves as the American Legislative Exchange Council's private sector chair for Iowa.
