New Orleans will host the annual Republican Leadership Conference May 29-31. The Republican Leadership Conference has “become one of the premier Republican events in the country – it attracts key activists, consultants, elected officials and donors from across America,” conference organizer Charlie Davis, also a Leadership Institute graduate and faculty member said. The conference will host many notable politicos including: Rick Perry, Reince Priebus, Phil Bryant, Ron Johnson, Marsha Blackburn, Bobby Jindal, Donald Trump, Haley Barbour, Ted Cruz, David Bossie, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Mike Lee, Allen West, Tony Perkins, Michele Bachmann and Elbert Guillory, their website states. The Leadership Institute will host four trainings for conference attendees. The topics include: Engaging the Youth - tactics to get your voice heard Increasing your Online Presence - tips and techniques Conservative Comeback: how video activism is making a difference Building Your Sphere of Influence – growing your organization But Charlie's relationship with the Leadership Institute didn't begin here. It goes way back. While in college at Louisiana State University, Charlie took the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School, the flagship training nicknamed “the bootcamp of politics” in 1995 or 1996, he says. At this training, Charlie learned how to organize a mass-based youth campaign for the candidates and causes of his choice. “I often tell others that the Leadership Institute is one of the most important organizations in the conservative/liberty movement today. There is no doubt that Morton Blackwell has had a profound impact on the majority of political organizations in our country and therefore the Leadership Institute and its graduates are shaping the future of America,” Charlie said. Shortly thereafter, he became state chairman for the Louisiana Federation of College Republicans. Later, Charlie ran for national chairman of the College Republican National Committee in 1997 and then moved to Washington, D.C. That's when Charlie took a job at the Leadership Institute as the director of the Campus Leadership Program. He developed a plan to establish conservative student-run organizations on college campuses across the country. Check out all the resources LI's Campus Leadership Program offers students now. Shortly after, he became the executive director and deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana. And, he's been organizing the Republican Leadership Conference since 2010. More recently, Charlie served as the Louisiana state chairman for Ron Paul during the 2012 presidential election and led the effort to win more than 60% of the delegates elected to the state convention. “I hope the various factions in the party can get together,” Charlie said. “I think it not only makes the most sense philosophically but it is also probably the only way to win.” Currently, he's a partner at Gatorworks, an award-winning digital advertising agency in Louisiana, and since 2000, he's been president of Liquid Ventures, an association management and strategic consulting firm that specializes in mass-based organizing, major events, media relations, technology and fundraising. “I've worked for numerous conservative and liberty organizations over the years and I even met my wife while she was an intern at the Leadership Institute,” Charlie said. His wife Ellen is equally impressive. She's worked as the political director of GOPAC and the executive director of the Republican Party of Louisiana. But now, she spends most of her time homeschooling their four children: William 6, Sarah 5, Anna 3, and Charles Jr. 10 months. “I think that the Leadership Institute is one of the most important organizations in the conservative/liberty movement today,” Charlie said. “I rarely meet a senior person on a campaign who hasn't been through one of Morton's classes.” Register now for a LI training. Charlie has two pieces of advice for young activists looking to make a difference in politics: “First, go to every LI training you can. Second, choose the positions that offer the best opportunities to learn new things and meet new people,” he said. “The lessons that I learned on campaign technology have had a huge impact on my business ventures and political causes,” he said. Please congratulate Charlie Davis for his consistent efforts in activating conservatives into the political process and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Many graduates of LI political training have asked if the Institute provides follow up to the sessions on strategy and messaging. To provide for a way to continue your education in this important area, LI will provide a new feature and service --- an occasional commentary called "Sutton's Place," written by LI's Vice President of Development Steven Sutton, on current campaign messaging and strategy. Here's another Washington Post article (this one from March 12, 2014) which details the left's strategic plans for 2014:http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-warns-democrats-beware-another-midterm-election-defeat-like-2010/2014/03/11/88eb3348-a94a-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.htmlIt should come as no surprise to anyone exactly what the left will be doing this year, both politically and legislatively (which is the same thing to the left …remember, as far as the left is concerned, governing is simply politics by other means). The left understands that to have an impact on a large enough scale to matter, they need to announce their strategies far and wide. So if you keep your eyes and ears open (or continue to read these commentaries) you will know exactly what they are doing, when they are doing it, and why they are doing it.According to the Post article, “A White House official said Obama will do whatever he can to maximize turnout – working to get the Democratic base out.” With that as the backdrop for the president's actions this year, what do you think the chances are for the Keystone Pipeline, for example, to be approved this year? The merits of the project are irrelevant. There is simply zero chance that the president will risk upsetting his base by approving Keystone this year. Doing what is best for the country, economy, and for energy independence (especially if it goes against a core constituency in your political base) requires leadership. Yet for a president who always puts politics ahead of policy, this decision is a no-brainer. This president puts his political party's interests ahead of America's interests time and time again.More from the article: “White House officials say his (Obama's) most important role will be drawing clear contrasts between the parties on the minimum wage, college affordability, pay parity and other bread-and-butter Democratic issues.” One official was quoted as saying, “The president can set the terms of the electoral debate and lay out a unifying economic message for Democrats.”That is why you have seen (and will continue to see) votes in the Senate on the minimum wage, pay parity, “income inequality” and other issues designed exclusively and cynically to promote a political message. It is not a policy agenda so much as it is a political agenda (once again, to the left, those two are the same thing).Note the final paragraph of this article. Congressman Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) says, “If you're a Democrat who cares about our future, the stakes are high – whether it's raising the minimum wage or making sure that women earn equal pay for equal work…” Right on message (and repeated by a willing mainstream media reporter on page three of the Washington Post…gotta make sure everyone in the left's coalition knows what the message is, after all).If you want to stay most up-to-date on the left's 2014 messaging and political agenda, you may want to simply go to Congressman Steve Israel's website (or that of the DCCC). You can be sure that their message, and the issues they will use to advance that message, will be prominently displayed there.Prior to joining the Leadership Institute, Steven Sutton was a chief of staff in the House of Representatives for more than 14 years, where he specialized in setting up Congressional offices for four different incoming freshmen Members. He has also managed numerous political campaigns from city council to U.S. Congress, specializing in challenger campaigns. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Steve has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering with many interesting stories to boot!As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Leadership Institute does not oppose or endorse any faculty opinions such as Steve's thoughts above, or any legislation, candidate, or elected official. LI offers more than 41 types of training programs, works with more than 1,589 conservative campus groups on colleges across the country, and helps employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 146,000 conservative activists, students, and leaders have been trained. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org>

The Leadership Institute broke the all-time webinar training record for live attendees during the April 25 webinar Growing Your Digital Reach featuring lecturer Ericka Andersen, The Heritage Foundation's digital media manager. One hundred eighty-one conservatives watched this live lecture online to learn how The Heritage Foundation connects with so many people, and how other conservative groups can grow their digital reach through email lists, multiple social media platforms, friends, allies, and giving back online.Click the picture to the left to hear The Heritage Foundation's Digital Media Manager Ericka Andersen speak about growing your digital reach.Twitter Abuzz About #LIwebinarSome attendees took to Twitter to live tweet Ericka's lecture. The Franklin Center of Government & Public Integrity's Outreach Manager Chris McCoy (@ChrisYMcCoy) tweeted one point she learned, “DON'T automate! Don't hook the same exact messaging to FB Twitter Instagram etc #LiWebinar Be Real.”America's Future Foundation (@AFF) told their followers to watch: “Happy Friday! Want to learn the secrets of growing your digital reach? Join @LeadershipInst today for a free webinar!"Karin Davenport also thanked LI saying, “Thx for the @LeadershipInst webinar today! As Comm Dir. of @USEnglishInc, it gave us lots of great new ideas!”Tweeted from behind the scenes in the control room at LI Studios, this picture to the right shows Ericka Andersen wrapping up her popular lecture on growing your digital reach, and Paulo Sibaja reading through the many attendee questions on twitter and email.Video LibrarySince 2011, the Leadership Institute has trained 3,450 attendees through free live webinars online, taking training to conservatives everywhere, from their living rooms to their offices, and with their local campaigns and tea party groups. After airing live, LI archives webinars and makes them available through the Leadership Institute's Online Video Library. Click below to see the archive of LI's recorded webinars.Watch the Leadership Institute's archive of recorded webinar trainings in any of these categories – Activism, Campaign, Campus, Career, Communications, Fundraising, and New Media. These webinars are free thanks to LI's generous donors and faculty, who give their money and time to make LI training possible. Generous Leadership Institute donors make webinars available at no cost to activists because they believe in training the next generation of conservative leaders. LI's speakers, experts in their respective fields, generously volunteer their time and expertise because they, like the Institute, want to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists in the public policy process. As LI President Morton Blackwell says, “Political technology determines political success.” >

