About Speaker

Tom Wheeler’s prior federal service includes roles as the acting assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, senior advisor to the White House Federal Commission on School Safety and senior advisor/counsel to the secretary of education. He has also been asked to serve on many boards and commissions, including as chair of the Hate Crimes Subcommittee for the Federal Violent Crime Reduction Task Force, as a member of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Regulatory Reform Task Force and as an advisor to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, where he worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop guidelines for the safe reopening of schools and guidelines for law enforcement and jails/prisons.

Prior to rejoining the U.S. Department of Education, Wheeler was a partner at an AM-100 law firm, where he represented federal, state and local public entities, including educational institutions and law enforcement agencies in regulatory, administrative, trial and appellate matters in local, state and federal venues. He is a frequent author and speaker in the areas of civil rights, free speech and constitutional issues, improving law enforcement, and school safety.