Fix The Debt

Erskine Bowles

Co-Founder, Campaign to Fix the Debt
Co-Chair, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Erskine Bowles served with Sen. Alan Simpson as the co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. In the Clinton Administration, he served as the director of the Small Business Administration, the deputy chief of staff, and the chief of staff. He served as president of the University of North Carolina system from 2006 until 2010. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1967) and Columbia University's Graduate School of Business (1969).
 

Senator Alan Simpson

Co-Founder, Campaign to Fix the Debt
Co-Chair, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Senator Alan K. Simpson served with Erskine Bowles as the co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978 and served three consecutive terms. He was also the Republican whip from 1985 to 1995. An Army veteran, he has served as the assistant attorney general of Wyoming and a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming at Laramie (1954) and the University of Wyoming School of Law (1958).

Senator Judd Gregg

Co-Chair, Campaign to Fix the Debt

Judd Gregg served as a United States Senator from 1993 to 2011 and was Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Prior to his tenure in the Senate, Senator Gregg served as Governor of New Hampshire (1989-1993) and as U.S. Representative (1981-1989). Senator Gregg is a national leader on fiscal policy, a well-known budget expert, and a respected voice on health care, economic, and financial regulatory issues. Senator Gregg served on the National Commission on Fiscal responsibility and Reform. Senator Gregg attended Columbia University (A.B. 1969), received his J.D. in 1972 from Boston University Law School and his L.L.M. in tax law in 1975.

Governor Ed Rendell

Co-Chair, Campaign to Fix the Debt

Edward G. Rendell was the 45th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell has also served as Mayor and District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia. From 2008 to 2009, Gov. Rendell was Chair of the National Governors Association. He served as General Chair of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 presidential election. Gov. Rendell, along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, founded Building America's Future, a national infrastructure-investment coalition. Governor Rendell is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and of the Villanova Law School and served in the United States Army.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Co-Chair, Campaign to Fix the Debt

Michael R. Bloomberg is the 108th Mayor of the City of New York. He was first elected in November 2001, two months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a time when many believed that crime would return, businesses would flee, and New York might take decades to recover. Instead, through hundreds of innovative new policies and initiatives, Mayor Bloomberg has made New York City safer, stronger, and greener than ever. The Mayor's economic policies have helped New York City avoid the level of job losses that many other cities experienced during the national recession. And since October 2009, New York has added as many private sector jobs as the next ten largest U.S. cities combined. Michael Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University, where he paid his tuition by taking loans and working as a parking lot attendant. After college, he went on to receive an MBA from Harvard Business School. With a vision of an information technology company that would bring transparency and efficiency to the buying and selling of financial securities, he launched a small startup company called Bloomberg LP. Today, Bloomberg LP is a global media company that has over 310,000 subscribers to its financial news and information service. Headquartered in New York City, the company has more than 15,000 employees worldwide.

Campaign to Fix the Debt Steering Committee

Governor Phil Bredesen

Phil Bredesen was Tennessee's 48th governor, first taking office in January 2003. In November 2006, he was reelected, becoming the first governor in a century to win all 95 counties. By Bredesen's fourth year in office, Tennessee had passed four balanced budgets, received top rankings from national bond rating agencies, and raised its Rainy Day Fund to a record high. Prior to being elected governor, he served as mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1991 to 1999. Before entering public service, he worked in the health care industry and founded HealthAmerica Corp., a Nashville-based health care management company. Bredesen grew up in rural Shortsville, N.Y, and earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University.

Senator Kent Conrad

Senator Conrad was first elected to the Senate in 1986 and retired at the end of the 112th Congress in 2013. He served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He also served on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (“Simpson-Bowles”) and as a member of the bipartisan Gang of Eight that worked to achieve a comprehensive deficit reduction plan. In 2006 Time Magazine named Senator Conrad as one of "America's Ten Best Senators." The Bismarck Tribune called Senator Conrad "the most influential senator North Dakota has ever produced." Before coming to Washington he served six years as North Dakota's Tax Commissioner. Senator Conrad has bipartisan respect as an expert on federal budget matters and is considered a leading "deficit hawk" who also protects the vulnerable.

