We were talking about New Year's resolutions in the office today, and aside from the regular ‘get in shape' resolutions, I heard a couple of great ideas. To help you think up a good list of resolutions, and then make it easy to keep them, I'll share a few ideas with you.* Become a great public speaker – For public speaking skills, practice is key. But, practice doesn't make perfect. You can just end up cementing bad habits and embarrassing yourself. So, start by learning from public speaking experts at the Leadership Institute's Public Speaking Workshop.*Change your community – Do you want to make a difference in your community, but don't know where to start or how to be effective? Go to the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School and Political Activism Trainings in your area to learn techniques from seasoned activists. *Be more tech savvy – The internet and smart phones are taking over our everyday lives. Learn to harness technology to make your voice heard online at LI's Online Activism and Strategy Trainings.*Run for local office – Sounds scary, huh? See if running for office is for you and learn how to be an effective candidate at the Leadership Institute's Future Candidate School. Learn from the experts – former candidates and consultants.*Pay the rent – You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent. Excel at raising funds in your current position, or get a job raising money for conservative orgs or campaigns. Learn how to effectively raise money at LI's Comprehensive Fundraising Training.Hope you enjoyed the holidays, and good luck with your 2013 New Year's resolutions! >

This summer, the Institute for Humane Studies will offer nine college-level seminars on the foundations and future of freedom.Participants from around the world will explore market-based solutions to widespread problems, challenge status-quo academic thinking, and learn about ways to stand for freedom through a variety of career paths.Students and recent graduates are eligible.Learn more: www.TheIHS.org/summer-seminars.Students who apply by March 1 are eligible to receive a free book! >

This past year—2012—was record-breaking for the Leadership Institute. LI's staff and 349 volunteer faculty trained 13,896 conservatives—the most ever in any year of the Institute's 33-year history—bringing the total trained to 116,800 since its 1979 founding. LI hosted 359 trainings in more than 30 states and 13 countries.Twelve stories on LI's CampusReform.org made national news, making the site America's #1 source for campus news online with more than 2 million unique hits. LI's 25 field representatives helped conservative students start 269 new independent student groups into LI's unique network of 1,511 student groups on 616 college campuses, the largest such network in the nation. LI's Career Services Center hosted 985 attendees at job fairs, offered 120 hours of personal career mentoring, and placed 104 conservatives in jobs. LI's 37 interns came from 33 colleges, 19 states, 6 countries, and spent 3,429 hours combined in LI training. It's been a good year at the Leadership Institute, and we are excited about what 2013 has in store!How has LI helped you on your professional journey? Email Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org to share your story. We are always looking to spotlight notable graduates of LI programs. >

Winning a U.S. senate seat is no small feat. It takes integrating thoughtful strategy with hard work months before Election Day. Leadership Institute graduate Sam Stone has volunteered and worked on campaigns since he was 17 years old, and he's not stopping now. Sam works as the Arizona state director for FreedomWorks, an organization that recruits, educates, trains, and mobilizes millions of volunteer activists to fight for less government, lower taxes, and more freedom. “FreedomWorks for America ran a statewide grassroots campaign in support of Jeff Flake for Senate. We set goals to make over 100,000 phone calls, knock on 200,000 doors, and distribute 15,000 signs,” Sam said. “It's not glamorous stuff. It just wins races. Every day, we organized teams of volunteers to go out there in the Arizona sun and grind out the win.” And “grind out the win” they did. Republican Jeff Flake, having served in the lower chamber of Congress since 2001, will now return to Washington, D.C., but this time as a senator from Arizona. When former Arizona Senator Jon Kyl retired, two candidates emerged to fill the vacancy: Jeff Flake and former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who campaigned as an Independent. Flake brought home the victory in November with 49.7 percent of the vote, while Carmona carried 45.8 percent. “Jeff Flake can save America. No, seriously,” Sam shared with the Leadership Institute. “Other than perhaps Paul Ryan, there is no greater advocate for limited government, fiscal sanity, and reduced spending than Jeff Flake. He led the fight against earmarks. He's one of the few congressmen who understand the risks of our ballooning national deficit. Ten years ago, Greece was in a very similar economic position to where we are today. Jeff Flake is exactly the kind of man we need in the Senate to change that trajectory.” Long days are always the best, Sam said, because he loves to campaign and there's much to do. “One thing I've learned, though, is to take a little time each day for myself,” he said. “We've all seen campaigns filled with burned out operatives ‘Red Bull-ing' their way through the day. Taking just a little time each day for me keeps me moving at full speed.” So, each morning he used the first hour or two to take care of personal things. He took walks, ran errands, and read. During the day, he made calls, knocked on doors, organized and trained volunteers, staffed events, and distributed yard signs. During the evenings without events, Sam said he used the “quiet time to focus on developing earned media opportunities, following up with all our vendors and suppliers, and strategic planning work -- making sure we're ready to act, not react, to whatever opportunities are available to us. And I never got enough sleep,” he then added with a smile, “That's what November 7th is for.” Since age 17, Sam's been a volunteer on campaigns, but five years ago his friend called and asked him to run his City Council campaign. Sam responded, “I laughed. And hung up on him. He called me back. I ended up taking the job and my life changed forever.” Although the City Council race was unsuccessful, Sam was led to a new opportunity. “I was offered a job running a U.S. Congressional primary campaign, and I panicked,” Sam admitted. “I knew I didn't have the knowledge or skills to run that race. So I started asking around. Everyone I talked to said the same thing: go to the Leadership Institute. I took the one small check I'd gotten from the City Council race and booked my tickets. And I've never looked back.” In December 2009 Sam came to the Leadership Institute's week-long Campaign Manager School. There, he learned from the expertise of 26 volunteer faculty along with 110 other attendees. “The Leadership Institute brought in the best-of-the-best: real professionals who had run and won the big races,” Sam said. “Before LI, I was a social media infant. I had never given an interview or scheduled a press conference. I had organized volunteers, knocked on a lot of doors, made some calls, and written a bunch of press releases, but that was about it. I had no idea how to put those skills together, add the ones I needed, and turn the whole thing into a professional campaign.” Sam continued, “LI filled the holes and gave me the tools to match my strengths to the needs of the campaigns I've worked on. I took the models in my LI binder literally. I used the sample campaign plan the Leadership Institute gave me and pretty much just copied it. In fact, I stole every idea I could from the instructors at LI. Over time, I was able to start making my own additions and changes to the strategies I learned, but I would never have been able to do that without the foundation the Leadership Institute gave me.” LI is offering the same campaign management training Sam took this February 4-7. Click here for more details and to register online. “Just having that training from the Leadership Institute on my resume has opened a lot of doors,” Sam said. “Candidates and political organizations know that LI grads have the skills and training they need to be effective campaign staffers and managers from day one.” “The professional contacts I made while I was at LI have paid off time and again over the last few years,” he continued. “I met and formed relationships with some of the best people in the business, relationships that have led to job opportunities, and given me the insights to find the right outside consultants when I need them.” Please welcome Sam Stone as the LI's Graduate of the Week. “The Leadership Institute is the single best way for someone who wants to make a difference in electing conservatives to develop the skills and connections they'll need for a lifetime of effective advocacy,” Sam said. “LI will give you the tools; you have to put them to work.” To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Day, formerly Lauren Hart, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

