FMC Announces Board Appointments Of Former Members Carnahan, Davis, Lawrence, Murphy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FMC ANNOUNCES BOARD APPOINTMENTS OF FORMER MEMBERS CARNAHAN, DAVIS, LAWRENCE, MURPHY 

Washington, DC — Today, the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC), a nonpartisan alliance of more than 800 Former U.S. Senators and Representatives, announced that it has appointed Former Members Rodney Davis (R-IL, 2013-2023), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI, 2015-2023), and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL, 2017-2023) to the organization’s Board. FMC also formally announced that Former Member Russ Carnahan (D-MO, 2005-2013) joined its Board late last year.

“I cordially and enthusiastically welcome this excellent group of Former Members to FMC’s Board. All four bring proven track records of leadership and accomplishment to FMC, as well as their diverse viewpoints, which will help our organization continue to grow and be the premier resource on Congress for years to come. I look forward to working with all of them as FMC develops our new strategic plan this Spring and Summer,” said The Honorable L.F. Payne (D-VA, 1988-1997), FMC President.

“During my time in the House, I had the privilege of working alongside Rodney, Brenda, and Stephanie. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with Russ over the past few years at FMC. The four of them are some of the best strategic minds in Washington and have a wealth of knowledge from their respective constituencies and areas of policy expertise. Their combined decades of experience in federal, state, and local politics will be a huge asset to FMC, particularly as we go through the 2024 election cycle. I look forward to working with all four closely over the next several years,” said The Honorable Barbara Comstock (R-VA, 2015-2019), FMC President-Elect.

“I am excited to join FMC in this new capacity,” said Davis. “I have worked with FMC over the last ten years to make Congress work better. After having to run from bullets on a baseball field a few years ago, I look forward to working with FMC to highlight the bipartisan civility needed to lower the political temperature in Washington.”

Lawrence said, “I am honored to come together with my former colleagues to pool our shared experience from Congress. I am excited that through FMC, I will be able to continue in leadership and public service.”

“I am honored to join FMC’s Board. In the current political environment, organizations like FMC that promote and showcase bipartisanship, civility, and tangible results are more important than ever. As we saw in the midterms, Americans are hungry for Democrats and Republicans to put aside their differences and come together to tackle the serious challenges facing our nation,” said Murphy. “Through my position on FMC’s Board, I look forward to continuing my commitments to safeguard democracy, promote public service, and build relationships with leaders around the globe. I’m ready to get to work with other Former Members who share my passion for these fundamental American values.”

Carnahan said, “I'm pleased to have joined the FMC Board and work with Former and Current Members of Congress. FMC brings together real-world experience at the highest levels of government, along with deep bipartisan relationships to effect policies, reforms, and education, which is much needed in these challenging times for those engaged in national and international relations.”

Public service is in Carnahan’s DNA, his grandfather, father, mother, and sister all served the state of Missouri in various elected positions. After four years in the Missouri State House, Carnahan was elected to Missouri’s then-3rd Congressional District that included urban and rural parts of the St. Louis region. During his tenure in the U.S. House, Carnahan co-chaired the bipartisan Center Aisle Caucus and chaired the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organization. He served on the Science, Space, and Technology; Transportation & Infrastructure; and Veterans Affairs Committees and was a founding member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus. He currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor in the Government Affairs Group at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP. Carnahan is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has been an active member of FMC serving most recently as Co-Chair of the annual Statesmanship Awards.

In Congress, Davis represented Illinois’ 13th District from 2013-2023, which covered the cities of Bloomington, Springfield, Urbana, Champaign, Decatur, and portions of the St. Louis Metro East region. From 2019-2023, he served as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Administration. He also served on the House Agriculture and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees during his time in Congress. Prior to his Congressional tenure, he worked as Special Projects Director for his later colleague, Former Member John Shimkus (R-IL). Davis recently joined Cozen O’Connor as Managing Director.

Lawrence served in the House from 2015-2023, where she represented Michigan’s 14th Congressional District, which included Detroit, Southfield, Farmington Hills, and other surrounding communities. While in Congress, Lawrence was chosen by leadership to serve on the highly coveted and powerful House Appropriations Committee. She also served on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In addition to her Committee work, she chaired both the Bipartisan and Democratic Women’s Caucuses, as well as co-founded and chaired the Black Jewish Relations Caucus. Immediately prior to Congress, Lawrence served as Mayor of Southfield, Michigan for 14 years. She also had a distinguished 30-year career with the U.S. Postal Service.

Murphy entered Congress in 2017 after winning Florida’s 7th Congressional District in an upset against a 24-year incumbent during the 2016 election. She immediately began rising through the ranks of House Democrats, being selected to serve on the House Armed Services Committee during her first term. The following Congress, she was tapped for a seat on the powerful House Ways & Means Committee and ascended to the leadership of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus for moderate and conservative Democrats. In her final term, she was selected by Speaker Pelosi to serve on the high-profile Select Committee on the January 6th Attack. Prior to Congress, she worked at the U.S. Department of Defense as a national security specialist. She is the first Vietnamese American woman to ever be elected to Congress.

FMC is a non-advocacy, nonpartisan group founded in 1970 and chartered by Congress in 1983. It is a voluntary alliance of Former U.S. Senators and Representatives, working to strengthen Congress in the conduct of its Constitutional responsibility through promoting a collaborative approach to policy making; and to deepening the understanding of our democratic system.

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