David Cote

Chairman and CEO, Honeywell

Dave Cote is chairman and CEO of Honeywell, a $37 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. He was elected president, CEO, and a member of Honeywell's Board in February 2002, and named chairman of the Board on July 1, 2002. In 2010, Cote was named by President Barack Obama to serve on the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Cote was also named co-chair of the U.S.-India CEO Forum by President Obama in 2009, and has served on the Forum since July 2005. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Senator Pete Domenici

Pete Domenici served as a senator from New Mexico longer than any other person. During his 36 years in the Senate, Domenici served as Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Budget Committee and the Appropriations Sub-Committee of Energy and Water Development. In addition, he served as Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As Budget Committee Chairman, he produced two consecutive balanced budgets, the only federal balanced budgets in the last 50 years. In addition, he introduced the Reconciliation process into Senate procedure, enabling spending reform to pass without the danger of filibuster. He co-chairs the Domenici-Rivlin Debt Reduction Task Force.

Congressman Vic Fazio

Mr. Fazio served for 20 years as a member of Congress, representing California’s 3rd District. During his tenure of distinguished public service, he was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, serving as a subcommittee chairman or ranking member for 18 years.  He was also a member of the Armed Services, Budget, Ethics and House Administration committees. In addition to his role on the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Fazio was active in the Democratic leadership of the House, holding several appointive and elected positions. He served as the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus from 1989 until 1994, when he was elected chairman, the third-ranking position in the House. He was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of the House Democrats, for four years in the early 1990s. He also was a majority whip-at-large and served as a regional representative on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.

James B. Lee, Jr.

Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co. 

James B. Lee, Jr. is Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Co-Chairman of J.P. Morgan – its Investment Bank. Mr. Lee has financed and advised on many of the most historic transactions in the United States over his 36-year career with JPMorgan Chase. During the past 3 years, he led the J.P. Morgan teams that executed the $23 billion General Motors IPO, the largest IPO in the history of the United States, and the $9 billion re-IPO of AIG – both US Government-owned companies. Mr. Lee also advised Facebook on its $16 billion IPO. Mr. Lee is widely credited as the architect of the modern day syndicated loan market. Mr. Lee is on the Boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, an many others. Mr. Lee received a B.A. from Williams College, where he double majored in Economics and Art History. 

Maya MacGuineas

President, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget 

Maya MacGuineas is the President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Additionally, she is the Director of the Fiscal Policy Program at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. Maya testifies regularly before Congress and has published broadly, including articles in The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Financial Times and the Los Angeles Times. Once dubbed “an anti-deficit warrior” by The Wall Street Journal, Maya comments often on broadcast news and is widely cited by the national press. In the spring of 2009 Maya did a stint on The Washington Post editorial board, covering economic and fiscal policy.

Maya has worked at the Brookings Institution and on Wall Street. As a political independent, she has advised numerous candidates for office from both parties, and works regularly with members of Congress on health, economic, tax, and budget policy. She serves on the boards of a number of national, nonpartisan organizations and received her Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Congressman Jim McCrery

Mr. McCrery served nearly 21 years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of the House, Congressman McCrery served on the Ways and Means Committee from 1993 through 2008, and from 2007 through 2008 he was ranking member of the full committee. Previously, he was chairman of the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee and chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee. He also served for 14 years as a member of the Health Subcommittee. Mr. McCrery received his law degree from Louisiana State University and his undergraduate degree in English and history from Louisiana Tech University.

Senator Sam Nunn

Co-Chairman, The Concord Coalition
Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Nuclear Threat Initiative

Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn served Georgia for 24 years, from 1972 to 1996. Currently he is co-chairman and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Nunn served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He also served on the Intelligence and Small Business Committees. His legislative achievements include the landmark Department of Defense Reorganization Act and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. He first entered politics as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Nunn attended Georgia Tech, Emory University and Emory Law School, where he graduated with honors and has served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Congressman Jim Nussle

Mr. Nussle served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (2007 – 2009) under President George W. Bush. Prior to his service in the President’s Cabinet, Nussle served for 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 1st District of Iowa. While serving in the House, Nussle was selected as Chairman of the House Budget Committee (2001 to 2007) where he guided 6 federal budgets through the Congress. At the time of his election to Congress, Nussle was the youngest member of the House and was recognized numerous times for his work for fiscal responsibility and on budget process reform. Jim Nussle is currently the president of The Nussle Group, a multi-disciplined, strategic consulting and government affairs firm.

Michael Peterson

President and COO, Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Michael Peterson is President and Chief Operating Officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. In addition, Michael is currently President and Co-Founder of GPX Enterprises, LP, a private investment firm focused on the sponsorship, development, and management of selected private equity investments. He worked on the Clinton and Dukakis presidential campaigns, served as a Congressional Aide to Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, and conducted research for both the Committee for Economic Development and the Institute for International Economics. After studying public policy and graduating magna cum laude and with honors from Brown University, Michael earned a Master's degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.