This past weekend leaders from Young Republican clubs all across the country descended on the nation's capital for the biennial Young Republican Leadership Conference, organized by the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF). “Young Republicans (YRs) are the oldest political youth organization in the United States,” the YRNF website states. “Important to the growth of the Republican Party, the YRs reach out to registered Republicans, 18 to 40 years of age, and provide them with better political knowledge and understanding of the issues of the day.” The YRNF Chief of Staff Rich Counts, also a Leadership Institute graduate, helped plan the conference with other executive board members and volunteers. “The conference has become known as a must attend event for up-and-coming young conservatives and libertarians,” Rich said. “The goal of the conference is to bring in Young Republican leaders from across the country for three days of networking, political trainings, and meet and greets with Republican lawmakers and party leaders.” The three-day conference began Thursday with YR club officers visiting lawmakers from their state and others on Capitol Hill and an afternoon visit to The Heritage Foundation with a networking reception that evening. The Leadership Institute (LI) was invited to train their attendees Friday. LI hosted five workshops in morning and afternoon sessions: Campaign Communications Workshop, Campaign Management Workshop track one and two, Campaign Fundraising Workshop, and On-Camera Television Workshop for club chairmen. The evening offered attendees a visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan) embassy. Saturday was used for break outs of various committee and regional meetings, a lunch panel about minority engagement with Leadership Institute staffer Paulo Sibaja, and a formal gala to conclude the annual conference. Rich was appointed chief of staff in July 2013 to “represent the organization here in DC and to help facilitate partnerships with like-minded groups both in DC and around the country. The chief of staff also works as a liaison between the chairman of the YRNF and YRNF committee chairmen,” he explained. Rich grew up on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. But, he spent many summers enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures of Michigan with his father's family. He went to college at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he majored in political economy and minored in engineering science. After his May 2007 graduation, Rich moved to DC because he says he “had become passionate about politics and wanted to get more involved,” and that's when he learned of the Leadership Institute. “When I first arrived in DC, Marcus Skelton, chairman of the DC Young Republicans at the time, mentioned that I should definitely attend training at the Leadership Institute. I took his advice and I certainly saw the benefits,” Rich said. “In addition to providing me with best practices and political knowledge, the Leadership Institute really prepared me to grow from an entry-level kid right out of college into a professional,” he said. “The training was invaluable, not just for me, but for several of my friends and colleagues.” So just a few months after moving to DC, Rich enrolled in LI's Grassroots Campaign School in August 2007. “LI was way ahead of the curve when it came to social media,” Rich said. “I still remember a class that Chris Malagisi taught in the Grassroots Campaign School that was instrumental in helping us develop what became an effective social media strategy for DC Young Republicans.” In March 2010, Rich was elected chairman of the DC Young Republicans club and served until March 2011. “Running DC Young Republicans was a great experience. It really gave me the opportunity to learn and grow as a leader at a young age,” he said. “We had an amazing team of activists. By the end of my term, we deployed more than 400 volunteers to 16 cities in nine states, increased membership by 300%, and most importantly, changed the culture of the organization to help members grow professionally and socially through our campaign deployment trips, networking events, and weekly e-letters.” Two months into his chairman position –in May 2010—Rich came back for more LI training. This time it was LI's Campaign Workshop. “LI's campaign schools really prepared me to develop "DCYRs on Tour," the DC Young Republicans volunteer deployment program,” he said. “It taught me how to plan efficient and effective GOTV deployments, but to also make sure that the activities were exciting and enjoyable for all participants. Getting out the vote is hard work, but it was always a goal of ours to make it fun work as well.” In January 2011, Rich became the co-director of the popular networking event, “It's First Friday,” a monthly networking hub for Capitol Hill conservatives that has spawned similar events in other states. “It's First Friday has had many special guests, including Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist, S.E. Cupp, and John Boehner, but the best thing about First Friday is that it is a place where conservative and libertarian politicos can kick back with like-minded folks and connect not just over politics, but form long-term friendships as well,” he said. In addition to providing voluntary leadership to Young Republican clubs across the country, Rich works full time for Townhall Media, a subsidiary of Salem Communications. Salem Communications is America's leading radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative values. Townhall Media is the parent company of five of the country's leading conservative websites, including: HotAir.com, HumanEvents.com, RedState.com, Townhall.com, and Twitchy.com. Altogether, the Townhall Media network receives more than 100 million page views per month, Rich says. As the senior account executive, Rich “works to bring in revenue to support our various editorial and marketing endeavors,” he said. “The majority of revenue has traditionally come from advertising and email marketing, but some also comes from sponsorships to support events like the RedState Gathering held annually in August,” he continued. The RedState Gathering, an event the Leadership Institute frequently sponsors, will be held in Fort Worth, Texas this year August 8 -10. Rich was featured by The Hill as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People for 2011, received the DC Republican Committee's "Up and Comer" award in 2010, was selected as a DC delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention, and served as DC Campaign Co-Chair for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. “There are many different think tanks in this city, but the Leadership Institute has for years trained conservatives on how to make things happen on the local, state, and national levels. LI doesn't just tell people to do more; the faculty train and guide conservatives on how to get it done,” Rich said. Rich has graciously offered his time and expertise to serve as volunteer faculty for the Leadership Institute, where he lectures and shares his acquired knowledge with other young activists. Register now for a LI training. “The Leadership Institute offers invaluable trainings on the key issues for people who are serious about pushing themselves both politically and professionally,” he said. Please congratulate Rich Counts for his consistent efforts in activating young conservatives into the political process and the whole YRNF leadership team for a successful conference this past weekend. Please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-partisan, not-for-profit organization. LI does not endorse or oppose political parties, candidates, public officials, or legislation. All programs are open to the public.

