Administrators often hide behind the veil of bureaucracy to justify censorship of conservative voices on campus. Moriah DeMartino experienced this firsthand when she attempted to start a conservative club at Hagerstown Community College.The administration refused to recognize her club because it would duplicate the purpose of the political science club -- even though the administration recognized multiple liberal groups with similar missions.Moriah was then told said she could only start a Republican Club if a Democrat Club was started at the same time. When Moriah petitioned on campus to reverse the decision, campus police confronted her and told her to stop.Now, Hagerstown is facing a lawsuit for denying free speech rights. Sometimes the best way to get your university's attention is to sue your university, and protect the rights of other conservative students in the future.Report liberal bias and abuse on your campus and read more about this story at CampusReform.org.>

In politics, it is not enough to know what's right. To succeed, your command of a subject must be so secure that you can persuade people you are right. And then you must activate them. Plunder and Deceit by Mark Levin is a necessary read for anyone who fights against statist power grabs. This new book sets the stage for the 2016 election and beyond. Levin's new book is a wake-up call, especially for young people. He explains the dangers of government and the coming crisis our country faces -- the loss of the greatest republic known to history. Before the 2016 election, educate your friends and family with this book about the growing dangers of big government. Young people must find the personal strength and will to break through the cycle of manipulation, unrelenting emotional overtures, and pressures of groupthink. Parents too often ignore the threats to their children's future. Plunder and Deceit calls for a new civil rights movement to end the exploitation of our children by statist government policies. Levin challenges young people to stand in their own defense so their generation and future generations can live in freedom. Plunder and Deceit will be released on August 4. However, you can pre-order this book today. Pre-order your copy of this must read, Plunder and Deceit by Mark Levin, today. I recommend Plunder and Deceit to every conservative activist and leader. Mark Levin is a nationally syndicated talk-radio host and president of Landmark Legal Foundation. He is the author of Liberty and Tyranny, the 38-week New York Times bestseller which spent three months at #1 and sold more than one million copies. I expect Plunder and Deceit to be widely read and distributed to young conservative activists and their parents. Activism without education in conservative principles is dangerous. Order your copy of Plunder and Deceit today.

You don't have to be seasoned politician to win. With proper training and a plan in place, anyone can learn the tools to win.Most beginners struggle with the basics and make common mistakes. There are ways to avoid these mistakes, but it takes learning from the veterans who have been through it all before. It takes training.Bill Taylor has been a South Carolina State Representative since 2010 and credits Leadership Institute's (LI) training for his campaign success. “I defeated the eight-year incumbent 57% to 43%,” Bill said. “My campaign success was fueled by enrolling in LI's Future Candidate School. It was a most valuable experience. LI smoothed our political road to success.”In April 2015, LI trained 48 attendees from 17 states and Canada at the Future Candidate School. They learned from veteran candidates and campaigners how to put together a future campaign and win.Douglas Arnold of Maryland said the April training taught him “excellent essential information for creating a winning campaign theme and strategy.”Past graduates of the Future Candidate School have gone on to win their elections.“This was my first time running for office, and it was against a political veteran,” said New Mexico State Representative Alonzo Baldonado. “It was a tough race, but LI gave me the education needed to run a successful campaign.”The school also trains attendees how to define and polish their message, build strong grassroots support, raise funds, and develop the attributes of effective candidates. Theresa, another attendee of LI's April Future Candidate School said, “I wish I could teleport the people in my area down here for these classes so they could stop blaming each other for conservative losses, and actually know how to start running winning campaigns. #winningby workingtogether” Each day of the Future Candidate School features one of Morton Blackwell's Laws of the Public Policy Process. Day 1: “Sound doctrine is sound politics.”Successful candidates must define themselves to the public before their opponents do, so attendees learn to develop and effectively communicate an engaging message.Day 2: “Build a secure home base.”The second day of training teaches future candidates how to join coalitions and build organizations. Each attendee learns the basics of building contact networks, working with existing factions, and starting new groups.Day 3: “You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent.”To survive, a campaign must be funded. On the third day, attendees learn the techniques of effective fundraising. Fundraisers from around the movement come together to show candidates how to put together successful fundraising events and persuade high dollar donors to fund your campaign.Day 4: “Personnel is policy.”A campaign is only as good as the people it hires. In order to form the right team, you have to understand what kind of personnel you should have around you, and the structure the campaign will have in order to win. The school puts together those pieces for candidates and shows them the best way to organize a campaign.The Real Nature of Politics states, “Being right, in the sense of correct, is not sufficient to win. The winner in a political contest is determined over time by the number and effectiveness of activists on the respective sides.” Leadership Institute graduates know how to win.You can become a Leadership Institute graduate. There's another chance to learn how to become a successful future candidate at LI's last Future Candidate School of 2015, and also learn how to run a winning campaign at the Campaign Management School.Before you even start putting your campaign together, you have to ask yourself, should you be a candidate? Some candidates get into the race without answering this question and are blindsided. Capitol Hill veteran Steven Sutton addresses this question every year with activists who want to get more involved in politics. On Tuesday, July 14, 2015, Steven discusses what it takes to run for office during LI's FREE live webinar, fittingly titled Should You Be a Future Candidate? Watch the webinar here.The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,582 conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, LI has trained more than 165,206 conservative activists, students, and leaders. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org.>

