Michael Steele to Speak at Tire Industry Honors

Bowie, Md. –The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is pleased to announce that the Honorable Michael S. Steele, former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, will be giving the Keynote Address at the Tire Industry Honors Awards Ceremony to be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas on November 3, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. 

“We are truly honored to have Michael Steele with us for this event especially since it takes place the night before the election. As one of the most well-known political analysts today, we are in for a real treat,” said TIA Executive Vice President Roy Littlefield.

When he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003, Michael Steele made history as the first African American elected to statewide office; and again with his subsequent chairmanship of the Republican National Committee in 2009.

As chairman of the RNC, Michael Steele was charged with revitalizing the Republican Party. Under Steele’s leadership the RNC broke fundraising records and Republicans won 63 House seats, the biggest pickup since 1938.

As Lt. Governor of Maryland, Mr. Steele’s priorities included reforming the state's Minority Business Enterprise program, improving the quality of Maryland's public education system, expanding economic development in the state and fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations to help those in need.

Mr. Steele’s ability as a communicator and commentator has been showcased through his current role as a political analyst for MSNBC. He has also worked as a contributor on the Fox News Channel and was a regular host of the Salem Radio Network's nationally syndicated Morning in America show. He has appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Comedy Central's The Colbert Report and The Daily Show.

Mr. Steele writes on politics for The Grio and his writings on law, business and politics have appeared in The Root.com, BET.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Politico.com, Townhall.com, The Journal of International Security Affairs and Catholic University Law Review, among others.

In 2012, Mr. Steele joined with former White House Counsel Lanny Davis in founding the crisis management and strategic communications firm Purple Nation Solutions. From 2007-2009, Mr. Steele was a partner in the Washington, DC office of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, where he focused on corporate securities, government relations, and international affairs, with an emphasis on Africa.

Prior to his public service, Mr. Steele served as in-house finance counsel to the Mills Corporation and as a corporate securities associate in the D.C. office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

Born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Mr. Steele was raised in Washington, DC. Upon graduating Johns Hopkins University (‘81), he entered the Order of St. Augustine where studied for the priesthood for over two years. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law Center (’91), and an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership.

A reservation form for complimentary tickets to attend the Tire Industry Honors Award Ceremony is available for download.  

Congressman J. Dennis Hastert, who was initially scheduled to give the Keynote Address for the Tire Industry Honors Awards Ceremony, will no longer be able to attend due to a last-minute change in his schedule.