Many graduates of Leadership Institute (LI) political training have asked if LI provides any follow up to the sessions on strategy and messaging. To provide for a way to continue your education in this important area, LI will provide a new feature and service --- an occasional commentary called "Sutton's Place," written by LI's Vice President of Development Steven Sutton, on current campaign messaging and strategy.Welcome to Sutton's Place...a small slice of campaign strategy and messaging heaven. The purpose of Sutton's Place is to continue the education you received at a Leadership Institute training school. Hope you find it interesting, educational, and complimentary to your LI training.We start off the first of these commentaries with an article which appeared recently in the Washington Post entitled, House Democrats plot strategy against long odds to win back chamber.Click here for the full Washington Post article.This article reports on an "annual retreat at a resort on Maryland's Eastern Shore." Both major political parties have these annual retreats, but the Democrats appear to actually discuss strategy and messaging in a disciplined way that results in attempts by their leaders and rank and file members to coordinate and implement a strategic message that they articulate to voters. As the article reports, House Democrats developed and refined the following theme for the 2014 elections: As stated by Congressman Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee...the DCCC, the Dems will champion "building an economy that works for everyone and not just special interests."Other Dem Members state: "The majority is supposed to...move us forward..." There's that word again..."forward.""If Republicans shirk their responsibility...we're ready to lead.""Dem unity will give voters a clear choice...More obstruction...or get something done."You can see the beginning of a clear theme, but there are some big problems with it.It will be very difficult for Dems to make the case that they will "lead" when their political leader (President Obama) has shown himself to be the weakest leader/President since Jimmy Carter (now there's an interesting way for the GOP to message back on this).Another problem is that the very high "wrong track" polling numbers suggest that Americans don't want to be led in the direction suggested by the left. And another problem is that this message is unlikely to sufficiently motivate the left's base to come out to vote this year, and that is the challenge and goal for the left. Negatives (such as fear) are more powerful motivators. The above themes are simply not strong enough to motivate their base. That suggests (once they realize this) that things will get much more confrontational/negative as Election Day nears. This retreat was held earlier this year (in February). I sense a shift in the left's strategy since then (more on that in a future Sutton's Place article).Prior to joining the Leadership Institute, Steven Sutton was a chief of staff in the House of Representatives for more than 14 years, where he specialized in setting up Congressional offices for four different incoming freshmen Members. He has also managed numerous political campaigns from city council to U.S. Congress, specializing in challenger campaigns. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Steve has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering with many interesting stories to boot!As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Leadership Institute does not oppose or endorse any faculty opinions such as Steve's thoughts above, or any legislation, candidate, or elected official. LI offers more than 41 types of training programs, works with more than 1,589 conservative campus groups on colleges across the country, and helps employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 146,000 conservative activists, students, and leaders have been trained. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org>

"I'm extremely proud of my time at the Leadership Institute,” said Young Conservatives Coalition President Chris Malagisi, also an adjunct professor at American University. “It might be cliché, but Morton Blackwell and the Leadership Institute (LI) changed my life," he continued. "In the past decade, I have regularly interacted with LI staff both personally and professionally.” Chris is president of the Young Conservatives Coalition (YCC), a Washington, D.C.-based young professionals' leadership, educational, and networking organization. YCC organizes the Young Conservative Leaders Fellowship – a six-month program to equip young conservative leaders with conservative philosophy to apply those principles in the political battlefield. In March, the 2014 fellows class launched with 13 rising leaders within the conservative movement that work on Capitol Hill, in think tanks, media, nonprofits, and the private sector. They also represent various branches of the conservative movement – economic, social, national security and constitutional conservatives. Just last week the class met with historian Dr. George H. Nash, as seen in the photo to the right. Previous speakers have included former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, and columnist and author Jonah Goldberg. Chris seeks to preserve the America his grandparents sought when fleeing communism in Greece. “I was the beneficiary of the American Dream my grandparents had, and that sentiment stayed with me growing up,” he said. “I think conservatism is a natural extension of the American Dream. Its goal is to conserve the uniqueness that made America the exceptional nation my grandparents left their home country for.” In high school, Chris made the most of it. He served as a congressional page in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998, getting to run errands for Members of Congress and have floor access. In college, Chris pursued a B.A. in Political Science at American University in Washington, D.C. His studies included a semester in London with visits to over a dozen European countries, and a semester at sea around the world. Back stateside, Chris interned in the Bush White House in 2001. After obtaining a Masters of Public Administration at Syracuse University in 2004, the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) hired Chris to be their Ohio youth director. “I was in charge of the student outreach field program in the lead up to the presidential election,” he said. “To prepare for this challenging position, I went for training at the Leadership Institute.” Chris discovered once he became involved with the Leadership Institute, the relationship would continue throughout his career. After he attended several Leadership Institute trainings, LI hired Chris as a grassroots coordinator to train conservatives across the country on how to win campaigns. Later, Chris became LI's director of political & new media training where he taught activists how to develop a message, speak in public, debate, build coalitions, and manage a campaign as the campaign manager and even as the candidate. Along with recruiting attendees, Chris recruited top-notch volunteer faculty to teach at more than 200 trainings. “I'm proud that during my time at LI, we trained more than 5,000 candidates, activists, and organizational staff across the country,” he said. Later, Chris joined the American Conservative Union as the director of national CPAC & external relations. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is the nation's largest gathering of conservatives nationwide. The Leadership Institute partners at CPAC and hosts various trainings and events during the conference. In 2014, LI engaged with 1,216 attendees through six trainings and events. Next, Chris joined the Leadership Institute's Conservatism 101 project to teach conservative students the history and philosophy of conservatism. Since 2008, Chris has taught the History of the Conservative Movement class at American University in Washington, D.C., and a class on voting behavior, elections, and campaigns. Every semester, Chris' version of the Conservatism 101 class has a waitlist of students who clamor to get one of the maximum of 30 spots available. LI's Conservatism 101 project establishes for-credit courses on college campuses to balance the overwhelmingly-liberal course curriculum most colleges tout. The Conservatism 101 project acts as a compliment to LI trainings. Whereas LI's 41 unique types of training schools teach conservatives how to win against the left, Conservatism 101 teaches students how to articulate their conservative beliefs. The Leadership Institute also recruited Chris to help launch an online component of the Conservatism 101 project to reach students nationwide. Chris joins conservative figures such as Wall Street Journal columnist Stephen Moore, author and radio talk-show host Mark Levin, Leadership Institute president Morton Blackwell, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz to teach students conservative principles through online lectures. Go here to view these lectures for free. Himself a recognized conservative leader, several publications and news programs such as Washington Examiner, American Spectator, Washington Times, Fox News, CNN, and CSPAN have tapped Chris for his political analysis. He's also been awarded the Rising Star award by Campaigns & Elections. He has high hopes for the 2014 and 2016 elections. “Barack Obama has turned out to be a great gift for conservatism as he's helped reboot a movement that strayed in the latter Bush years,” Chris said. “With presidential scandals and perceived legislative failures piling up, conservatives stand to gain ground in 2014 and are well-positioned to have a strong presidential candidate pool to choose from in 2016.” Through his teaching and training, Chris strives to teach conservative principles to the next generation – and restore a prosperous and free United States of America. He credits the Leadership Institute with much of his success. “Whether attending LI trainings as a attendee, working as Leadership Institute staff, training others as a faculty member, or keeping in touch with some of the best friends I've made in DC, there is no way I would have been prepared to run CPAC and YCC, give political consultation, and teach at the university level without the Leadership Institute,” he said. “I'm honored to have worked with Morton Blackwell and other LI staff, and can't thank them enough for their guidance and support along the way. If you want to win, go to the Leadership Institute.” Please congratulate Christopher Malagisi on a great start to the second annual Young Conservative Leaders Fellows Class of 2014 and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

In Tuesday's all-staff meeting, Leadership Institute President Morton Blackwell announced LI's Employee of the Quarter award recipient."Aynsley Harrison has helped LI assist hundreds of conservative job seekers this year alone," LI President Morton Blackwell said."She put together a job fair at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that served more than 400 job seekers with more recruiters and job openings than previous years," he continued.Aynsley is the Career Services Department coordinator and started at the Institute last August."Aynsley spear-headed the one-on-one career counseling center at CPAC, which allowed 39 job seekers to have 30 minute meetings with Leadership Institute staff to edit their resumes and develop plans of action to help them get their next job," Morton said."Finally, she has made LI's resume consultation program a must-stop shop for job seekers, with more than 100 people seeking guidance from LI in just three months – a number that took almost a full year to attain in 2013," he concluded.Great work, Aynsley! >