You are never too young to make a difference in the public policy process, and for some, to run a winning campaign and serve in an official capacity is the way to do it. Red Alert Politics recently named Derek Merrin as one of its Top 30 Influential Conservatives Under the Age of 30, and rightly so. At just 19 years old and still a college student at the University of Toledo, Derek Merrin was elected in 2005 as councilman for the 5,500-person City of Waterville in Ohio. Derek broke the all-time record by receiving the most votes for a council seat, he said. While a councilman, Derek supported placing a 115 percent limit on capital spending, through which the city could not spend 115 percent more than it anticipated receiving in revenue. The five-year capital budget was readjusted and saved taxpayers more than $600,000, Derek shared. The following year--in 2006--Derek came to the Leadership Institute to take the week-long Campaign Leadership School, now called the Campaign Management School, which prepares campaign managers and candidates for their rigorous races. "At the Leadership Institute, I gained a better understanding of how to win elections. Specifically, I learned how to optimize limited resources by identifying voters based on their voting history,” Derek said. One year after Derek took LI's campaign training--then at age 21--he was elected in 2007 as mayor of Waterville, beating a three-term Democratic incumbent and becoming the youngest mayor in the state of Ohio. "I ran a grassroots campaign where I knocked on virtually every door in Waterville. My message of fiscal conservatism and open government rang true with voters," Derek said. “I ran for mayor to instill fiscal discipline in Waterville,” Derek continued to share with the Leadership Institute. “While in office, I reduced longevity bonuses by 50%, raised employee health contribution from 10% to 15%, reduced employees paid sick days from 18 to 10 days, and reduced the Public Works Department staff by one-third by contracting out many services. I helped stop the use of employees taking public vehicles home and eliminated Council's discretionary slush fund.” As mayor, Derek testified before the Ohio Senate's Ways and Means Committee, where he advocated for the repeal of the Ohio death tax. He was only one of two mayors in Ohio that supported the unpopular repeal, he said, adding: "...because 80 percent of the estate tax revenue goes to local governments." In 2009, the 23-year-old became a field representative for the Leadership Institute; he started conservative student groups on university campuses in his beloved Buckeye State. “As a LI field representative, I helped start pro-life, 2nd Amendment, and other conservative groups on college campuses throughout Ohio,” Derek said. “LI helped me form long-lasting relationships with liberty-minded individuals. The Leadership Institute and the friendships I've made there have been a huge encouragement to me.” Besides taking LI's Campaign Leadership School in July 2006, Derek has taken LI's Campus Elections Workshop, Youth Leadership School, and Field Representative training – all in 2009. “The Leadership Institute is a premiere training organization for any conservative that desires to have an impact on public policy,” Derek said. Check out LI's 2013 training schedule here and get registered now. Currently, Derek is a performance analyst for the State of Ohio Auditor. “As a performance analyst, I help local governments and state agencies save tax dollars,” Derek shared. “I work to identify opportunities to streamline operations and become more efficient. I examine staffing levels, benefits, energy practices, and services to privatize.” Derek is a 2008 graduate of the University of Toledo, where he received his bachelor of art's degree in history and in 2009 he received his master's in public administration from Bowling Green State University. Derek spends several hours reading every day. His reading list includes the Bible, four newspapers, and another book, which is usually either a biography or financial investments book. Please welcome Derek Merrin as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Day, formerly Lauren Hart, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

