José Cunningham is a leader locally, nationally, and globally.
José has been active in the DC Republican Party (DCGOP) for 18 years. He has thrice been elected Chairman of the state party. He serves as the party’s chaplain and has become known for delivering thoughtful, moving invocations. As a longstanding cheerleader for the local party, José has knocked on doors for many local Republican candidates for offices up and down the ballot, and has hosted fundraisers for those candidates at his Ward 2 home.
José currently serves as DC’s RNC National Committeeman, one of DC’s three representatives on the RNC. In that capacity, he serves on the Committee on Presidential Debates and the Committee on Faith Engagement. As a result of José’s leadership, members of the DCGOP are regularly sought out for counsel and special RNC projects. In addition, he serves on the national board of the Log Cabin Republicans, which fights for a stronger and more inclusive GOP as well as freedom and fairness for all Americans. He recently had the honor of delivering the invocation at the Spirit of Lincoln Gala at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. You can see his invocation here.
José serves on the Advisory Council of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University, which brings together key stakeholders in a mission to ensure that technology advances freedom. He is a member of the Conservative Foreign Policy Study Group at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a forum for distinguished conservative foreign policy and national security experts who served in Republican administrations.
José previously served in the Trump Administration at the intersection of business and foreign policy as Executive Director and “Chief Sales Officer” of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center, leading commercial diplomacy efforts on behalf of American businesses. During his tenure he managed a team that met – and exceeded – its goals and metrics with 102 client WINs representing $25.3 billion in U.S. export content, $33.8 billion project value, supporting 135,600 new U.S. jobs.
Prior to joining the Executive Branch, José worked in the private sector, leading marketing and business development efforts at major law firms. He began his career as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense, researching and reporting on Soviet and Eastern European political and military developments. He then went on to work for the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer stationed in Berlin, Germany, as the ambassador’s aide and vice-consul.
José resides in Dupont Circle and is a competitive Masters swimmer.