Classy fashionista Gabrielle Jackson shows beauty even in politics. “I can still remember my first Leadership Institute training as a 15-year-old in California,” Founder and President of The Millennial Solution Gabrielle Jackson, now 25, said. “My mom drove me two hours to Stanford University from my hometown in Sacramento after hearing about the Youth Leadership School training program.” “Even at that age, I knew that politics was how I wanted to make the world a better place and I was hungry for training to use my passion and excitement to advance the conservative movement,” she said. Now, Gabrielle works in the Washington, D.C. area as the director of external partnerships at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. In this role, Gabrielle develops strategic relationships with individuals and organizations and provides opportunities for them to partner with the organization to advance freedom and fulfillment. “We reach evangelicals in America who may not understand the connection between their faith and a free economy, and empower them with the knowledge and resources they need to bring about flourishing in their spheres of influence,” she said. She's also the current Miss Fairfax County United States and first runner up at Miss DC United States, and this past weekend Gabrielle was crowned second runner-up at the Miss Virginia United States 2014 pageant. “I encourage young women to stay true to themselves. It may sound cliché, but in order to be successful you really need a strong sense of identity and be able to answer: who are you? what are you most passionate about? And, what do you have to say that the world needs to hear? If you can answer those questions, you will be able to better navigate life's big questions- like job offers and relationships,” Leadership Institute graduate Gabrielle Jackson said. This coming Saturday, April 12 Gabrielle will be speaking at the Liberated with Truth Conference at Langley High School in Northern Virginia. She'll discuss the power of cross-generational collaborations as well as how millennial women can become ambassadors for truth. “The media would have us believe that there is a ‘war on women' waged by the right. This weekend's Liberated With Truth Conference will address the mythical war, and expose the real war that women are fighting in America today. It will bring experts together to address the real history of the feminist movement, the connection between breast cancer and the pill, and the story of what abortion has done to women's rights. In order to reverse this trend and address the lies circulating today, we must come together across generations,” Gabrielle said. Additionally, she is also the founder and president of the Millennial Solution. Her entrepreneurial idea began as a college thesis paper on millennial conservatives. Gabrielle wanted to find the connection between the millennial affinity for volunteering, justice, and entrepreneurship and the pro-liberty movement. “I discovered not only the clear correlation between millennial characteristics and conservative principles, but also the science and solutions behind what makes millennials tick,” she said. Her organization was formed to aid conservative managers to optimize the skill-base and talents of their generation Y employees to excel in the workplace and beyond. The organization focuses on providing collaborative strategies to help managers and the millennial generation succeed and connect the interests of multiple generations so they can work together effectively. Gabrielle recently released her new book, 5 Millennial Myths: The handbook for managing and motivating Millennials. Watch her promotional video here. “My book is a quick-guide for anyone curious about who millennials are and how our unique passion and preferences are changing the way organizations and businesses work. In it, I break down the five main stereotypes floating around about millennials: we are entitled; independent; disloyal; addicted to technology; and unmotivated. This is particularly helpful for non-profits, one of the largest employers of millennials,” she said. Before moving to DC, Gabrielle was selected as a senate fellow in the Capital Fellows Program in 2010. She was also former legislative aide to the Californian State Senate where she worked for two years, from 2010 to 2012. She has a Masters of Arts in Government from Regent University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from William Jessup University. “LI has been such an incredible resource for me as I have honed my skills as a young professional and in helping me in the direction I am looking to take my career,” she said. “Everything from Morton's reading list, to the in-person training I have received, to the networking it has provided me—I can confidently say the Leadership Institute is the one organization that has been most committed to my personal and professional success.” Gabrielle has taken seven LI trainings as various as the Introduction to Television Techniques Workshop, On-Camera TV Workshops to the Youth Leadership School, the International School of Fundraising twice, and the Women's Leadership Training. “The Leadership Institute is the premier boot-camp for young conservative activists who have a passion to change the world, but still need the training to make it happen. I would encourage anyone who wants to learn more about conservative activism, involvement, and action to get plugged into one of the many amazing programs the Leadership Institute offers and get the tools and training they need to make it happen,” she said. Please congratulate Gabrielle Jackson for a wonderful weekend at Miss Virginia United States and for finding her passion of bridging different generations, especially women, together to advance the conservative movement. Please applaud her for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-in-Training Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

This will not be a cheery update because the news is not good. I shall do my best to summarize developments and not take you too far into the weeds.At the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Mitt Romney broke all precedent and used his power as the coming nominee to change the rules, to centralize power in the hands of the establishment, and to make it very much harder for any power in the party to flow from the bottom up.For one example, the rules previously had required that, to be placed in nomination for President, a candidate had to have the written support of a plurality of the delegates from at least five states.In Tampa, the Romney campaign changed that requirement. Currently, a 2016 presidential candidate will have to have the support of a majority of the delegates from at least eight states.The power grabs regarding the party rules in Tampa were so outrageous that the proposed new rules were almost rejected in a voice vote by the convention, and thousands of people left Tampa furious as a result.The worst of the Romney rules changes at the Tampa convention was a new rule, now Rule 12, which authorized the Republican National Committee to further amend 24 of the 41 national rules between conventions. That opens the way to abuses limited only by the imagination of future power grabbers.With RNC Chairman Reince Priebus pushing hard, the Republican National Committee has drastically shortened the period in which national convention delegates can be elected, selected, or bound. The period is shortened at both ends. All but four states, New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada, must wait until March 1 to hold their primaries or conventions to elect national convention delegates. Those four states may begin selecting delegates in February.That was fine with me. The same rule was in effect in 2012 but violated by a number of states which broke the rule and held earlier primaries. New penalties now in place should dissuade states from jumping ahead in 2016.However, the changed rules now will also end the 2016 primary process far earlier than before, because states must certify their elected delegates by June 3, forty-five days before the 2016 national convention convenes in Cleveland. In 2016's truncated period of delegate selection, it will be almost impossible for a less well-known conservative candidate who does much better than expected in the early primaries to parlay that good showing into much better fundraising and much greater grassroots organization. There won't be enough time for a conservative candidate to come from behind and elect a majority of the convention delegates.The establishment candidate will almost certainly be Jeb Bush or Chris Christie. Bush would start with more money and more news media acclaim than any of the more numerous, more conservative candidates likely to be splitting the conservative vote.There is no way, before the convention convenes, to change the current national rules regarding the timing and the methods of election of national convention delegates. The shortening of the delegate selection process is a done deal for the 2016 election cycle. The shorter period will almost certainly provide sufficient time for the content-free, establishment Republicans to unite but perhaps too little time for conservatives to unite behind a single one of the more numerous conservative candidates.In modern times there have almost never been multiple candidates with a chance to win the race by the time of the national convention. It's human nature for people to yearn to be on the winning side. For many Republicans interested in participating in the presidential nomination contest, that desire becomes all-consuming. When one candidate seems to be winning, the compulsion to jump on that candidate's bandwagon becomes all but irresistible.By the time the Republican National Convention convened, there has not, since 1976, been any doubt as to who will be nominated. National rules changes have had the intended effect of eliminating favorite-son candidates capable of controlling their states' delegations, thus ending another factor which might insert some uncertainty regarding who will win the nomination. Remember, to be placed in nomination, a person now must have proof of the support of the majority of the delegates from eight different states.Even in states which allocate their delegates by some type of proportionality, the plurality winner generally will get a much higher percentage of the delegates than the percentage of the primary vote that candidate received. Where a state primary has a winner-take-all system, the candidate with a plurality gets all the state's delegate votes. The current rules guarantee that, once again, the supporters of unsuccessful candidates will go home angry and insulted. Some beneficial rules changes could be adopted after all the delegates are selected, just before the 2016 convention in Cleveland begins. These changes cannot pass without the support of some 2016 Republican presidential candidates. One rules change can and must be made by the 2016 Convention Rules Committee and adopted by the convention before the actual nomination process is taken up by the convention.In the run-up to the 2012 national convention in Tampa, the Romney campaign employed strong-arm tactics to prevent the possibility that any other candidate would have a plurality of delegates in any five states, which would have enabled that candidate's name to be placed in nomination before the convention.As a result, only Mitt Romney's name was formally placed in nomination.Then came the roll call of the states.Each state delegation chairman, starting with Alabama, called out the number of delegate votes each candidate had won in that state.Then an outrageous thing happened. The convention secretary, from the rostrum, called out the number of delegate votes which would be counted from that state. Only the number of delegate votes cast for Mitt Romney in each state was announced!Hundreds of delegates who had been duly elected by their states, had traveled to the convention, and had been certified as delegates by the Convention Credentials Committee were thus deprived of their right to have their votes counted. In many cases, delegates were bound by state law or state party rules to vote for candidates other than Romney. Too bad for them in Tampa.Already upset by the Romney campaign's many power grabs regarding the rules, supporters of other candidates and many fair-minded Romney delegates were thoroughly outraged when hundreds of duly elected and credentialed delegates were summarily disenfranchised.How would it have hurt the Romney campaign to have the legitimate votes for other candidates announced and counted? Romney had the votes to win on the first ballot.An honest tally of the delegate votes won by other candidates would not have hurt Romney at all.Instead, the arrogant and ham-handed Romney campaign, determined to demonstrate who was boss, trampled on the rights of other candidates and their supporters and sent thousands of grassroots Republicans home angry at them.This happened at the very time when the Romney campaign should have been striving for good will and party unity in the fall campaign against President Barack Obama.As the Rules of the Republican Party are now written, this ugly scenario could be repeated at the 2016 Republican National Convention.The only way to make sure this doesn't happen at the Cleveland convention is for the 2016 Convention Rules Committee to propose and for the national convention to adopt a change in the rules to provide that the votes of duly elected and credentialed delegates shall be announced, recorded, and counted during the balloting for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.Any requirements for prior proof of support for a presidential candidate should affect only the determination of which candidates may be presented to the convention by formal nominating speeches.Unless bound to vote for specific candidates by state law or by state party rules, duly elected and credentialed delegates should be able to exercise their rights to vote for the candidates of their choice.It is obvious that conservatives should be making plans right now to unite as much as possible behind a single good candidate before the short primary season begins. Otherwise, Republicans shall almost certainly have another establishment presidential nominee in 2016. The short duration of the 2016 presidential primary period, the large number of conservatives likely to run for president, and the much smaller number of establishment Republicans likely to be in the race combine to increase greatly the possibility that an establishment Republican will win the 2016 nomination.Think back to the moment just before Ronald Reagan clinched the 1980 nomination. Define all his supporters then as Reaganites and all other Republicans as non-Reaganites.No Reaganite presidential nominee since Reagan!It's time for the Republican Party to nominate another Reaganite.>

