National & International Roundtable

Senator Rodney Ellis was elected to the Texas Senate in 1990. During his tenure, he has been a leader on economic development, education, civil rights, responsible environmental policy, middle class tax cuts, and criminal justice issues, having passed more than 630 bills.

He is the proud founder of the Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP). Since TLIP's inception, it has become the largest legislative internship program in the state, giving more than 670 young people the opportunity to make a difference in Texas politics and public policy. Three former TLIP participants are currently members of the Texas House of Representatives.

Senator Ellis is a member of the Senate State Affairs, Business & Commerce, and Transportation committees. In past sessions, he chaired the Senate Finance, Jurisprudence, Intergovernmental Relations, Government Organization, and Open Government committees.

Ellis chairs the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project and co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on International Relations. He also serves on the National Conference of State Legislatures Executive Committee, the LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Before his election to the Texas Senate, Senator Ellis served three terms as a member of the Houston City Council and as chief of staff to the late U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland. He holds a bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University, a master's degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Ellis also studied at Xavier University of New Orleans and the London School of Economics.

Ellis is senior advisor with Dentons, the world's largest law firm. He is an avid art collector and enjoys riding bicycles.