The Leadership Institute welcomed Kate Obenshain, writer, speaker, and frequent Fox News guest, to its monthly Wednesday Wake-Up Club Breakfast. More than 90 conservatives came early Wednesday morning to hear her discuss Divider-In-Chief, her latest book, and how President Obama has deceived Americans with his hope and change rhetoric.Kate specifically focused her speech on young Americans and how the Obama administration has affected them.As she wrote in her book, “Barack Obama has played young people. He reached out to them with soaring speeches championing unity, and they responded to his call to transcend differences and engage in a new kind of politics. In fact, they responded with more enthusiasm, more genuine hope than any other demographic. And the president repaid their trust with betrayal—becoming not the great united, but the most divisive president in history. He has robbed them of current and future prosperity, perverted their understanding of the value of hard work, ambition, and the American dream, and poisoned their optimism—the very optimism he used to soar to victory in 2008.”Kate has held many distinguished posts from being the first woman chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia to an appointee for Governors Allen and Gilmore on the State Council of Higher Education to chief of staff to Senator George Allen and serving as vice president of Young America's Foundation. She has four children and is a regular on Fox News and in other media.After Kate's talk, attendees had the opportunity to buy her latest book, Divider-In-Chief: The Fraud of Hope and Change, in person and receive an autographed note.To listen and watch her full remarks Wednesday, please click here for the video. >

North Carolina was a bright spot for conservatives in the 2012 election, and it took solid work from people like Leadership Institute graduate Ashton Godwin, a native of Wilmington, North Carolina, to get the job done. Ashton, in his twenties, served as the campaign manager for Brian Brown, the newly elected District 9 Representative in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Brian ran against Democratic incumbent Marian McLawhorn, first elected in 1999. “We were the new guys as far as local politics goes, but in the end our efforts illustrated what a motivated, energetic, qualified, and concerned citizen/candidate Brian Brown is,” Ashton said. “We were able to effectively reach out to voters in our district and promote our message. In the days leading up to the election, the GOTV methods presented in the Leadership Institute's Campaign Management School provided me with the ability and confidence to motivate voters to get to the polls.” “My candidate, as well as myself, were new to running for office,” Ashton said. “We agreed that we needed to be seen and heard by as many voters as possible. We utilized multiple methods to connect with voters. One of the most effective and inexpensive methods was door to door canvassing. Personally, I knocked on hundreds of doors in the last two weeks leading up to Election Day.” “We also identified a large number of undecided voters and either my candidate or I personally called each one,” Ashton reported. “We knew that Voter ID was a highly important aspect to gaining the advantage in a campaign.” He continued, “This is where Leadership Institute training became indispensable; I was able to utilize and implement numerous methods taught during the Campaign Management School. As a newcomer to campaigning, the material covered during the course at LI was paramount to our daily campaign and ultimately our victory in the election.” Ashton first learned of the Institute through his friend and fellow LI graduate Chazz Clevinger. “He suggested I attend the Campaign Management School before I came onto Brian's campaign,” Ashton said. “He spoke so highly of LI's courses I knew it was an opportunity that I could not pass up.” Ashton attended LI's Political Voter Mail Workshop and Campaign Management School in April of this year. “LI has been very helpful in my professional journey. It provided me with political knowledge and skills that in turn provided confidence when in professional situations,” Ashton said. “Most importantly though, LI allowed me to meet and network with some likeminded conservative individuals. I met, interacted, and learned from some of the best political professionals in the country.” Ashton owes a large part of who he is today to his family, his education at East Carolina University, and the United States Marine Corps, he says. “The Marine Corps provided me with the confidence to achieve goals, which would have otherwise been overlooked or seen as unachievable. The Marine Corps instilled in me a sense of honor and integrity that is typically uncommon among so many young Americans today.” This victory has offered 32-year-old Brian Brown his first elected position -- and at a young age. The ninth district House seat covers North Carolina's Pitt County. You too can be trained in the best campaign techniques. The Leadership Institute regularly offers the week-long Campaign Management School. Go here for dates and more details. Contact Heather Homan at Heather.Homan@LeadershipInstitute.org for these trainings. “I would recommend the Leadership Institute to any young conservative,” Ashton said. “LI offers multiple courses that prepare any person involved in politics with a better understanding of the world of political activism. I was very impressed at the caliber of speakers and there was always a knowledgeable and overwhelmingly qualified instructor providing relevant information at each training.” Ashton will now go with Brian to the North Carolina State Legislature as a legislative aid. Please welcome Ashton Godwin as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren (Hart) Day at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.