“Get off your butt and do something! Stop complaining about the size of government and be proactive about our problems. We can't afford to just sit around and talk philosophy with each other. If you want to make a change, stop reading and start doing,” Leadership Institute graduate Brandon Cestrone who is the northeast regional director for Young Americans for Liberty said. “At some point books only become a crutch,” he continued. “People would rather read political theory than learn practical application. Don't make this mistake. Take what you learn and put it to action. That's where the magic happens.” Brandon Cestrone has made significant contributions to advancing liberty through youth activism. He's helped start 50 college Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapters at universities stretching from West Virginia all the way to Maine. Originally from western Pennsylvania, Brandon attended Slippery Rock University and earned a Masters of Arts degree in History. While in college, he cofounded the YAL chapter at Slippery Rock University. “Cofounding the YAL chapter at Slippery Rock University has open doors that I never knew existed! Without having started my chapter I would not be where I am today,” he said. “It afforded me the chance to prove my commitment to the liberty movement and YAL's mission.” Brandon has trained existing YAL chapters on recruitment, leadership development, and fundraising as part of his duties. His other responsibilities include management of the organization's database, YAL University, and some fundraising. “I owe a lot to the Leadership Institute,” Brandon said. “They helped me start and plan my first semester as a YAL chapter. With the Leadership Institute's (LI) guidance, and the help of my chapter members, we grew to be a mighty voice for liberty on campus.” You too can get help from LI's Campus Leadership Program. Click here for all the free resources you may have. Brandon has taken LI's Youth Leadership School, On-Camera Television Workshop, and the Campaign Management School. “The Leadership Institute has been a great resource for my professional journey by offering training, guidance, and a helping hand,” he said. YAL is hosting 12 state conventions across the country where young people can attend a one-day training and networking event designed to build stronger state cooperation, improve activists' effectiveness, and inspire attendees to do even more to advance the cause of liberty. Conventions that have already taken place include: New York, Idaho, Arkansas, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida is coming up this weekend. LI is partnering as a Gold Sponsor at all 12 YAL conventions and will host grassroots activism and messaging training during the program. For more information about these YAL conventions and to sign up, please click here. After college, Brandon worked at a major retail store as their sales manager and “was on the fast track,” he says. There, he sharpened his public speaking skills and learned to build relationships with customers, which he believes “are two key components to effective grassroots activism.” “But, my passion has always been to advance liberty. So, I took a chance interning for YAL and it paid off big,” he said. YAL Founder and Executive Director Jeff Frazee also got his start through the Leadership Institute, where he worked prior to starting the organization. YAL Director of Programs & Operations Ed King also worked at the Leadership Institute before moving over to YAL. “The Leadership Institute is an organization dedicated to helping you succeed not only on your campus as a political activist, but also in your professional career. With a large variety of training courses and resources, you don't need to look anywhere else for help,” Brandon said. To register for an Leadership Institute training like Brandon, click here. Please congratulate Brandon Cestrone for advancing liberty among young Americans, and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-in-Training Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Being a woman in leadership is beneficial to the conservative movement, former Arizona State Senator and Leadership Institute graduate Lori Klein said. “Women need to put themselves out front, get elected, and hold their ground as a conservative,” she said. Lori has a powerhouse of experience with 18 years on Capitol Hill and seven years as the director of public relations for the Washington Times. Her most recent contribution was coordinating the Western Conservative Conference, which was held a few weeks back in Phoenix, Arizona. As a young woman in Washington, D.C. from 1976 to 1994, Lori learned of the Leadership Institute (LI) and began taking LI trainings. After taking the Leadership Institute's Television Workshop, former Senator Klein says LI was beneficial to her when she worked in radio and television as well as when she campaigned for office in the Arizona State Senate in 2010. “The Leadership Institute was a real help and assistance to me in my career,” she said. Former Senator Klein took office in January 2011. During her tenure in office she successfully worked to repeal legislation that impeded businesses and she worked to reduce their tax burdens. Her achievements in office have subsequently encouraged growth and increased employment in Arizona with a 2.8 percent drop in the unemployment rate – 10.8 percent in January 2010 to 8 percent in January 2013 at the end of her term in the Senate. Unemployment Rate: Arizona, National. – Department of Numbers. Former Senator Klein passed SB 1598, The Regulatory Bill of Rights, in 2011 which streamlined government licensing. The bill assisted businesses to grow and to flourish without unnecessary government intervention. With the legislature having just finished its second session with a structural balanced budget, the bill provided an additional $450 million in surplus. Lori said, “It is tremendously important to have the Leadership Institute around to train and mentor candidates and grassroots activists so that we can be effective getting our message out. LI serves an invaluable service to up-and-coming leaders.” The former Senator encourages women to run for office. “Women actually have an advantage if they're running against a man,” she said. “Women get a five percent bump in the polls. But as a woman, you still need to be professional. You still need to be articulate and you need to understand your values as a conservative and be able to communicate effectively because the future of our country is at stake.” With the future of the country at stake, as Lori says, why not register for one of LI's upcoming Women's Leadership Trainings? It's taught by female leaders and intended to assist women. Register here for the March 29 program. Please congratulate Lori Klein for her coordination of the Western Conservative Conference and her contributions to the conservative movement at large. Please applaud her for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Communism is real for Zeljko "Zed" Zidaric. A Croatian by birth, he escaped communism and grew up in Canada. “As an escapee from communism with family left behind in Croatia, I know firsthand what communism is about,” he said. “I heard from my family about the hardships and the fear. I knew that communism was a flawed system that benefitted only a few. I was fortunate to have escaped and felt that it was my duty to stand against communism and fight to defend the freedom that we in the West cherish.” So he attended Royal Military College in Canada and became an officer. “I was fortunate that communism collapsed and I did not need to go to war, but I did volunteer to go and protect the new democracy in Croatia as it struggled to escape the shackles of the former communist Yugoslavia,” Zed said. Although Zed grew up in Canada, he was born in a small village near Zagreb, Croatia. His love for his homeland prompted him to develop the Civic Innovation Incubator in Croatia. “I want to take what I have learned and bring it to Croatia so that young Croatians do not need to leave Croatia for a better life, but they can build a better life for themselves and create a better future for Croatia,” he said. His group empowers and supports Croatian youth ages 18 to 35 to have faith in their ability to develop new conservative solutions to the problems that plague the nation. Members of the Conservative Party of Canada recommended Zed look into the Leadership Institute's political training. So he came to LI's Campaign Management School in February 2011. He returned for LI's International Leadership Training School in December 2012, and later he attended LI's Future Candidate School and International Fundraising Training in 2013. “The courses that I took at the Leadership Institute helped me apply what I learned in the corporate space to the civic activism space,” he said. In the fall of 2013, Zed came to work at the Leadership Institute. He volunteered in LI's International Programs department. “While working in LI's International Programs department I met many great people and realized how many of us are fighting for liberty,” he said. “Knowing that there is a large support base and that you are not alone is very empowering. I now have friends that I can contact for just a conversation or help with a problem all over the USA and around the world.” Zed met his sweetheart Alma Ortega, also volunteering in LI's International Programs department. They recently became engaged and are now planning a wedding. “As others told me, I will tell others: The Leadership Institute is the place to go if you want to learn how to be a successful conservative activist and want to meet others that share the same passion,” he said. “When you become a part of the LI network, you are no longer alone.” Please congratulate Zeljko Zidaric for finding his passion to mobilize Croatian youth to advance the conservative movement. Please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-in-Training Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Senator Ted Cruz (R—TX) came to the Leadership Institute's Wednesday Wake-Up Club Breakfast last week and spoke to 229 conservatives about the current state of affairs.Activists, supporters, and LI graduates braved the harsh weather for the largest Leadership Institute (LI) breakfast turnout since the program began in 1997.Senator Cruz began by quoting Sam Houston, “Texas has yet to learn submission to any form of oppression come from what source it may… that is an attitude the Leadership Institute has embraced for a long, long time.”To read more about the role the Leadership Institute played in Sen. Cruz's campaign, please go here for info regarding his field staff and here for info on his pollster. Sen. Cruz spoke to the power and importance the grassroots movement plays in maintaining and advancing the conservative movement.“Right now, today, Obamacare is at its lowest approval rating it's ever been since the day it passed into law,” he said.The people will rise up against restriction upon their freedoms, he said. And it is this, he believes, that drives the grassroots movement to act and be so effective.“If you have a President who picks and chooses which laws to follow and which to ignore – you no longer have a president,” Sen. Cruz said.The website www.makedclisten.org is an initiative he urged attendees to visit and then Tweet about.Senator Ted Cruz said, “If we continue doing what we're doing which is mobilizing and empowering the American people – it's not going to come from Washington – it is what the Leadership Institute is doing every day.”"Liberty is never safer than when politicians are terrified,” Sen. Cruz closed.Please join LI at the next Wake-Up Club Breakfast on March 5. The speaker will be Rep. Steve Scalise, chairman of the Republican Study Committee. Sign up here.>

