Ed Cunningham (executive)
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Chet Edward "Ed" Cunningham is an American lawyer and CEO who ran for the Senate in Texas as a Democrat in 2002. He has served as a member of President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
's National Finance Committee, the Presidential Advisory Committee (Technology), the U.S. Foreign Affairs Budget Project Advisory Committee, the
American Academy of Diplomacy The American Academy of Diplomacy is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan, elected organization whose active membership is limited to men and women who have held positions of high responsibility in crafting and implementing American foreign policy. ...
(Co-Director of International Negotiations Program), and the
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National Advisory Board.


Biography


Early life and education

Cunningham grew up in a
Fritch, Texas Fritch is a city in Moore and Hutchinson Counties, Texas, United States. The population was 1,859 at the 2020 census. History 1992 tornado On June 27, 1992, a mile-wide, multi-vortex F4 tornado struck the Fritch area, resulting in major damage ...
, a town with a population of fewer than 1,000 people and played football at Sanford-Fritch High School. He then played football for the
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...
football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
where he started out as a defensive tackle, but before his sophomore season, when he was expected to be a starter, he volunteered to switch to the offensive side. Undrafted due to a knee injury he suffered during his senior year, Cunningham had many offers and signed with the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
of the
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
. He was waived at the end of training camp due to a foot injury. The next year he went to minicamp with the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, but again did not make the roster.


Career

Cunningham attended
Texas Tech University School of Law The Texas Tech University School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The school offers three academic centers, ten dual-degree programs, a nationally ...
, and became a partner and Director for the Global Media, Sports and Entertainment Practice at the
Coudert Brothers Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York–based law firm with that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006. History The firm was established in 1853 in New York by three sons of Charles Coudert Sr.: Frederic René Coudert Sr., Charles Co ...
law firm. It was the first and, during Cunningham’s tenure, the largest international law firm in Asia (more than 1,000 attorneys). In addition to representing many of the world's largest or most notable companies, Cunningham has served as an adviser and international counsel for Asian municipalities, provinces, and national government entities and officials. In 2001, he was running AllProTraining.com, an internet company that allowed users to ask sports teams' trainers how to exercise more efficiently. Cunningham next served as the Asia CEO for
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
(Entertainment Division), a Fortune 500 Company. Cunningham worked with government leaders and companies to create China's earliest joint ventures in the politically sensitive cultural, sports, entertainment, and media industries. As
AEG The initials AEG are used for or may refer to: Common meanings * AEG (German company) ; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte El ...
's Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director and Special Advisor for Asia (2005-April 2009), Cunningham was responsible for the region's development. That included building AEG's global platform through agreements to develop media, culture, sports, and entertainment in the region's major cities, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena and the 2010 World Expo Arena. Cunningham founded and organized the China Earthquake Tent Relief Project to supply shelter for the earthquake victims in China's Sichuan Province, which provided the first foreign-supplied tents to the area.


Senate Run

In 2001, Cunningham announced he was running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat then held by
Phil Gramm William Philip Gramm (born July 8, 1942) is an American economist and politician who represented Texas in both chambers of United States Congress, Congress. Though he began his political career as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Gr ...
, who was retiring. After raising more than $200,000 for his bid, far less than he aimed for, he suspended his campaign 6 months after it started and endorsed Ron Kirk. By the time he dropped out, people had already started voting in the primary, and Cunningham managed to garner 2.3% of the vote and come in 5th.


Relationships

Cunningham was formerly married to Tara Coronado, a lawyer and former Peace Corps volunteer, with whom he has four children. He has been married to Aimee Cunningham since 2014.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Ed Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American chief executives Businesspeople from Texas Texas Longhorns football players Texas Tech University School of Law alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni American lawyers Players of American football from Texas