Tony Essalih
Cornerstone Government Affairs
tony@cgagroup.com
(713)4932742
1800 West Loop South, Suite 1250, Houston, TX, 77056,
Subjects: All Subjects
Links: Website, LinkedIn
Former chief of staff for House Appropriations CardinalLeads both federal and state clients from the firm's Houston officeServes on advisory and steering committees for Texas delegation members
1) a16z
2) Advanced Power Alliance
3) Air Liquide
4) American Association of Nurse Practitioners
5) Baker Institute
6) BayMark Health Services
7) Bristow Group
8) Cemex
9) Chick-fil-A, Inc.
10) Climavision Operating, LLC
11) Community Choice Financial OpCo, LLC
12) Community Health Choice
13) Endeavors
14) Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce
15) Garner Environmental
16) Harris Health System
17) Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company
18) Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund
19) Hunt Companies, Inc.
20) Luminant Generation Company LLC
21) National Association of Chain Drug Stores
22) Outfront Media Inc.
23) Pagewood
24) Palo Alto Networks
25) Parsons Corporation
26) PrizePicks
27) QuikTrip Corporation
28) Rice University
29) RSM LLP
30) San Jacinto River Authority
31) Simon Wiesenthal Center
32) Speedy Stop Food Stores LLC
33) Target Hospitality Corporation
34) Texas Medical Center
35) Texas Pacific Land Corporation
36) Texas Poultry Federation
37) Texas Woman's University Foundation
38) TXU Energy Retail Company LLC
39) Vistra Corp.
40) Vistra Corporate Services Company
41) Waterford.org
42) Wellpath Recovery Solutions, LLC
Tony Essalih joined Cornerstone in 2011 as a co-lead of the firm's flagship Texas office in Houston. He spent 12 years on Capitol Hill and came to Cornerstone from the office of Congressman John Culberson (R-Houston). Tony worked for Congressman Culberson for 10 years, the last five as his chief of staff. Prior to becoming chief of staff, Tony served in a variety of capacities including legislative assistant, legislative director, communications director, and deputy chief of staff. He spent eight years in Washington, D.C. before relocating to Houston in 2007.As chief of staff, Tony was responsible for guiding the day-to-day operations of the Congressman's Washington and Houston offices, and oversaw a 15-member staff under a fixed budget. Outside of the office, he served as the principal liaison to the Congressman's campaign committee and provided strategic counsel and advice related to his re-election efforts. Tony's areas of policy expertise include transportation, energy, budget and appropriations. Tony also led outreach efforts and served as an emissary on behalf of the Congressman with state lawmakers in Austin and local elected officials in Houston.Prior to Culberson's election in 2001, Tony worked as a legislative assistant for Congressman Culberson's predecessor, former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer. Tony's began his tenure on Capitol Hill with former House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings.Tony has advised and assisted numerous local, state, and federal campaigns. He serves on the board of the National InterFaith Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Houston Technology Center, spent two years on the Board of the Spring Branch Medical Center and was a member of Houston Mayor Annise Parker's transition team in 2010.Tony was born and raised in Fredericksburg, VA and received his B.A. in Political Science from Mary Washington College. He was a member of Mary Washington's NCAA semifinalist men's soccer team. He lives in Houston and has two angelic daughters, Grace and Libby.
Last Updated: May 11, 2025