On Sunday, millions of Americans watched the Super Bowl and some had the privilege to watch live in person, after buying tickets. But what if your tickets came with restrictions? “If you go back in time three years, no one had heard of restricted tickets,” Fan Freedom National Manager of Partnerships & Outreach Alex Johnson said. “But restricted tickets existed.” Fan Freedom protects the rights of live event ticket holders, including their right to exchange tickets. They believe that all fans have basic rights as ticket holders, and the organization supports legislation and promotes activism to protect those rights, including: When fans buy tickets, they own them. Fans have the right to buy, give away or sell their tickets however they choose, anytime they choose, in any way they choose, at any price they choose, states Fan Freedom's website. Alex's work at Fan Freedom helps enthusiastic fans who vote across the political spectrum understand the importance of the free market by using a real life example that matters to them: live-entertainment ticketing. The organization works in states across the country to block and repeal anti free-market regulations that stifle freedom among fans of music, sports, and other hobbies. “The primary successes we have had can be measured by earned media, the amount of supporters we have gained, and the legislative battles we have won,” Alex said. And winning legislative battles they have done. Their national campaign has blocked anti free-market legislation in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, New York and Oregon. “Our 250,000 supporters have been the backbone of our organization. With their help and the help of other free-market organizations, we have been able to defeat every anti free-market bill we have faced. I personally think this is our biggest victory as an organization,” Alex said. Fan Freedom has been able to educate low-propensity voters on the values of the free-market and get them engaged in the political process through letters to the editor, OpEds, and even by testifying at legislative hearings. “Studies have shown that if the anti free-market legislation we oppose is enacted into law, the average cost of a ticket will increase by $100 in the closed market,” he continued. “Our job is not only to prevent that from happening, but also to educate voters on how they benefit from the free-market system.” The reason Alex got into politics was because of his grandfather. “When I first got to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so my grandfather told me to take a political science course,” Alex said. “He did this because he was not only a staunch conservative, but he also lobbied for the candy industry during the 1970s.” And Alex's love of sports is what propelled him further into politics. “I took his advice and took Introduction to American Politics. My professor at the time would use the 1985 Chicago Bears as an analogy for everything,” he said. “As a diehard Bears fan, I immediately fell in love with politics.” While in college, Alex was active with the University of Iowa's College Republicans chapter. His senior year, Alex managed a winning City Council race and defeated a six-term incumbent. After graduation, Alex moved to Florida to sell “yachts up until the economy tanked,” he said. “When that happened I was laid off from my job and decided to get back on the campaign trail, where I worked as political director on a congressional race in Illinois. Ever since then, I have been obsessed with politics.” In addition to working at the Republican Jewish Coalition and the polling firm, Wilson Research Strategies, Alex has worked on eight campaigns. These eight campaigns have ranged from U.S. House and Senate races to local city council runs to even the presidential race to the White House. He encourages conservatives looking for employment on campaigns to look through the Leadership Institute's Conservative Jobs website. “I have found several great positions through Conservative Jobs and I highly recommend it to everyone,” Alex said. Alex's boss encouraged him to take Leadership Institute training. “I first learned of the Leadership Institute (LI) from a former boss,” Alex said. “I was a junior staffer and wanted to learn more about campaigns so he told me to take an LI course. I took the little savings I had and flew to Arlington for the Campaign Management School and attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC),” Alex said. In February 2010, Alex took LI's week-long Campaign Management School. “I have taken numerous LI trainings since then and will continue to do so. The Leadership Institute is a phenomenal organization that is truly the backbone of the conservative movement.” Alex has taken LI's week-long Campaign Management School in February 2010, Activist Workshop in January 2011, Fundraising Workshop in January 2011, Public Speaking Workshop in March 2013, Issues That Unite: Latinos & Conservatism Communications Workshop in June 2013, and attended many LI events. “The Leadership Institute has not only helped me improve myself as a professional, but having taken courses at LI and having it on my resume is a door opener,” he admitted. “The Leadership Institute has alumni throughout the country and when you see a resume that has LI on it, it is an immediate qualifier that shows you know what you are doing because you were trained by the best.” Campaigns are Alex's priority and passion in life. “Even though I am busy with Fan Freedom, I am always working with various organizations, candidates, and consultants to help get true conservatives elected to office. My main passion is, and will always be, campaigns,” he said. “With DC the way it is today, I personally believe that we need to start recruiting and electing more conservative candidates that will vote their conscience instead of the party line to help bring this country back to the way it was under President Reagan.” Alex urges all conservatives to work long and hard for their values. “Work as hard as you possibly can and then work even harder,” Alex said. “Life is not easy and politics is one of the hardest industries out there. It is up to us to knock on every door or tally up every vote to make sure we win. We have seen what happens when we lose - we get Obamacare rammed down our throats. It is up to us to make sure that this never happens again. If that means you may not get any sleep for a month, you have to do it. The country is depending on us as conservatives and libertarians to unite and take the country back from the extremists on the left.” Please congratulate Alex Johnson for his work to educate live-entertainment fans about the value of the free market through Fan Freedom, and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-In-Training Award. “The Leadership Institute is the foundation to a successful future. You can learn so much from LI and apply it to all aspects of your life, not just your career,” Alex said. “With the lessons you learn from the Leadership Institute, you are put ahead of others in the political field and are given the tools to be as successful in politics as you can possibly be. It is an amazing organization filled with even more amazing people and provides individuals a place to learn things that you cannot learn anywhere else in the world.” To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