This week's national political scene has most Americans full attention. However, as LI's President Morton Blackwell writes in his 27th Law of the Public Policy Process, “Remember it's a long ball game.” Initially, politics starts locally. And, for 27-year-old Zachary Holder, he's running as a Republican for circuit clerk in his home county of Richland in Illinois. Richland County is comprised of 16,233 people and has not elected a GOP circuit clerk since 1968. “The race is turning out to be very competitive and I am using all the Leadership Institute tricks I learned,” Zachary said. “A conservative win would allow a different approach to county government. A conservative would look at the office differently. I would look to see how they can make the office more efficient, save money, and integrate technology to be more productive. Currently, the circuit clerk's office does not have a website or accept any electronic form of payment.” The circuit clerk serves as the administrative arm of the judiciary. “I have worked for the Republican National Committee, the Illinois House Republican Organization, and other races,” Zachary said. “It is not too different to be the candidate running in your hometown. My days are spent making phone calls, walking door to door, attending dinners, and trying to raise money. I am taking on the last liberal strong hold in the county.” Zachary first learned of the Leadership Institute when he attended LI's Wednesday Wake-Up Club Breakfast in March 2006 featuring Congressman Mike Pence (ID-6). One year later, he was working for the Institute as a development fellow. “I worked in different areas of LI's development department,” Zachary said. “This allowed me to build my resume and attend different LI courses.” Now, he's has taken 14 trainings at the Leadership Institute including the Campaign Management School in June 2008, Conservative Career Workshop in November 2007, and several TV trainings and new media workshops. “I used this time to become more politically savvy,” Zachary said. “LI's training taught me many things that I have used. I still remember learning that you lose IQ points once you become a candidate. My training through the Leadership Institute allowed me to avoid many of the pitfalls young candidates make.” Go here to read the ten worst mistakes of losing candidates. Similarly, here are the ten worst mistakes of winning candidates. “I could not have achieved many of my dreams if I did not start out at the Leadership Institute,” Zachary said. “I was asked to manage a 2008 Presidential Campaign Victory center at age 24. This allowed me to see a presidential campaign first hand. I managed campaigns in Illinois and I have used my training for private sector jobs also. The Leadership Institute gave me the knowledge and experience to run as a candidate in my home county.” Are you considering a run for an elected office? Then, perhaps you would like to attend LI's Future Candidate School coming up the first week in December. This training will help you think through all the necessary things that will be thrown at you as a candidate, and will help you prepare now to run the best campaign possible. Register now to enjoy a $50 discount. To register for one of LI's 41 types of political trainings, go here to see the full schedule. “LI is a great place for conservatives to develop skills to utilize in their communities, states, and federal governments,” Zachary said. “You can also build a good network of colleagues, friends, and advisors. I still consult with people I have met from the Leadership Institute and they direct me to other people connected with the Institute.” Please welcome Zachary Holder as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Hart at LaurenHart@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Since Kansas native David Guenthner moved to Texas in 1989 to attend college at Trinity University in San Antonio, he's stayed put. The Lone Star state's charm has kept him in Austin since graduating 19 years ago, minus a short stint in fall 1994 when he interned at the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia. “The Leadership Institute is an invaluable resource for the conservative movement,” David said. “It has been a privilege to watch it grow from a small organization teaching college students how to run meetings and make Burma Shave signs into today's Leadership Institute which is meeting the comprehensive training needs of a professional and broad-based conservative movement.” David's college education in political science and speech communications with a minor in economics began his journey. The end result: merging policy research with strategic communications to inform government with recommendations and actions. And ever since, David has worked to influence policy for Texans through some government relations or communications capacity. He's held many jobs, from writing and editing articles for Texas Risk Retention Association (1995 – 1996), to being the managing editor (Nov. 1996 – 2003) of the Lone Star Report, a political newsletter influential with Capitol insiders, to running his own firm meeting the communications needs for trade associations (2004), to being the government relations liaison (2004 – 2006) for the Texas Workforce Commission, a state agency with more than 3,000 employers and a budget of more than $1 billion. In 2007, David went to the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) first as its director of media and government relations and then as the senior communications director from 2011 to 2012. Now, David is the senior director of public affairs at TPPF, an organization that promotes and defends liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas and the nation by educating and affecting policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with research and outreach. “A common flaw in conservative thinking has been that we expend all our energy to get good candidates elected to office and then expect them to know what they're doing from that point on,” David explained to the Leadership Institute. “But too often, the issues legislators are called upon to decide are ones where they have little experience and may not have even given much thought,” David continued. “Many think tanks have experts with deep philosophical grounding, but the Texas Public Policy Foundation has become a dominant force in Texas by combining our policy expertise with a public affairs program that gives our research legs with both policymakers and the public.” Every month the TPPF Austin office, located just two blocks south of the Texas Capitol, hosts a “Policy Primer” lunch on the key issues facing the state. TPPF also hand delivers the latest research to every legislator's Capitol office twice a month. The Foundation's policy experts testify more than 100 times during a typical legislative session and conduct more than 1,000 substantive meetings each year with officeholders, their staffs, and senior state agency personnel. For more information on TPPF, please visit http://www.texaspolicy.com. “There is no such thing as a typical work day,” David shared. “It all depends on what is needed to translate our research into policy results. That could mean developing a media plan around a particular piece of research, or facilitating meetings between our policy experts and key legislative offices, or pitching content to bloggers or editors, or coordinating strategy with allies across Texas and around the country.” The Foundation has developed relationships with the top 45 conservative bloggers in the state, David shared, and has also worked to include Tea Party and conservative activists around the state through Monday night conference calls where they explain how best to influence the legislative process. “The Tea Party movement has led to a dramatic turnover in the Texas Legislature. When the 83rd regular session convenes next January, at least 65 of the House's 150 members will have one term of experience or less,” David said. “The Foundation has been proactive in educating these new lawmakers on the issues they will face so that their legislation and votes keep faith with their promises to their constituents.” David has been recognized by many for his work in Texas politics. In 1994, he received the Coby Pieper Award for Conservative Dedication, the highest honor bestowed by the Young Conservatives of Texas. In 2009, he was one of the first recipients of the Austin American-Statesman's Texas Social Media Awards. And in September 2010, the charter school media project David managed received the State Policy Network's SPNovation award. “I first learned of the Leadership Institute in the fall of 1991 when I became president of the College Republicans chapter at Trinity University,” David remembers. “LI was hosting a Youth Leadership School at the University of Houston, and several leaders from other chapters planned to attend. It was a grueling weekend – made more so by our crash pad being an hour away from the campus – but very educational.” After graduating, David came to the Leadership Institute in fall 1994 to intern and take several other trainings. “LI's Youth Leadership School provided the base knowledge for understanding how to make a difference in politics. LI's Direct Mail School helped me understand when and why to break the rules of grammar and how to construct an effective fundraising appeal. LI's Television Workshop was put on for the benefit of our policy analysts and has helped their presentation skills immensely,” David shared. Maybe you would like to attend a Youth Leadership School, like David. LI hosts them year-around, but one's coming up in Arlington, VA December 1 -2. Register here now. To register for one of LI's 41 types of political trainings, go here to see the schedule. Please welcome David Guenthner as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Hart at LaurenHart@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Due to Hurricane Sandy, the Leadership Institute will be closed on Monday, October 29 after 2 P.M. and all day on Tuesday, October 30. You may leave a voicemail on LI's main line (703-247-2000) or send an email to individual LI staff. You will receive a response as soon as it is possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in the storm's path.

