Don Avenson has 39 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.” Today’s Iowa’s legislative
leaders in both parties often seek his advice on
managing the legislative process.
Brice Oakley has served in virtually every branch of state
and local government including Assistant Attorney General,
School Board, State Representative, and Governor’s
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. Tom currently serves as
the American Legislative Exchange Council’s private sector
chair for Iowa.
