Tomas Delgado credits his family and a teenage moment of inspiration for setting him on the path to public service. A Mexican immigrant who came to the United States at age three, he grew up in California watching his parents lead by example — his father working for the city, his mother at the local library. Tomas was taught to work hard, to make himself better and to make things better for others too.
Tomas’ moment of inspiration came in his high school civics class, when then-Congressman Kevin McCarthy spoke to the class about civic engagement. Tomas wasn’t yet old enough to vote, but the message stuck. “It made me ask, in the spirit of JFK’s famous line, what can I do for my country?” Tomas said.
The question carried him to the University of California, Berkeley, and eventually to Washington, D.C., where worked his way up from an intern in the U.S. Senate to staffing a Senator on the Armed Services Committee. “Everything I did was bipartisan,” Tomas said. “I learned to live by the ethos of bringing all sides together for a common solution.”
Today, Tomas manages federal affairs for General Motors, where he coordinates bipartisan lobbyists and connects their work to the company’s regulatory, supply chain, and executive teams. He is also pursuing his MBA at Georgetown, focusing on ethical leadership.
Tomas is proud to be a Bryce Harlow Fellow and hopes to build lasting bonds with his Fellowship cohort and alumni. He is also eager to learn from his mentor, Cinnamon Rogers. “I want to learn from leaders who not only achieve results but also uplift their teams,” Tomas said. “I consider it both an honor and a responsibility to be a Fellow, and I strive to live up to the example of Mr. Bryce Harlow.”