With an international studies degree in hand from the University of North Carolina in 2002, Noel Fritsch began teaching English, and later Spanish, to high school students. “I taught school and coached high school sports for most of my professional career to date, until I decided to make the jump to politics,” Noel said. Now, he's working as the communications director for Gary DeLong, candidate for California's newly created 47th congressional district that covers Long Beach and West Orange County. “HTML is now my friend,” Noel said. “I manage the communications effort, from managing messaging and properly positioning the candidate on issues to drafting email blasts and keeping the website updated, and managing the social media effort. It's pretty all-consuming, especially during the last few weeks before Election Day.” Gary DeLong is Long Beach's Councilman, and has been since 2006. He's also president and CEO of The RTP Group, a telecommunications consulting firm and software development company. When he moved to Washington, D.C. in 2005, Noel learned about the Leadership Institute through the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. In June this year, Noel attended LI's Conservative Intern Workshop. “Without a doubt having the opportunity to hear LI's faculty member Mike Rothfeld speak was the highlight. The combination of his construct of political power and his passion for affecting positive change was infectious,” Noel said. “After attending the workshop, I couldn't wait to get moving.” Noel's current position is a result of his training at the Leadership Institute. “I received a job offer within a month of attending my first Leadership Institute workshop, and the offer was a direct result of attending of the Conservative Intern Workshop,” Noel said. "I was able to briefly meet Mike Rothfeld through LI's Conservative Intern Workshop, and after sending my cover letter and resume to him, and a subsequent email interview, I scored an in-person interview," Noel explained. "He recommended that some of his friends reach out to me, and I got another interview, and was ultimately hired. LI was integral in helping me generate movement in my job search that ultimately led to several offers of gainful employment. None of that would've been possible without my having attended LI's training. And, of course, a little perseverance." “The capacity LI offers for personal growth and networking opportunities is astounding. I'd recommend LI training to any conservative looking for a place in the movement.” LI will offer the Conservative Career Workshop in five weeks weeks on Capitol Hill. Register early to enjoy a discount on the price. Email LI's Career Services Coordinator Alyssa Condrey at ACondrey@LeadershipInstitute.org for more details. “If those places are ‘think tanks,'” Noel said about other conservative organizations he's learned from, “LI is a ‘do-tank.' LI does. LI acts. LI moves.” Please welcome Noel Fritsch as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Hart at LaurenHart@LeadershipInstitute.org.

Know what you want to say. Say it in a simple manner. Look and sound the part.These were basic principles of the last Friday's Introduction to Television Techniques Workshop taught by Beverly Hallberg at the Leadership Institute.The 16 students learned to effectively communicate via broadcast media: what to wear, how to present themselves, and the type of language to use. Many students came away with the same observation: it's the little things that make a difference.Nicole Hudgens, an intern with the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation, remarked, “I've had a lot of communication classes since it's what I got my degree in, but this covered some things I had not heard before and I really enjoyed it! Beverly gave great practical advice and I'd love to go to another workshop.”In general, keep it snappy. TV and radio are made for soundbites, not lectures. Viewers listening to a dialogue will stay far more engaged than those listening to a monologue. Plus, you're more likely to be invited back when the host feels like they control the conversation.Live interviews are the easiest to control. Whatever is said airs—not the case with recorded interviews. When recorded, your comments are at the mercy of the segment's producer: important statements might get cut because you gave them too much material. For a pre-recorded interview, make sure comments are prepared in advanced. The rules change entirely; you have no control over what is aired, but you are in complete control of your answers. Questions are not typically broadcast, so answering the question is non-essential.Regardless of the type of interview, Beverly cautioned, “Anticipate what you will be asked. Prepare your ammo correctly.”It's essential to practice and prepare statements; even the most knowledgeable person can forget their main points when asked an unexpected question.After receiving these tips (and many more—register for LI's TV training here for all of them), attendees practiced their skills on the camera.Beverly went through and critiqued each person's performance. Everyone stepped in front of the camera for a second time, and each person's improvement was dramatic.Those who were long-winded initially became succinct. The quiet people became more assertive and appeared confident. Everyone was empowered to be an effective communicator for their chosen topic. Megan Moore, an intern at the Leadership Institute's ConservativeJobs.com, observed, “It was incredible to see how quickly everyone improved. Most of us were not engaging the first time. In ‘take two,' we were all persuasive and followed Beverly's rules.”If you want to learn and practice what it takes to be an effective on-camera spokesperson, register for our next Television Workshops on December 14. Or, register for one of LI's other upcoming trainings here. >

