President's Biography

The Honorable Timothy J. Roemer

From the floor of the U.S. Congress to the chambers of the 9/11 Commission, Tim Roemer has dedicated his professional career to strengthening national security and improving education in America.  As Congressman from the Third District of Indiana (1991-2003), Roemer was recognized for his successful leadership on legislation that helped improve America's competitiveness by balancing the federal budget, reforming elementary and secondary public education and improving the affordability of higher education.

After the attacks of September 11th, Roemer used his position on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to support the work of a Joint Congressional Inquiry into the nature of the attacks.  Roemer also was the key sponsor of legislation to establish the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as "The 9/11 Commission."  Roemer now serves on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, a bipartisan commission created by Congress in 2007 as an outgrowth of the reforms put forth by the 9/11 Commission to examine how the United States can best address this threat to our national security. In addition, he serves on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Presidential Task Force on Combating the Ideology of Radical Extremism, and the National Parks Second Century Commission. 

Since leaving Congress in 2003, Roemer has continued to work on developing ways to strengthen national security as President of the Center for National Policy.   He has promoted new ideas on national security issues on NBC Nightly News, CNN, FOX, NPR and in the pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and others. As a Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Roemer works with Members of Congress and staff to improve public policy outcomes by teaching on the legislative branch and policy analysis.

Roemer was well acquainted with Capitol Hill before he served in Congress, having worked on the staffs of Representative John Brademas of Indiana (1978-1979) and Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona (1985-1989).

Roemer currently serves on the board of the Osh Kosh Truck Corporation, the Adams Memorial Foundation, and the Meridian International Center. He previously served on the board of the Trust for Historic Preservation. He holds a PhD in American Government from the University of Notre Dame. Roemer also earned his MA from Notre Dame and received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

Tim Roemer married Sally Johnston in 1989 and they have four children: Patrick, Matthew, Sarah and Grace. They attend St. Thomas a' Becket Catholic Church and live in Great Falls, Virginia.  Roemer enjoys coaching his children's basketball teams, reading history and biography, playing sports, and collecting old, used first edition books.