San Antonio Book Festival - Tom Collamore
Photo Courtesy of Ian Wagreich
Book Festival Author

Tom Collamore

Tom Collamore first met President George H. W. Bush in 1978 as his driver and became part of his inner circle of staffers. Tom served in various roles throughout the 12 years of President Ronald Reagan’s and George H. W. Bush’s administrations and has been an adviser to the George & Barbara Bush Foundation for over 30 years. After government, Tom enjoyed a long career as a senior corporate executive and trade association leader. He’s the founder of Collamore Consulting Group, which provides strategic counsel to CEOs of companies, associations, and nonprofits. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Jacqueline, and they are the proud parents of four grown children.

His book, Don’t Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance, was written with Jean Becker.

More About Tom Collamore

  • Don’t Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance

    "Don’t Tell the President" is a collection of the greatest tales of triumph and near-crisis in presidential advance. Behind every seamless campaign appearance and presidential affair lies the meticulous work of event planners and advance teams—the little-known professionals who transform political logistics into carefully choreographed performances.

    Here are illuminating first-hand accounts from dedicated employees who worked for every modern-day president from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama, a few First Ladies, a few vice presidents, and a few wannabes.

    Allowing us to witness presidential history and politics from a new angle, "Don’t Tell the President" brings together the hilarious chaos of "Veep" and the grandeur of "The West Wing." It is a memorable and at times laugh-out loud funny look at how many presidential events happen—and how many almost went awry.

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