John Commerford to lead NRA’s legislative and political arm; Josh Savani will oversee NRA’s gold-standard programs

The National Rifle Association of America is pleased to announce the recent appointments by NRA Executive Vice President & CEO Doug Hamlin of John Commerford as Interim Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and Josh Savani as the Executive Director of NRA General Operations. Commerford and Savani are both longtime NRA staff members who bring a strong record of Second Amendment advocacy and experience in firearms safety, training, and the shooting sports to their respective roles.

Joining NRA as an intern in 2007, John Commerford worked his way up through the ranks at the Association. As NRA-ILA’s Chief of Operations since 2019, he led the day-to-day management of the Institute, helping to, as he would say, “keep the trains running on time.” Previously, he helped oversee NRA-ILA’s State & Local Affairs Division and took charge of the political strategy for some of NRA’s most critical electoral races. Working with a limited budget for the 2024 presidential election, Commerford had one goal for NRA: maximize every penny donated by NRA members to be as effective as possible. That meant leveraging every vendor, data set, and the talents of NRA staff to execute an incredibly effective election plan.

“John stands well-positioned to continue the legislative and political initiatives of NRA-ILA in support of the constitutional freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment,” said Hamlin. “NRA-ILA will continue to play a key role in fighting for our rights under his strong leadership. This will be a year of investment across the NRA, and ILA will continue to be at the forefront of everything we do on behalf of law-abiding gun owners.”

Josh Savani began his career with the NRA in 2010 as a legal intern, where he worked in support of NRA's attorneys while attending George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. Savani’s 14 years with NRA have been notable for a steady progression into increasingly senior roles within NRA-ILA. As director of ILA’s Research & Information Division since 2017, he was responsible for developing and overseeing NRA’s legislative and legal policy. In that capacity, he innovated processes, created new and efficient systems, and managed a talented and diverse group of policy experts. Between 2016 and 2017, he served as the deputy director.

“I’m grateful that Josh has accepted this important position at a time we will be investing heavily in NRA General Operations,” said Hamlin. “Our NRA programs and services are the backbone of what we do as an Association. In joining General Operations, Josh plans to create more opportunities for NRA members and the public to shoot, compete, and hunt. He looks forward to expanding the reach of all General Operations’ many and diverse programs to grow support for the Second Amendment and NRA’s mission.”