"Our 2013 Employee of the Year is Christopher Doss," Leadership Institute President Morton Blackwell said in yesterday's all-staff meeting."Chris personally organized 46 trainings in 2013. Working almost every weekend, Chris trained 2,268 of the 10,062 total students LI trained domestically," Morton continued."Put another way, Chris was responsible for more than 22 percent of all of LI's domestic training in 2013," Morton said."Chris has worked diligently to establish strong relationships with dozens of organizations," Morton said. "Chris is a team player who is always willing to help other departments," Morton said. "Whether it is lecturing for another department or taking an intern to lunch to discuss conservative philosophy, Chris is willing to go above and beyond the scope of his job."Congratulations Chris!>

“Lower taxes, less waste, and more accountable government” is what the Canadian Taxpayers Federation fights for daily. Aaron Gunn, Canadian Taxpayers Federation's director of special projects, has been handed the reins to a new initiative called Generation Screwed. Generation Screwed is “a campus-based movement aiming to raise awareness and solicit action from young people across Canada on issues of government debt, deficits and unfunded liability,” Aaron said. The Generation Screwed campaign currently has 17 campus coordinators working with Aaron to help increase awareness of the rising national debt across Canada. “Our campaign was launched only at the beginning of September so we still have a long way to go. That being said, we are very happy with our progress so far. It can be quite challenging to get an organization like this of the ground,” he said. Aaron grew up in Victoria, British Columbia in “a very stable, middle-class family,” he explained. He spent three years serving with the 5th Field Artillery Reserve Regiment (similar to the United States National Guard) in Victoria, BC under the belief that “everyone should give back to their country and previous generations that have given us so much today.” At 15, Aaron developed skills in public relations and video production through a company he and a couple friends started. This venture helped Aaron pay his way through college and set him up with his current full time position. Aaron first learned about the Leadership Institute (LI) from his current boss and former LI employee Troy Lanigan. Following his recommendation, Aaron enrolled in the December 2013 Portland, Oregon Youth Leadership School (YLS), the department that trained 950 young activists across the globe in 2013. As LI's flagship school, the YLS also known as the ‘boot camp of politics,' is an intense two-day training that focuses on teaching students effective techniques to organize and lead mass-based youth efforts for candidates and causes of their choice. The training specifically focuses on building effective student organizations, getting out the vote, and developing a public relations strategy. Already, Aaron has implemented his training with LI into positive gains for Generation Screwed. “Since LI's Youth Leadership School, I have used the knowledge I gained to better lead the Generation Screwed campaign,” Aaron said. “We have five events planned in January alone, which compares to eight planned throughout all of last semester. I couldn't be happier with the results.” Aaron continued, “I would describe the Leadership Institute as an organization committed to assisting the conservative movement through the dispersion of its vast knowledge of political technology to future conservative leaders.” Please congratulate Aaron Gunn on his work to help build a mass-based youth effort for a smaller government in Canada, and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-In-Training Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

This past year—2013—was record-breaking for the Leadership Institute!LI's staff and 215 volunteer faculty trained 10,062 students nationally and 15,614 students internationally—the most ever in any year of the Institute's 34-year history—bringing the total trained to 143,062 since its 1979 founding. LI hosted 403 trainings in 42 states and 14 countries.In 2013, these 403 trainings covered 37 types of LI trainings as varied as On-Camera TV trainings, week-long Campaign Management Schools and Comprehensive Fundraising Trainings, Grassroots Activism Workshops, Issues That Unite: Latinos & Conservatism workshops, Public Relations Schools, and Career Trainings.Many of the 521 articles that LI's CampusReform.org published made national news, making the site America's #1 source for campus news online with 3,762,485 unique visitors.LI's national field program employed 15 fall field representatives who helped conservative students bring 304 new, independent student groups into LI's unique network of 1,485 student groups on 618 college campuses—the largest such network in the country. LI's 6,999 job seekers had 1,672 available jobs posted to peruse on LI's ConservativeJobs.com website. LI's Career Services Center hosted 1,043 attendees at job fairs and offered 103 hours of personal career mentoring for free.LI's free live webinars featured 32 speakers in 2013 with a total of 1,609 students who watched and participated through the live chat features.LI's Wednesday Wakeup Club Breakfasts hosted 1,226 attendees and 10 speakers in 2013. In October, LI hosted the most widely attended breakfast since the program began in 1997; there were 209 guests who heard from Senator Mike Lee. LI's 42nd National Fourth of July Conservative Soiree hosted 977 attendees and a record-breaking number of 26 partnering organizations.LI's 33 interns came from 25 colleges, 17 states, 5 countries, and spent 6,103 hours combined in LI training.It's been a good year at the Leadership Institute, and we are excited about what 2014 has in store!How has LI helped you? Email Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org to share your story. We are always looking to spotlight faculty doing incredible things for the conservative movement, notable LI graduates making waves, and college students standing for liberty.>