Steven Rattner

Chairman, Willett Advisors LLC

Steven Rattner is Chairman of Willett Advisors LLC, the investment arm for New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's personal and philanthropic assets. In addition, he is a Contributing Writer for the Op-Ed page of The New York Times, the author of a monthly column for the Financial Times and the Economic Analyst for MSNBC's Morning Joe. Previously, Mr. Rattner served as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Obama Administration. Until February 2009, Mr. Rattner was Managing Principal of Quadrangle Group LLC, a private investment firm. Before beginning his investment-banking career, Mr. Rattner was employed by The New York Times for nearly nine years, principally as an economic correspondent in New York, Washington and London. Mr. Rattner graduated in 1974 from Brown University with honors in economics.

Alice M. Rivlin

Co-Chair of the Debt Reduction Task Force at the Bipartisan Policy Center 

Alice Rivlin recently served as a member of the President’s Debt Commission. Dr. Rivlin became the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office in 1975 and served until 1983. She was director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration. Later she was a governor and vice chair of the Federal Reserve. Currently, she is the director of the Greater Washington Research Program and senior fellow of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution. On December 16, 2011, Rivlin released a premium support reform plan for Medicare with Pete Domenici, her co-chair at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She is also a visiting professor at the Public Policy Institute of Georgetown University.

Mayor Scott Smith

Mayor of Mesa, Arizona

Scott Smith was first elected Mayor of Mesa, Arizona in May of 2008. He was recently re-elected to a second term unopposed. Mayor Smith is also Vice President of the United States Conference of Mayors. He will become the organization’s president in 2013. Mayor Smith has used his private-sector experience as a CEO, accountant and attorney to usher in a new era of decisive leadership and civic engagement.  Smith led efforts for the largest reorganization of city government in Mesa’s history. Mayor Smith’s HEAT initiative – which stands for Healthcare, Education, Aerospace, Tourism and Technology – has provided Mesa with economic development direction and focus that has led to many successful efforts.

Margaret Spellings

Margaret Spellings served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009. In that role, she oversaw an agency with a nearly $70 billion budget and more than 10,000 employees and contractors. As White House Domestic Policy Advisor, from 2001 to 2005, she managed the development of the President’s domestic policy agenda. Prior to her service in the White House, Spellings was senior advisor to then-Governor George W. Bush of Texas, led governmental and external relations for the Texas Association of School Boards, and has served in key positions at Austin Community College and with the Texas Legislature.

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Mayor of Los Angeles 

Antonio R. Villaraigosa is the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles. He was first sworn in as Mayor on July 1, 2005. His second term began on July 1, 2009. Mayor Villaraigosa recently concluded a term as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors where he advocated for innovative public policy reforms to create jobs, improve the country’s public schools, and expand investment in America’s transportation infrastructure. He also served as the chairman of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Before being elected as Mayor, Villaraigosa served on the Los Angeles City Council and in the California State Assembly.

Senator Tim Wirth

Tim Wirth began his political career as a White House Fellow under President Lyndon Johnson and was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Education in the Nixon Administration. In 1975, Wirth returned to his home state and successfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District from 1975-1987. In the House, he concentrated his efforts in the areas of communications technology and budget policy. In 1987, Wirth was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he focused on environmental issues. Wirth then served in the U.S. Department of State as the first Undersecretary for Global Affairs from 1993 to 1997. As President of the UN Foundation, he organized and led the formulation of the Foundation’s mission and program priorities, which include the environment, women and population, children’s health and peace, security and human rights.

Ambassador Robert Zoellick

Former President of the World Bank

Robert B. Zoellick is the former 11th President of the World Bank Group, which works with 187 member countries. Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Zoellick served as Vice Chairman, International of the Goldman Sachs Group, Managing Director, and Chairman of Goldman Sachs' Board of International Advisors from 2006-07. In 2005-06, Mr. Zoellick served as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. State Department. From 2001 to January 2005, Mr. Zoellick served in the U.S. cabinet as the 13th U.S. Trade Representative. He has also served as Executive Vice President of Fannie Mae and as Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House. Mr. Zoellick graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College in 1975 and has earned a J.D. magna cum laude from the Harvard Law School and a MPP from the Kennedy School of Government.