Mentors

The U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress shows wonderful hospitality to Gulf delegates!

Legacy International is pleased to announce that the following former members of Congress have volunteered to mentor 11 young professionals from Kuwait, Oman, Egypt and Morocco during the Legislative Fellows Program – Middle East and North Africa Spring 2012 program. Through personal meetings and home hospitality, they share their experience and guide delegates through the U.S. political landscape. They are active with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, and many now work as lawyers, lobbyists and consultants.

Scott Klug (Republican Co-Chair) 
Home District: Wisconsin’s 2nd District
Years in Office: 1991-1999 (Four terms)
Committees While in Office: Energy and Commerce
Education: Lawrence University, BA; Journalism, MA, 1976; University of Wisconsin, MBA
Occupation: Public Affairs Director, law firm of Foley & Lardner
Biography: Klug was elected to Congress in 1990, defeating long-term incumbent Robert Kastenmeier. He developed an expertise in health care, insurance, financial services, telecommunications and energy policy. While in Congress, Klug opposed the federal drinking age because of his view that alcohol regulation should be a matter left to individual states. He advocated the revocation of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1998, choosing to focus on his business. He is currently a resident of Madison, Wisconsin. Before his election to Congress, Klug was an Emmy Award-winning television reporter. He was appointed by President Bush to two terms on the President’s Advisory Board on Trade and Policy Negotiations. After Congress, he founded a regional magazine and book publishing company, which he sold in 2007. He has led delegations all over the world. He resides with his wife Tess, and his sons Keefe, Brett, and Collin.

Larry LaRocco (Democratic Co-Chair) 
Home District: Idaho’s 1st District
Years in Office: 1991-1995 (Two terms)
Committees While in Office: Banking, Interior
Education: University of Portland, BA; The Stanford University Institute of TV and Radio; Boston University, MS; Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
Occupation: Founder of LaRocco and Associates, a law and government relations firm.
Biography: Larry LaRocco served in the U.S. Army after finishing school. In 1975, he became field coordinator for Idaho Senator Frank Church. LaRocco ran for Congress in 1982, but lost to the incumbent, Larry Craig. While running for office, he worked for one week in each of the district’s 19 counties, working on a garbage truck, picking apples, waiting tables, working in a nursing home, etc. He became the vice-president of a brokerage firm in 1983, and ran for the Idaho Legislature, losing to Republican incumbent Jim Risch. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990, winning Idaho’s first congressional district seat. He was reelected in 1992, but was defeated in 1994. He then ran for Lieutenant Governor and lost to Risch again. In 2008, he ran for the U.S. Senate, but again lost to Risch. After serving in Congress, he became the managing director of the American Bankers Association. He also served as president of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress. LaRocco and his wife Chris have two children and two grandchildren.

Ron Sarasin (Republican) 
Home District: Connecticut 5th district
Years in Office: 1973-1979 (3 Terms)
Committees While in Office: 
Education: He earned his B.S., University of Connecticut, Storrs, 1960. and J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, 1963.
Occupation: President, U.S. Capitol Historical Society
Biography : Sarasin served in the United States Navy from 1952 to 1956. After law school, he served as town counsel in Beacon Falls, Connecticut from 1963 to 1972. He served as assistant professor of law at New Haven College in New Haven, Connecticut from 1963 to 1966. He served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1968 to 1972. He served as assistant minority leader from 1970 to 1972. Sarasin was elected to Congress in 1973 and was reelected twice. He then ran for governor of Connecticut in 1978 but lost. He has served as the president of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society since 2000, a non-profit, non-partisan, educational entity chartered by Congress to enhance and perpetuate the history and heritage of the Capitol, its institutions and the individuals who have served there.

Bill Zeliff (Republican) 
Home District: New Hampshire 1st district
Years in Office: 1991-1997 (3 Terms)
Committees While in Office: Governmental Reform, Transportation
Education: He earned his B.S. at the University of Connecticut in 1959
Occupation: Founder at Zeliff Enterprises, Senior Counselor, Former Member of Congress at The Livingston Group
Biography: William “Bill” H. Zeliff, Jr.is a former Republican Member of Congress from New Hampshire, serving from 1990 to 1997, and provides leadership at TLG as a Senior Counselor. Mr. Zeliff engages as a private advocate for client interests before state and federal governments and the business community.

During his congressional tenure, Mr. Zeliff served as Deputy Whip, where he helped create and implement the House agenda. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs and Criminal Justice under the House Government Reform Committee, Mr. Zeliff focused on drug policy and programs, elevating them in the public consciousness and making them a major issue in the 1996 presidential campaign. He was a member of the House Transportation Committee and served with distinction on the Surface Transportation, Water Resources and Aviation subcommittees, as well as serving on the Small Business Committee. Mr. Zeliff authored the “A to Z Budget Cutting Tool” used by members of Congress to encourage fiscal responsibility.

Outside of Congress, he has successfully built and operated three small businesses. In 1988, he won the New Hampshire Restaurant and Lodging Association’s prestigious Innkeeper of the Year award.