Lars Christensen, CEO of Saxo Bank in Denmark, is touring the U.S. this week and meeting with many groups and media to share his experience of European-style socialism.Yesterday he spoke to D.C. conservatives at the Heritage Foundation."Our prosperity and security is to a much larger degree than we realize due to the U.S., and both are threatened by the U.S.' extreme acceleration towards chaos. A chaos that to a large extent is caused by Obama's economic measures that damage and indebt Americans -- and the rest of the world." Op-ed in Danish newspaper Berlingske, February 2009"His indictment of European-style socialism is stunning. His command of history and free-market principles make his presentation enthralling," Leadership Institute President Morton Blackwell said. "As America stands at a crossroads between capitalism and prosperity or European-style socialism and economic decline, his message could neither be more timely nor more important. That's why I hope you'll join me on this speaking tour to hear Lars Seier Christensen, CEO of Saxo Bank in Denmark, discuss his country's socialist policies and why we don't want them."For more information on Lars and his America tour this week, please click here. >

Raised in Ridgeland, South Carolina, Eric Dell volunteered on political campaigns from the age of 14. In college, Eric majored in political science at the University of South Carolina (USC), where he was chairman of USC's College Republicans chapter and first heard about the Leadership Institute. “I attended my first Leadership Institute Youth Leadership School in the early 1990s during my undergraduate years at the University of South Carolina,” Eric said. “I have used this knowledge in each of the political campaigns that I have been involved in since the training.” After finishing law school at USC, Eric ran congressional campaigns for Rep. Floyd Spence in 2000 and for Rep. Joe Wilson in 2001. He got ready for those roles with a second Leadership Institute training. “I attended the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School again in July 1998 and it prepared me for my role as the deputy campaign manager for the Floyd Spence for Congress Campaign,” Eric shared. After his campaign work, he served as the chief of staff for the South Carolina State Senate Transportation Committee. Now, Eric is the chief of staff to Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) in Washington, D.C., and has been so for nine of the 11 years Rep. Wilson has been in office. (Eric took two years off, from 2006 to 2008, to practice real estate law in South Carolina and lobby at the federal level.) “The Leadership Institute has been very helpful to me in my professional journey,” Eric said. “My first LI class prepared me to succeed in leadership positions in college and in my political, private sector, and government sector careers. The Leadership Institute helped me establish a basis for leading organizations, which has helped me in both my private sector and government careers.” When Congress is in session, life for a chief of staff is go-go-go! “I usually begin with breakfast with my boss, a Hill staffer, or someone wanting to discuss an issue before Congress,” Eric shared. “Once breakfast is done, I spend most of my day managing the office staff and making sure that my boss's schedule is flowing smoothly. We frequently have constituents stop by unannounced and we always try to make sure they get to visit with the Congressman.” For lunch Eric either attends working lunches with Rep. Wilson or dines with constituents visiting from South Carolina. After work, Eric attends dinners and receptions with the congressman. “Due to my boss's service as the chairman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, we have many meetings with military leaders and constituencies interested in issues before the House Armed Services Committee,” Eric said. When not in session, Eric travels back to the congressional district in South Carolina to meet with constituents and businesses, or he catches up on office work in DC. “If you are interested in working on Capitol Hill, I would recommend that you contact your Member of Congress and either intern for them or volunteer on their campaign,” Eric shared. “If you do not agree philosophically with your Member of Congress, I urge you to become involved with other Members in your state delegation. This is an easy way to get your foot in the door. It is much easier to obtain a job on Capitol Hill if you have Hill experience on your resume, even if it is volunteering or interning.” Aspiring Hill staffers, Eric continued, should contact chiefs of staff in their home states. “Send them an email and contact them by phone to set up a time to meet,” Eric said. “You should offer to meet them in their office. First inquire of job openings in their office. If there's none, I recommend asking them if they know of any openings in the delegation or anywhere else on Capitol Hill. Once you have exhausted your home state contacts, branch out to other states you have a connection to. Be professional and be willing to start at the bottom. Always remember, be nice to everyone. If you have a good work ethic and integrity, you can move up quickly on Capitol Hill.” But before Eric started hiring Hill staffers for a congressman's office, he took Leadership Institute training. “I attended my first Leadership Institute Youth Leadership School in the early 1990s,” Eric shared. “I learned how to organize an effective communications plan and a youth campaign. I also learned how to effectively start and organize a student organization on a college campus. This was very helpful during my tenure as the USC College Republican chairman.” Rep. Joe Wilson also took LI training. Rep. Wilson attended LI's on-camera TV training in 2002 and again in 2005. Also, some of his staffers have been trained at the Institute. Eric has volunteered as faculty for the Leadership Institute, giving back his knowledge and talents to train the next generation of conservative activists, students, and leaders. He taught at LI's Conservative Career Workshop in November 2008, Capitol Hill Job Seminar in June 2008, Grassroots Campaign School in March 2008, and Capitol Hill Job Seminar in November 2007. “I describe LI as a conservative leadership training school. I encourage people to use the Leadership Institute as a way to network within conservative circles and a way to enhance their leadership skills,” Eric said. “I always recommend LI's employment placement service to people searching for a job on Capitol Hill.” Launch your career in “conservative circles” by registering for LI's Conservative Career Workshop coming up November 27-28. Or maybe you want to attend a Youth Leadership School, like Eric. LI hosts them year-around, but one's coming up in Arlington, VA December 1 -2. Register here now. Please welcome Eric Dell as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Hart at LaurenHart@LeadershipInstitute.org.

