James E Datri

President and CEO of the American Advertising Federation, James Edmund Datri serves as the AAF’s national leader and chief spokesman, representing nearly 40,000 members – including nearly 100 corporate members, comprising media, advertising agencies, and advertisers; 200 local ad clubs; and 225 college chapters. He is also an attorney and was a partner at two large law firms: Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, an AAF member; and McDermott Will & Emery, one of the 10 largest law firms in the United States, where Datri was a key member of McDermott’s Government Strategies Practice Group, led by former Massachusetts Governor William Weld (R). During his tenure on the Hill Mr. Datri served as executive director of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2005. He held senior positions in the U.S. Congress, including positions with Congressman (now United States Senator) Robert Menendez (D-N.J.); Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), whose congressional district includes New York’s Madison Avenue; and Congressman Sander Levin (D-Mich.). Mr. Datri earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1992 and his B.A. in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he was a University of California Regents Scholar in 1989. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.