Mr. Zeliff, a native of East Orange, NJ, received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut. He served honorably in the Connecticut Army National Guard and afterwards in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Jim Walsh (Republican) 
Home District: New York 25th district
Years in Office: 1989-2009 (5 Terms)
Committees While in Office: Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus, Co-Chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Ireland
Education: Graduated from St. Bonaventure University
Occupation: Retired
Biography: Jim Walsh, a Representative from New York, was born in Syracuse, N.Y. on June 19, 1947. He received his B.A. from St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, N.Y. in 1970. Walsh served in the United States Peace Corps from 1970-1972. James Walsh was a Social Services caseworker and telephone company executive. He served as Director of the Telecommunication Institute at SUNY (State University of New York) SUNY Utica-Rome and taught telecommunication policy. At the same time, he served on the City Council in Syracuse, N.Y. as a member and President. He was elected as a Republican to the One Hundred First and to the nine succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1989-January 3, 2009).

Martin Frost (Democrat) 
Home District: Texas’s 24th congressional district Years in Office: 1979 to 2005 (13 terms)
Committees While in Office: Rules, Budget, Chair of the Democratic Caucus
Education: He graduated in 1964 with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history from the University of Missouri. He received a law degree from Georgetown University in 1970.
Occupation: Attorney at the law firm Polsinelli Shughart
Biography: Frost is considered one of the Democratic party’s top strategists. Born in Glendale, California, Frost grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. Before going to law school Frost worked as a newspaper reporter. Following his graduation he worked as a law clerk for Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes of the Northern District of Texas and began a private practice. Frost was reelected 12 times without serious opposition. He served as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 1999 to 2003. However, he was one of the targets of a controversial mid-decade redistricting engineered by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. His district, which included portions of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, was redrawn to be much more Republican. Frost decided to seek re-election in the newly redrawn 32nd District, but lost to Republican Pete Sessions. He was the ranking member of the House Rules Committee during his last term in the House. Legacy International – Legislative Fellows Program: Spring 2012 In Partnership with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress Sponsored by U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 

Beverly Byron (Democrat) 
Home District: Maryland’s 6th district Years in Office: 1979 to 1993 (7 terms)
Committees While in Office: 
Education: Hood College
Occupation: Retired
Biography: After winning the election to fill the seat of her late husband, Beverly Byron went on to have a 14-year career in the House of Representatives. As a staunch defender of both military and defense spending, Congresswoman Byron served as one of the more conservative Democrats in Congress.

Representative Beverley Byron earned a reputation as a conservative Democrat who voted for Ronald W. Reagan and George H.W. Bush administration policies, frequently breaking ranks with moderate and liberal Democrats on both fiscal and social issues. Although she often angered fellow Democrats with her conservative agenda, Byron’s party-crossing habit worked well in her right-of-center district. In the 97th Congress (1981–1983), she served on the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. She held all three assignments until she left Congress in 1993.

Congresswoman Byron’s legislative interests gravitated toward military policy. From 1983 to 1986, she chaired the House Special Panel on Arms Control and Disarm-ament, where she sought to limit the scope of nuclear test ban proposals. During her congressional career, Byron visited numerous military facilities and built a reputation for examining military hardware firsthand during inspections. After Congress, Beverly Byron returned to Frederick, Maryland, and served on the board of directors for a major defense contractor. In 1995, President William J. Clinton appointed her to the Naval Academy Board of Visitors. Four years later, Byron became a member of the Board of Regents for the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Jim Slattery (Democrat) 
Home District: Kansas 2nd district Years in Office: 1983 to 1995 (6 terms)Committees While in Office: Slattery served on the Energy & Commerce, Veterans’Affairs, Budget, and Banking Committees.
Education: J.D., Washburn University School of Law; B.S., Washburn University, Netherlands School of International Economics & Business
Occupation: Partner at Wiley Rein LLP.
Biography: Mr. Slattery, a six-term U.S. Congressman, was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee during his entire 12-year tenure in Congress. This Committee has broad jurisdiction over health care, energy, telecommunications and environmental issues like the Clean Air Act and Superfund. He also served on the House Budget Committee and House Financial Services Committee. Mr. Slattery advises clients who have matters pending before Congress, federal agencies and regulatory bodies. He has experience in energy, railroads, health care, insurance, international trade and telecommunications.

John Tanner (Democrat) 
Home District: Tennessee 8th district
Congressman Since: 1989 to 2011 (11 terms)
Committees While in Office: Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Europe, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Trade (Chairman), Subcommittee on Social Security.
Education: University of Tennessee-Knoxville, bachelor’s degree, 1966; law degree, 1968
Occupation: Retired; Chairman of of ICCF (The Forum for International Conservation Policy)
Biography: Congressman Tanner represented Tennessee’s 8th congressional district for 22 years, serving from 1989 until 2011. While in Congress, Mr. Tanner served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, where he chaired both the Social Security Subcommittee and the Trade Subcommittee. He also served on the House Armed Services and House Science Committees and served as Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Congress in the 109th, 110th and 111th Congresses. He also chaired the U.S. House delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the alliance’s legislative branch, for several years. In November 2008, legislators from all NATO member nations elected him to serve as President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly for two years.