Thomas Donohue, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will speak on "The State of American Business" at a UC Davis event in Sacramento Thursday, Jan. 15.

Donohue will address regional business leaders at an invitation-only breakfast meeting of the Business Partnership Program of the Graduate School of Management.

Last week, Donohue outlined the chamber's policy priorities and political agenda for the year. "The chamber will vigorously pursue legal reform, a national energy plan, transportation funding, free-trade agreements and other policies to underpin our recovery and make America more competitive," he said.

"We will expand our legal activism in the courts and regulatory agencies. We will launch our most aggressive political program ever to elect a pro-business Congress," Donohue added. "During this election year, the chamber will let no political attack aimed at the business community go unanswered."

The chamber is the world's largest business federation and represents about 3 million companies, associations, state and local chambers and American Chambers of Commerce abroad.

Donohue has been credited with revitalizing the business organization, boosting membership and revenues, strengthening relations with state and local chambers, and expanding the chamber's influence in Washington, D.C.

Before assuming his current position in 1997, Donohue headed the American Trucking Association, was group vice president of the chamber, and within the U.S. Postal Service rose to deputy assistant postmaster general in Washington, D.C.

The meeting begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Central Pacific/Tower Bridge Room of the Embassy Suites Hotel Sacramento -- Riverfront Promenade, 100 Capitol Mall, Sacramento.