“If it wasn't for the Leadership Institute, I would not be where I am today,” National Right To Work Committee and National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation President Mark Mix said. Across all 50 states Mark and his staff fight leftist laws that require union membership as a condition for employment. Their organization believes that all Americans must have the right to join a union if they choose to, but no one should ever be forced to affiliate with a union in order to get or keep a job. In college, Mark met a person at James Madison University who changed his life. “I walked to the student union and there was a table. Someone stood in front of the table, reached out his hand, said there was a meeting of conservative students that night, and asked if I'd like to come,” Mark said. “Sure enough, I had been recruited by someone who used Leadership Institute training to get me to attend that meeting.” In the 1980s, Mark took Leadership Institute (LI) training himself and learned how to be a strong conservative activist. “I probably have more diplomas as a graduate of Leadership Institute schools than just about anybody,” he said. Mark has taken LI's Youth Leadership School, Legislative Project Management School, Capitol Hill Staff Training School, and many media trainings. After LI training, he landed a position with National Right To Work (NRTW) in 1986, running grassroots campaigns for state legislators. In 2003, Mark became NRTW's president, a position he still holds. Since 1999, Mark has served as a volunteer faculty member at LI where he shares his 27 years of conservative activism experience with LI students. “Government has infringed on every area of our lives. We must stand in the way and say ‘stop.' We can only do that by understanding the nature of politicians and what we can do to change their behaviors,” Mark said during LI's Holding Elected Officials Accountable Workshop earlier this year. Mark shared the secrets of his success at NRTW with more than 50 LI students who learned how to mobilize conservative citizens and activists to put maximum and effective pressure on elected officials. Unprincipled politicians respond to two stimuli – political pleasure and pain – and Mark taught students “the six steps of getting a politician to do what you want.” From 1981 to 1995, NRTW generously housed the Leadership Institute in its building. As time passed, LI grew from a single desk to several rooms on several floors. At the point where LI had outgrown available space, it purchased its own headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. “But the Leadership Institute's success is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about the thousands upon thousands of conservative activists LI has trained. National Right To Work continues to reap benefits from our employees who are talented Leadership Institute graduates,” Mark said. In April 2013, NRTW hired two of the Leadership Institute's Spring 2013 interns, Faith Doyal and Carmela Martinez. “From my days as a Leadership Institute student, to my work now teaching as a member of the faculty at LI trainings, the Leadership Institute has made me more effective,” he said. Please congratulate Mark Mix for his work to keep America free, and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org. The next award recipient will be featured the week of January 19.

“I still appreciate a good bow tie, but I think I have found my calling." For Katie Thompson, her first love was bow ties. A born-and-raised southerner, she began at the University of South Carolina as a fashion merchandising major, but life had other plans for her. A friend convinced her to run for a seat in the student senate. After winning the election, she changed her major to public relations, added a political science minor, and joined College Republicans. Her political career was launched. "I first learned about the Leadership Institute at my very first College Republican meeting," she said. After attending an August 2010 Leadership Institute Grassroots Workshop that covered communications, fundraising, and get-out-the-vote tactics, Katie was elected student body vice president on campus. While browsing LI's ConservativeJobs.com website, Katie saw a posting for a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) intern at the American Conservative Union. "In addition to the trainings, LI was how I found my first DC internship,” Katie said. “That (CPAC) internship was the springboard for my entire political future. Without the Leadership Institute, I know I would not have made it up to DC." After interning for CPAC, Katie went on to intern with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, working to create "Twitter Action Teams" to influence social media in key states. “Going to school, working on campaigns, and going to Leadership Institute trainings are all very important steps to developing your talents and deciding where in politics you want to fall. But my biggest advice to conservatives looking for employment is to take an internship that may be outside of your skill set,” Katie said. “When I came to DC I first took an internship with the American Conservative Union as their CPAC intern to learn about large scale conference planning and then I came back to our nation's capital to work in the digital shop at the NRSC,” she continued. “Those internships dropped me straight into the deep end in areas which I wasn't entirely comfortable with. Both experiences challenged me immensely, but I learned more in those collective eight months than I ever had in a classroom. Take the plunge and try something new, you'll surprise yourself about what you're capable of.” She also has worked for the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit, Joe Wilson for Congress, and as the public relations director of NextGen Journal. Three years later—in February 2013—Katie attended another LI training: the Youth Leadership School (YLS) held in Wilmington, NC. “LI's YLS in February taught me so much about youth engagement on races. From recruiting campus reps all the way down to how to carve your candidates name in the grass on the side of the highway. The amount of information we received in that training added exponentially to my campaign knowledge,” Katie said. “The South Carolina students who came with me are now pros in how to canvass. Thanks, LI!” This past May, Katie was elected national secretary for the College Republican National Committee. “It was truly an honor to be elected as national secretary for the CRNC this past May along with Alex Smith and her team. She's the first woman chairman in the organization's 125 year history. The College Republican National Committee is entering a new era both within our organization and how we reach out to young voters. For the Virginia's gubernatorial race, the CRNC ran a little ad called “Terryfish,” she said. “Terryfish coupled with the hundreds of college republicans from across the country who came to Virginia to knock on doors won Ken Cuccinelli the 18 to 24 year old vote,” she said. The youth effort for the Cuccinelli for Governor campaign was led by three full-time youth coordinators who also took LI's Youth Leadership School and activism trainings. They facilitated youth participation at the grassroots level and were placed by the Conservative Leadership PAC, founded by Morton Blackwell, also president of the Leadership Institute. Katie is looking forward to helping win the youth vote in the 2014 elections and in growing her foreign policy knowledge and experiences. "I would describe the Leadership Institute as one of the most important resources to any budding young conservative. LI trains up-and-coming campaign managers, congressmen, and leaders,” she said. "The Leadership Institute for decades now has been producing young stars who will change the world. I could not be more thankful for LI's role in my political future and my vision to change politics as we know it." Please congratulate Katie Thompson for finding her calling in youth politics, and please applaud her for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-In-Training Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

“Ten years ago, when a woman stepped on campus she found chapters of the National Organization for Women, women's studies departments full of campus feminists, and women's centers not open to supporting all women,” Network of Enlightened Women Founder Karin Agness said. “At the time, there were no women's groups specifically catering to conservative college women.” That's not the case anymore. In 2004, with no help from her university and being turned away from The Women's Center at the University of Virginia, Karin Agness decided to start the Network of Enlightened Women, a network for conservative university women that has grown into more than 20 chapters nationwide. Karin formed the organization after spending the summer of 2004 interning in Washington, D.C. “Rather than throwing out Republican and Democrat one-liners, my female colleagues (during my internship) were eager to talk about nuanced arguments behind legislative proposals and how the issues of the day affected women. It was exhilarating to hear speakers and staffers explain how a 500-page bill would affect me as a young woman,” Karin said. “I returned to the University of Virginia for my third year of college, and I set about to find some semblance of the environment from which I'd just come.” Unfortunately, Karin's search came up empty. “All of the women's college groups at UVA were dedicated to promoting a liberal agenda,” Karin said. So she went to The Women's Center on UVA's campus for help starting the first conservative women's club. “I asked, ‘Would the women's center be interested in cosponsoring a group for conservative young women?' The women's center faculty member looked at me like I was crazy, chuckled and said, ‘Not here',” Karin said. But that didn't stop her. Karin went on to create the Network of Enlightened Women (NeW) in September 2004. The organization, which was started as a book club, aims to advance the intellect and leadership abilities of conservative university women while adding to intellectual diversity on campus. Now, Karin gives her expertise back to aspiring young conservative leaders as faculty at the Leadership Institute. She's taught at six LI trainings, including the Youth Leadership School (YLS), which she took herself in 2006. Through the six trainings she's taught at—the YLS in Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas as well as at two Future Candidate Schools in Arlington, Virginia— Karin has taught 165 young conservatives. Most recently, NeW hired former LI Intern Coordinator Alyssa Condrey as their director of programs. "We were pleased to hire Alyssa, who not only founded a chapter of NeW at James Madison University, but also had experience in student programming through her job at the Leadership Institute. She had the opportunity to take on a lot of responsibility (at LI) and grow professionally. Her work with students has helped prepare her for this role,” Karin said. Alyssa said, “I hold the Leadership Institute in high regards because I am so thankful to have started my career at such a principled organization. LI staff truly follows Morton's principle of building a conservative movement and not an empire. The Leadership Institute is a vital component of the conservative movement as they are willing to collaborate with other organizations to advance conservative principles more so than their own agenda.” Karin believes that conservatives must make reaching women a priority. “Those running national campaigns and leading issue groups on the right should be rethinking how to reach women. The left has a seemingly endless supply of cash, organizations and leadership feeder programs,” Karin said. “And we must identify a local niche that is not being filled and fill it.” To join NeW and become a part of their network, please go here. Please congratulate Karin Agness for her determination to start a conservative women's network and advance conservative thought among young women, and please applaud her for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.