Tom Foulkes

Vice President, State Government Affairs

Tom Foulkes

Tom Foulkes serves as the Vice President of State Government Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). ESA is the national trade association exclusively dedicated to serving the public affairs needs of companies that publish computer and video games for video game consoles, personal computers, mobile devices, and the Internet in the United States. In this role, Tom oversees all aspects of the Association’s state and local government affairs efforts throughout the country.

In 2011, he coordinated the industry’s strategy in communicating with state elected leaders following United States Supreme Court’s landmark First Amendment decision in favor of the Association’s position in Brown v EMA/ESA. Tom travels extensively throughout the nation to build relationships and advocate directly on a number of highly visible policy issues impacting video games as well as the broader technology and entertainment sectors.

Tom currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the Media Coalition, an organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment and as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) Foundation as well as the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC).

Prior to joining ESA, Tom held various executive communications and government affairs positions in prominent state and national trade associations, including the Restaurant Association of Maryland, the Direct Marketing Association and the National Restaurant Association. Within each of these organizations he was responsible for a number of high-profile public affairs campaigns.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, Tom began his career on Capitol Hill in the offices of Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Bryan (D-NV).