Tony Essalih
Cornerstone Government Affairs
tony@cgagroup.com
(713)4932742
1800 West Loop South, Suite 1250, Houston, TX, 77056, 
Subjects: All Subjects
Links: Website, LinkedIn
Former chief of staff for House Appropriations CardinalLeads both federal and state clients from the firm's Houston officeServes on advisory and steering committees for Texas delegation members
1) Advanced Power Alliance
2) Air Liquide
3) Alorica
4) Baker Hughes
5) Baker Institute
6) BayMark Health Services
7) Bristow Group
8) Cemex
9) Community Choice Financial OpCo, LLC
10) Community Health Choice
11) Community Medical Services
12) Endeavors
13) First Service Credit Union
14) Garner Environmental
15) Harris Health System
16) Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company
17) Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund
18) Hunt Companies, Inc.
19) Luminant Generation Company LLC
20) Maric Healthcare
21) National Association of Chain Drug Stores
22) Pagewood
23) Palo Alto Networks
24) Parsons Corporation
25) PrizePicks
26) QuikTrip Corporation
27) Recovery Solutions
28) Rice University
29) RSM LLP
30) Rubicon Advisors
31) San Jacinto River Authority
32) Speedy Stop Food Stores LLC
33) Texas Medical Center
34) Texas Pacific Land Trust
35) Texas Poultry Federation
36) TXU Energy Retail Company LLC
37) ViiNetwork, Inc. (d/b/a ViiMed)
38) Vistra Corp.
39) Vistra Corporate Services Company
Tony Essalih joined Cornerstone in 2011 as a co-lead of the firm's flagship Texas office in Houston. He spent 12 years on Capitol Hill and came to Cornerstone from the office of Congressman John Culberson (R-Houston). Tony worked for Congressman Culberson for 10 years, the last five as his chief of staff. Prior to becoming chief of staff, Tony served in a variety of capacities including legislative assistant, legislative director, communications director, and deputy chief of staff. He spent eight years in Washington, D.C. before relocating to Houston in 2007.As chief of staff, Tony was responsible for guiding the day-to-day operations of the Congressman's Washington and Houston offices, and oversaw a 15-member staff under a fixed budget. Outside of the office, he served as the principal liaison to the Congressman's campaign committee and provided strategic counsel and advice related to his re-election efforts. Tony's areas of policy expertise include transportation, energy, budget and appropriations. Tony also led outreach efforts and served as an emissary on behalf of the Congressman with state lawmakers in Austin and local elected officials in Houston.Prior to Culberson's election in 2001, Tony worked as a legislative assistant for Congressman Culberson's predecessor, former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer. Tony's began his tenure on Capitol Hill with former House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings.Tony has advised and assisted numerous local, state, and federal campaigns. He serves on the board of the National InterFaith Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Houston Technology Center, spent two years on the Board of the Spring Branch Medical Center and was a member of Houston Mayor Annise Parker's transition team in 2010.Tony was born and raised in Fredericksburg, VA and received his B.A. in Political Science from Mary Washington College. He was a member of Mary Washington's NCAA semifinalist men's soccer team. He lives in Houston and has two angelic daughters, Grace and Libby.
Last Updated: April 11, 2024