As a student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Todd Hollenbeck attended College Republican meetings. But it wasn't until he read books by Frederic Bastiat, Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and Ayn Rand in a college course that he began his personal pursuit of liberty. “That class completely blew my mind and opened my eyes to the way the world is and how it could be and ought to be,” Todd shared with the Leadership Institute. Now Todd is the college program coordinator at the Foundation for Economic Education and the executive director of the Free Minds Film Festival LLC. His story has been years and many internships in the making. Todd found out about the Leadership Institute when an LI field representative visited his campus. He decided to take time off from school and apply for the job. Todd was a field representative in the fall 2007 and spring 2008 in eastern Washington and in Colorado, respectively, where he helped start conservative student groups on campuses. “The field rep program was great,” Todd said. “Those were two of the best semesters I had in college. I learned a lot and have many great memories.” “As a Field Rep, I was given a lot of autonomy, which allowed me to experiment with ways to reach out to and locate students. This process taught me a lot about how to utilize Facebook, how to table, how to communicate with students on campuses, and how to organize student organizations,” Todd explained. “This helped bring out my creativity and taught me to be entrepreneurial and innovative.” Later, he spent the summer as an intern for the Independence Institute in Colorado where he wrote a paper on the Taypayer's Bill of Rights and an op-ed about privatizing health inspections. In fall 2008, Todd came to DC for an internship with the Leadership Institute. “The biggest benefit of LI's internship was the networking opportunity. It allowed me to spend time in DC where I met people and learned about pro-liberty organizations that I otherwise wouldn't have,” Todd said. “As an intern for LI, I learned about all of the organizations I didn't know existed while I was in Colorado, like Foundation for Economic Education, Institute for Humane Studies, Americans for Tax Reform, and Students for Liberty.” Todd returned to Colorado to finish his undergraduate degree, but then came back to DC to intern for six months at Americans for Tax Reform. He was offered the position while still an intern for LI. “I would have stayed longer [at Americans for Tax Reform], but I couldn't afford to, so I returned home and applied for the Koch Summer Fellowship Program and went back to school for my MBA,” Todd said. “That year I also attended my first International Students for Liberty Conference. Both were amazing experiences. I met so many brilliant, passionate young libertarians and objectivists that I really felt kind of stupid and incredibly encouraged about the future of liberty.” Through the Koch Fellowship, Todd was able to intern for a second time with the Independence Institute. He later became a campus coordinator for Students for Liberty, and also began planning the first Free Minds Festival, for which he's now the executive director. Todd took 15 LI trainings from fundraising to the Youth Leadership School to a conservative career workshop to activism workshops. “The Leadership Institute was a stepping stone in helping me find the right path. LI exposed me to a lot of great people and organizations, and taught me valuable skills many of which I still use, and others that were still great exposure to new things that helped me discover my own interests and skill sets.” Launch your career by registering for one of LI's upcoming trainings here. “I am still figuring my path out. Every new experience creates new paths, but I now know that I was to affect social change through education of the ideas of liberty and free markets, which is exactly what I am doing with Students for Liberty, Foundation for Economic Education, and the Free Minds Film Festival.” Perhaps you want information to become a LI Field Rep or Intern. Click the links for more information on the Free Minds Film Festival or Foundation for Economic Education. Please welcome Todd Hollenbeck as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Hart at LaurenHart@LeadershipInstitute.org.

“This message is of hope—it's also of despair,” began conservative pundit Jack Hunter at Wednesday's Wake-Up Club Breakfast at the Leadership Institute. The breakfast, held the first Wednesday of each month, brings a leading conservative to speak to LI supporters.Jack encouraged the audience of 70 at this month's event to responsibly vote and hold elected officials accountable. Jack is a columnist for The American Conservative and the Charleston City Paper, and is a Contributing Editor to Young American Revolution. He also regularly appears on Sirius XM and is involved with many other organizations.“The core definition of conservatism in the United States is something I like to call—and I didn't coin this—the Goldwater-Reagan legacy. The idea that the government that governs least governs best,” Jack said. “The idea that government is bad: that is American conservatism.”Jack echoed Reagan's 1981 inaugural address, “Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem.”This is the main ideological discrepancy between true conservatives and their liberal counterparts, Jack argued.“The conservative grassroots desperately want that limited-government champion Republicans have always promised—and yet so many times, time, time and again, have never delivered,” Jack lamented. “They want the real deal.”Jack wants conservative politicians who fight for a decrease in the size of the government.“I do think things are finally getting better. You know, the term ‘conservative' used to be something very unique in our politics,” Jack said. “If you go back to the time of Barry Goldwater, or even right before that, to be a conservative was something sort of out there. It meant something specific.”“Nowadays, especially in the Republican party, the term ‘conservative' is widespread,” Jack said. “Everybody, from the most moderate (or I would dare say ‘liberal') Republicans to the actual conservatives like to call themselves conservatives. It's good branding. It helps get you elected.”“The term ‘conservative' is as popular as it ever was, but actual conservatism still hasn't got the job done,” Jack said.He proposed a solution to this problem.“The Leadership Institute has been instrumental in carrying these conservative ideas forward,” Jack said. “I think, moving forward, whether it's the TEA Party, or pushing forward these conservative candidates—this is, in a large part, a youth revolution. It's just like Barry Goldwater of 1964, and Mr. Blackwell was there.”Jack continued, “We all know that those young ‘damn Goldwater people'—those kids—became the modern American conservative movement. And they changed this country, and they changed American politics. Well, I dare say it's happening again. It's not only the TEA Party, but it's sort of this youth up swell that is represented by groups like the Leadership Institute who are going to reclaim conservatism in the way that Ronald Reagan meant it, and are going to push it forward in the way Barry Goldwater always dreamed it could,” Jack said.Jack ended on a high note, “I'm so excited about the future—despite how much big government we have now. I think we can finally really begin to turn things around.”For future LI Wednesday Wake-Up Club Breakfasts, please go here. >

