Dave McCurdy

McCurdy was born in the city of Canadian, Texas. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1972 and a JD there three years later. He studied international economics at Scotland's University of Edinburgh as a Rotary International Graduate Fellow. ==Military service and entry into politics==

McCurdy served in the United States Air Force Reserve, attaining the rank of major and serving as a judge advocate general (JAG). He was an assistant attorney general for the state of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1977. ==Congressional career==

Congressional campaigns McCurdy served for seven terms, from 1981-95. Military Installations and Facilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee and the Transportation Aviation and Materials Subcommittee of the Science and Space Committee. Other work in Congress McCurdy founded and chaired a group of moderate and conservative House Democrats called the Mainstreet Forum. At its height in 1994, it counted seventy-two members. In Congress, McCurdy played a major role in the following pieces of legislation: the 1988 National Superconductivity Competitiveness Act, the 1985 Goldwater-Nichols Act, which re-organized the U.S. Department of Defense, the Nunn-McCurdy Amendment of 1982, requiring congressional notification of Defense cost overruns of 15% or more, and the 1993 National Service Legislation, which originated in a bill introduced by Congressman McCurdy and former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn. DLC co-founder and 1992 presidential election In the 1990s, McCurdy was a national chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group that sought to moderate the Democratic Party. According to George Stephanopoulos in his political memoir, All Too Human, McCurdy at one point considered his own presidential campaign in 1992, although he eventually supported fellow DLC member Bill Clinton, and delivered a speech seconding his nomination at the Democratic Party National Convention. During the speech, "'McCurdy 2000' signs could be seen in the crowd." a job which ultimately went to Les Aspin. McCurdy was offered the role of Director of Central Intelligence, but turned it down. 1994 run for the U.S. Senate In 1994, when U.S. Senator David L. Boren decided to leave the U.S. Senate before the expiration of his term, McCurdy decided not to seek re-election to the House of Representatives; instead, he ran for the Senate. He campaigned on military preparedness and family values. He lost the general election to fellow congressman Jim Inhofe, whose campaign ads played clips of McCurdy's speech seconding Clinton's nomination for president. McCurdy took only 39 percent of the vote, and even lost his own congressional district. He sent his congressional records and papers to the Carl Albert Center for Congressional Studies at the University of Oklahoma. ==Career after Congress==

McCurdy was chairman and chief executive officer of the McCurdy Group LLC. In 1998 he was elected President of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) a national trade organization representing the electronics industry, even though House Majority Leader Tom DeLay held up legislation of benefit to the EIA and threatened it with a loss of access if it did not hire a Republican instead. DeLay was later rebuked by the House Ethics Committee. He is chairman of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and has served on the Defense Policy Board under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. On February 12, 2007, McCurdy became president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM). Under McCurdy's leadership, AAM supported Obama's National Program to reduce carbon emissions and increase fuel economy standards and a federal ban on texting while driving. In February 2011, McCurdy became president and CEO of the American Gas Association. In August 2011, McCurdy began service as a member of the Board of Directors of LMI, a not-for-profit studies and analysis consulting firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia. He also serves on the board of directors of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. ==Personal==

McCurdy lives with his wife, Dr. Pam McCurdy in McLean, Virginia; the couple has three children. ==References==