Tom Albert, President
Tom Albert is Vice President of Government Relations for Feld Entertainment, Inc., parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation a state-of-the-art breeding and conservation center in Florida, recognized and respected worldwide for their Asian elephant breeding program. Since 1992, the Ringling Bros. breeding program has celebrated the births of 20 Asian elephants. Mr. Albert represents Feld Entertainment and the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation before Congress and various federal and state agencies, as well as at the biennial meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). He is also active at international and U.S. conferences affecting Asian elephant conservation and management. With many years of experience working with the U.S. Congress, Feld Entertainment took the lead in the successful passage of the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997. The effort, which included a coalition of conservation groups, zoos and others, authorized $5 million in federal funds to support conservation projects that benefit the Asian elephant. Mr. Albert joined Feld after 15 years in private practice in Washington, D.C., where he represented clients, including Feld, on wildlife, natural resource, public lands and conservation issues before Congress and various federal and local regulatory bodies. Mr. Albert received his Juris Doctor cum laude from The American University – Washington College of Law and has a Bachelor of Arts in political science.