For more than 15 years, the Leadership Institute's Sacher Multimedia Center has been a resource for the conservative movement.In 2015, the studio team upgraded the space to include a brand new studio classroom and lobby. The Sacher Multimedia Center now features the Norma Zimdahl Master Studio, a control room, a dedicated edit suite, and the new multi-purpose James Fishback Boreham Studio Classroom.During Construction New Studios and Classroom This new state of the art technology will allow more media trainings to take place than ever before. Attendees of this training receive expert feedback from a media coach to tailor their message before going on television.Live from LI's studio, Leadership Institute's Campus Reform team regularly reports on liberal abuses and bias on college campuses as guests on national news networks.In the same studios, LI's campus programs staff create engaging videos for college students to learn the skills to become activists on their campuses.The Sacher Multimedia Center even offers a FREE live webinar series which empowers conservative activists to take action in their communities.All of this is possible thanks to the support of the Leadership Institute's generous donors.Find out how the Leadership Institute's Studios can help you! Contact LI Director of Studios Aaron Reese. The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,581 conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, LI has trained more than 165,050 conservative activists, students, and leaders. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org.>

How did a small family-farmer transform into a national headline? Why did she join the 2015 Congressional Property Rights Caucus Roundtable, and become The Property Rights Foundation of America's “Nation's Grassroots Property Rights Leader”? It started with a young girl's childhood dream. Martha Boneta grew up in Mount Vernon, Virginia. She attended George Mason University for both her undergraduate and law degree, later studying Alternative Dispute Resolution at the prestigious Strauss Institute of Pepperdine University. After school, Martha worked in government relations at ICS, then became a strategic account executive at Reed Elsevier. Martha's childhood dream became a reality when she purchased Liberty Farm. Unfortunately, her American Dream quickly deteriorated into an American nightmare. Her farm became the epicenter of attacks from extreme environmental groups. Using agencies ranging from the Virginia Department of Transportation to Animal Control, these groups subjected Martha to many abusive inspections. This exploitation culminated in zoning violation charges for the farm's hay rides, birthday parties, on-site sale of farm goods, and pumpkin carving in the pumpkin patch. The penalty? A $15,000 per day fine if she did not immediately cease all operations. “The experience was crushing, and I was heartbroken,” Martha said. Refusing to endure this violation of their property, Martha and her family began to fight back. Agreeing with George Washington, she believed that “freedom rests on the shoulders of property rights.” Martha proceeded to attend three Leadership Institute (LI) trainings -- the Future Candidate School, the Crisis Communication Training, and the Public Speaking Workshop -- where she learned the valuable grassroots skills to combat overbearing government. “The Leadership Institute was able to provide significant insight into overcoming obstacles and having the courage and network of resources available to create coalitions and legislation,” Martha said. The strength of these bipartisan coalitions devastated the liberal opposition. More than “7,000 Virginians wrote petition letters, made phone calls, and attended rallies and General Assembly hearings in support of legislation to protect family farmers,” Martha said. This activism led to the passage of the Boneta Bill I and II, which limited government's ability to overregulate small farmers, allowed farmers to engage in on-farm activity to attract customers, and provided consumers better access to locally produced farm goods. The new documentary Farming in Fear produced by Sean Malone of Honest Enterprise depicts Martha's nine-year battle to save her livelihood. The film premiers at the Anthem Film Festival on July 11. When asked about the film, Martha responded: The message people walk away with is hope. The idea that even though government and powerful special interests so often seem unbeatable, and that it's pointless to even try to defend your rights against those kinds of odds, it is actually possible to succeed if you persevere and stand strong for truth, justice, and the American Dream. Martha also plans to speak at the 44th National Fourth of July Conservative Soiree hosted at Bull Run Park (Centreville, VA) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All who attend receive free admittance to the food, the fun, and the great company of other conservatives! Though the fight for her farm ended, Martha knows she must continue to promote freedom, declaring: My heart will always be on the farm, but I have a great passion for community engagement and grassroots organization. If we are not zealously and passionately protecting our freedom, we will no longer be free. This experience has taught me to never, ever give up on the American Dream. It is my hope and prayer that others will be inspired by my family's journey to stand strong to keep the flame of liberty burning bright. The Leadership Institute thanks Martha for her dedication to conservative principles and congratulates 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 Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,581 conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, LI has trained more than 165,050 conservative activists, students, and leaders. 