Thank you for your support as I accepted the 2012 James C. Dobson Vision and Leadership Award. Your attendance at the Family Research Council's Faith, Family and Freedom Gala was a tangible display of your commitment to defend traditional values against those leftists who seek to fundamentally transform (i.e., ruin) our country. In the late 1960s and 1970s, left-wing efforts to undermine traditional values prompted social conservatives to get involved in politics. Like many of you, I took action. The subsequent formation of ad hoc coalitions grew into oday's conservative movement. Despite numerous conservative victories since then, the assault on family values and religious faith continues. Here are just a few chilling examples of leftist bias and abuse my staff exposed this year through the Leadership Institute's campus website, www.CampusReform.org: ·Professor wants to reduce human population by ‘controlling human fertility' ·Lutheran university announces opposition to traditional marriage amendment ·University of Southern Mississippi professor: ‘Anti-gay' Chick-fil-A needs to be removed from campus ·College professor: 'Jesus was a Muslim' ·Obama's DOJ Forces University to Allow 38 Year Old Male to Access Women's Restrooms ·Same-Sex "Marriage" Supporters Assault, Spit on Pro-Marriage Students The left is relentless, but so is my faith in the Almighty to use our powerful movement to fundamentally save America. That's why your support of the Family Research Council, my Leadership Institute, and other conservative organizations means so much to me. There is truly a crisis in America today. However, I am encouraged by good people like you who actively fight for faith, family, and freedom. On behalf of the Leadership Institute staff (photo enclosed), I thank you for the honor to fight alongside you in this battle. Cordially, Morton C. Blackwell President Leadership Institute

On Election Day 2008, who received more votes? Was it Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama, who won the election?The answer might surprise you: Senator John McCain.With the rise of early voting, you must plan for a month of get out the vote efforts.As Jeremy Bird, National Field Director for the Obama 2012 campaign, told the Wall Street Journal: advantage in early voting goes to "whoever is most organized."Let's get organized.Find your state's early voting and absentee voting deadlines in the table below. Then register for LI's free, live webinar this Wednesday at 7pm EST: Early Voting Strategies to Win.You'll learn from and talk with LI faculty about what you must know about early voting -- and how you can apply these lessons to a campaign you care about.Can't make the webinar? Check back on Thursday for a replay.>

The key to winning an election is much more than simply turning out more voters than your opponent. You must learn the techniques that successful campaigns have been using for years, and then adapt them to fit your winning formula.A successful door-to-door effort could be the difference you need to win!

This week kicked off with Constitution Day, celebrating one of our founding documents. Remember the Constitution's Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Sarah, a graduate of Leadership Institute trainings, has devoted her professional career to speaking on behalf of those that have little to no voice and working for those whose rights are violated. Born in the Caribbean's Saint Lucia island in the 1960s, Sarah Flood-Beaubrun founded and is currently running the Caribbean Centre for Family and Human Rights (CARIFAM), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting families. “We believe that the right to life is the most fundamental human right from which all other rights gain their validity, and as such, the right to live must be protected from conception to natural death,” Sarah told the Leadership Institute. “We believe that the natural family is the fundamental cell unit of society and must be protected because strong, healthy families are essential for building strong healthy societies.” CARIFAM's programs seek to alleviate poverty, improve access to quality health care and education, and give people the tools and information to empower themselves and their communities. But for Sarah, CARIFAM isn't the first time she's advocated for the freedoms of people. She's a public servant at heart. Sarah was an elected as a Member of Parliament in Saint Lucia, becoming the second woman ever in this body, and where she served for eight years. Later, she became the first woman to hold the Office of Speaker of the House of Assembly in Saint Lucia. Within the Government of Saint Lucia, Sarah has served as a Minister for various departments for which she has overseen the transfer of a 100-year prison system to a more modern system that now meets international standards. She established the first and only 24-hour women's support shelter for women fleeing violence and she's started the first mother to child HIV prevention of transmission program in the Eastern Caribbean. Sarah first learned of the Leadership Institute through a friend working for Human Life International. “LI's trainings were excellent,” Sarah said. “I learned how best to articulate conservative ideas to promote the common good and how to effectively communicate and campaign to rally support for these ideas. I became even more convinced of the soundness of the arguments we use to promote true development of the human person and society as a whole.” She's taken LI's Advanced Public Speaking Workshop and LI's International Leadership Training Seminar. “Training at the Leadership Institute is a must for anyone or organization which is serious about a conservative approach to development,” Sarah said. “The courses are thorough, extremely relevant, well developed in theory and practice, where the information is cutting edge and can be immediately put to use.” Sarah continued, “The Leadership Institute gave me the relevant tools that I can immediately put to use.” Learn the tools and then use them to advance the conservative movement around the world. Register for one of LI's upcoming trainings here. For more information on CARIFAM, please go here. Please welcome Sarah Flood-Beaubrun as LI's Graduate of the Week. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Hart at LaurenHart@LeadershipInstitute.org.