Cory Gardner is a former U.S. Senator and Member of Congress from Colorado who was named President & CEO of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association in September 2025. In this role, Cory leads one of the largest trade associations in Washington, D.C., representing the connectivity and content industries.
Cory’s public service began in the Colorado House of Representatives, where he served in leadership before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. After two successful terms in the House, Cory was elected to the United States Senate in 2014, where he served until 2021. During the historic 2018 Senate elections, Gardner served as a member of the Majority leadership.
During his time in Congress, Cory served on both the House and Senate Commerce Committees, which play a central role in overseeing the communications marketplace.
He established himself as a leader on technology, telecommunications, and innovation issues, advancing policies to speed broadband access in rural America and promoting a technology-neutral approach to spectrum allocation.
Cory was consistently ranked the most effective member of the Colorado congressional delegation and was perennially in the top five most bipartisan Senators for his efforts to build consensus, elevate the tenor of debate, practice civility, and advance legislation on pressing issues. His legislative accomplishments include passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, and the 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline.
A fifth-generation Coloradan, Cory was born and raised in Yuma, a small town on the Eastern Plains of Colorado where his family owned a farm implement dealership for over 106 years. Cory graduated summa cum laude from Colorado State University and received his law degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his wife, Jaime, have three children.
