James Terry Edmonds
2021 ALI Fellow
Terry Edmonds brings to ALI expertise in nearly every aspect of communications and public affairs. Most notably, he served as the chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, becoming the first African American to ever hold this title. He was responsible for the president’s final State of the Union address and all domestic policy speeches, touching on issues of education, race relations, welfare, and health care reform. Terry most recently served as chief speechwriter for the New York State’s Attorney General and previously served in the Obama administration as chief speechwriter for both NASA’s Administrator and the CEO of the Corporation for National & Community Service; he has also written for top executives at IBM, Columbia University, Time Warner, AARP, and the National Urban League.