Philip Schiliro

Philip Schiliro JD ’81 was named a senior presidential fellow for the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency at Hofstra University. Schiliro, a Hofstra alumnus and member of President Barack Obama’s administration, will teach classes, meet with students, and participate in university events, as well as expand the Kalikow Center’s scholarly record on the American presidency. His appointment comes as planning gets underway for Hofstra’s 13th presidential conference, slated for April 2023, which aims to analyze Obama’s campaigns, political leadership, policy agenda, and legacy. Schiliro has more than 30 years of experience in Congress and the executive branch. He served as Obama’s director of legislative affairs from 2009 to 2010, special advisor in 2011, and advisor for the Affordable Care Act and Health Policy in 2013 and 2014. As the president’s liaison to Congress, Schiliro played a key role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act and other historic laws and reforms during the first two years of the Obama administration. Previously, he served as U.S. Representative Henry Waxman’s chief of staff, the Democratic Staff director of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the policy director for Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and the staff director for the Senate Democratic Leadership Committees. While on Capitol Hill, Schiliro was deeply involved in a broad range of health and environmental legislation (including the 1990 Clean Air Act) and a series of high-profile investigations. Since leaving government, he has cofounded two nonprofits, Co-Equal and Grow New Mexico.