Tim and Rebecca Kachuriak

When asked why he’s a conservative, Heritage Young President’s Club member Tim Kachuriak responds, “I suppose the default answer is because I was raised that way. But it’s definitely not the same answer for my bride.” 

Rebecca, Tim’s wife and a fellow Heritage Young President’s Club member, did not share the same conservative upbringing as her husband. 

“Funny back-story, I was raised liberal,” Rebecca says. She admits she voted for Al Gore in 2000. 

But despite differences in their ideological rearing, Tim and Rebecca have long held one fundamental belief in common: The sanctity of all human life. It is the pro-life cause that forms the core of their now shared conservative beliefs. After all, “without life,” Kachuriak explains, “all other issues are meaningless.” Continue Reading »

Dana Blauvelt, a member of Heritage's Young Leaders Program

Adjusting to life as an intern at The Heritage Foundation was probably the easiest transition I have ever made. As a student from a conservative college with a strong background in America’s founding principles, there couldn’t have been a better fit for me this summer.

Nor could my experience have come at a better time. I have had the privilege of a front row seat in the theater of American politics at a time of unprecedented fiscal debate. I was able to promote essential conservative principles while being exposed to heated political discourse. The textbook knowledge I gained in my economics, American history and Constitutional law classes came alive in Washington as I dug deeper into the reasoning behind the latest legislative proposals. Continue Reading »

Ken Gardner

Like most organizations, Heritage relies on our members and supporters to get the message out about our research to their friends and family. Ken Gardner is one of The Heritage Foundation’s most effective supporters on social media, promoting our work to his friends and family on a daily basis.

Despite working full-time as a lawyer tackling issues unrelated to politics, Ken works hard spreading Heritage research to his fan base on Twitter and Facebook. When the Morning Bell is sent each day, for example, Ken posts snippets of the most relevant information to 4,000 Twitter followers. Continue Reading »

Heritage Young President's Club Member Wes Lippman

“America should be proud of what it is and what it stands for,” says proud American and Heritage Foundation Young President’s Club Member Wes Lippman.

So what does America stand for? In Lippman’s own words, his homeland represents:

Constitutionally-based self-government… a unique exception to the idea that people are subservient to their governments and that their “betters” must decide for them how to act, think, and thrive.

It is this deep understanding of American exceptionalism, Lippman explains, that has assumed a defining role in his life, both politically and professionally.

“I’m a conservative because I believe very strongly in individual freedom,” he says, “and that the size and scope of government must be constantly checked and curtailed.”

His belief in American ideals inspired Lippman to join the United States Marine Corps. “It was very important to me that I serve my country in a meaningful way, and the Marine Corps provided the perfect opportunity to do so. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made and was a truly singular and life-changing experience.”

As a former Marine Corps officer and a young conservative,  Lippman, 29, finds himself most interested in issues relating to national defense.

“America is and should always remain a force of good throughout the world,” he explains, so we must maintain our capacity and strength.

Military strength is something to be proud of, he continues: “At no point in history has such a powerful country acted with such restraint and had such a positive impact on the rest of the world.”

After graduating from Dartmouth College and completing his military service, Lippman studied business at the University of Virginia. He now puts his MBA to good use as a consultant at IBM.

So how has Lippman kept up with politics amidst this busy life? “Heritage is one of the primary ways I stay involved in conservative politics and abreast of current conservative thought and research.”

Like many Heritage Foundation members, Wes Lippman believes deeply in our nation and her people.  We’re proud to have him at our side.

Judy with her husband Gerald Weiss

What does being a member of The Heritage Foundation mean to you? To Judy Weiss of Tucson, Arizona, it’s a home in the conservative movement. When she first became interested in our country’s Founding Fathers, Judy searched for a place that she could meet like-minded people who would also challenge her to continue learning about our First Principles. For Judy, “The Heritage Foundation was where I found that ‘home’.” Continue Reading »

Heritage member Spike Bowman wants his children to have “the same opportunities to grow, develop and to serve their nation that I had.”

Like many Heritage Foundation members, Marion “Spike” Bowman spent most of his career in public service, working to save and improve the lives of the American people. His career in national security and international law included stints in the Navy and other government agencies. He has participated in the investigation and prosecution of virtually every major spy of the past 25 years, including the Walker, Whitworth and Pollard cases.

Bowman’s professional involvement in intelligence work confirmed his belief in conservative principles. Each assignment allowed him “to witness firsthand the fact that we still live in a very dangerous world.”

Bowman believes, like many Heritage members, that the size of the federal government is of paramount concern. “I strongly believe the national debt is directly related to the well-being of the nation and to the quality of life that my children and grandchildren will experience,” he says. Continue Reading »

When Heritage Associate Lynda Schultz was younger she, like many, identified herself as a liberal.

As she matured, entered the working world, and raised a family she came to see government in a different light.

A published author of southern fiction, Lynda first became conservative when she and her husband Howard started their own business in North Carolina. When she was getting the business off the ground, she had no help from the government. When her business hit a rough patch, not only did she not receive a government handout, but was obligated to pay them first, before she paid her employees. Continue Reading »

Greg McNece is a Heritage Foundation member.

The McNece Family

My name is Greg McNece and I am 47 years old. I live in Davis, California with my wife Amy and our three children Jamie (19), Jackson (8) and Lila Mae (2). I am president of a small property management company specializing in off-campus student housing and vice president of contracting company that moves and compacts dirt.

My experience as a small businessman coping with always-increasing regulation has shaped my conservative views. For example, all of the equipment used by our contracting company will fail to meet the new California environmental standards in a few years.

I also hold conservative views because I believe that our expanding government is going to bankrupt the country. Continue Reading »

Heritage member Carol Manning established a trust to support conservative ideas through the Heritage Legacy Society.

Like many Heritage members, Carol Manning feels a deep sense of gratitude for what she has achieved in life, and it’s this feeling that inspires people to give something back to the institutions that may have played an important part in their early formation. For Carol, as well as many other Americans, this often takes the form of a planned gift to their beloved alma mater. These are gifts that are not only motivated by gratitude but can also be born out of a deep sense of nostalgia. One of the most common types of life income paying gifts promoted by college and university planned giving departments is the charitable remainder trust, which is precisely the vehicle Carol chose to make her legacy gift.

Aside from the many wonderful income and tax benefits that charitable trusts offer, the main purpose of a charitable trust is to convey a significant “remainder” after a donor’s passing.  With this in mind, many thoughtful conservatives have begun to rethink their decision to support an alma mater that does little in support of their conservative values—or worse—is actively involved in advancing a liberal agenda. As in many other areas of American life, college campuses are increasingly subject to liberal sentiments and policies that threaten our founding principles, and conservatives can no longer in good conscience financially support these efforts. This is the dilemma Carol found herself facing as she considered the charitable trust she’d established for her university years earlier. Continue Reading »