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 is a training ground for the conservative movement,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz said. Watch Senator Cruz in this 38 second YouTube video. “LI does a fantastic job taking young conservatives from all across the county and helping give them the tools to defend free market principles, to defend the constitution, and to explain the principles our country was founded upon,” Senator Cruz said. The words of Senator Ted Cruz express the Leadership Institute's (LI) fundamental mission: to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists and leaders in the public policy process. By equipping the conservative movement with the proper political tools and technology, LI builds the foundation for future conservative success. The Leadership Institute develops this foundation on a network of individuals, offering forty-four different trainings which target everyone from grassroots activists to future politicians. Former Senator and current President of The Heritage Foundation, Jim DeMint explained LI's influence: I come across the Leadership Institute's graduates all the time… as key congressional staffers, as heads of conservative organizations, even as colleagues. When I ran for U.S. Senate in 2004, an LI graduate was my campaign manager and another organized students for me throughout South Carolina. Even my son-in-law is a Leadership Institute graduate. Leadership Institute graduates continue to make a difference in the public policy process not only around the United States, but around the world. In 2014 alone, LI trained 7,805 students within the U.S. and another 10,377 internationally. In addition to on-sight and grassroots trainings, the Leadership Institute brings conservative courses to the digital age, broadcasting live webinars from LI Studios. The free online programs allow anyone instant access to a small part of the trainings LI offers. The Leadership Institute, Sen. Ted Cruz said, “is setting the foundation for what I believe is a historic opportunity we have to turn our country around -- to get back to the principles America was founded on.” Join the movement. Find out more at www.leadershipinstitute.org.

It's been said that big business loves big government, and this maxim certainly holds true in Latin America where Leadership Institute faculty member Italo Antoniotti is fighting to reform Guatemala's outdated and destructive coffee and trade laws -- helping tens of thousand of indigenous Mayans in the process. Antoniotti serves as the director of FEDECOCAGUA, the voluntary national association representing 23,000 small coffee producers in Guatemala, most of whom are native Mayans. They're going up against the country's biggest coffee producers and their government-guaranteed supermajority on the board of Guatemala's state-sanctioned coffee trade association, ANACAFE. The small producers represented by Antoniotti's group are forced to obtain export licenses from the big coffee producers that dominate ANACAFE, and pay a mandatory (and economically inefficient) 1% export tax to fund the organization. This year, FEDECOCAGUA went to court to challenge the constitutionality of the export tax and the regulatory system that requires small coffee producers to, in effect, obtain the permission of their larger competitors for the freedom to sell their goods on the world market. With a tiny domestic coffee market, producers' financial success or failure depends entirely on their freedom to export. With a 30% decline in Guatemala's coffee production during the last decade, it's economic crunch time for the country's indigenous population of coffee producers who rely on selling their product to sustain their families and communities. Antoniotti, who began serving as a Leadership Institute volunteer expert faculty member in Latin America this year, argues that the free market, and not government mandates, should prevail. Industry trade associations should be voluntary and not government-mandated, and the export tax should be abolished as economists universally recognize the inherently destructive nature of export taxes. (Article 1, Section 9 of the United States Constitution explicitly prohibits such taxes.) In many Central American countries people have been forced to choose between socialist policies on the one side, the crony capitalist policies on the other. The solution, as documented extensively by the Heritage Foundation in their Index of Economic Freedom, is to advance policies that give neither government nor government-favored businesses an unfair advantage in the marketplace. Reasonable and predictable taxes, free trade, freedom from corruption, access to a fair judicial system, a low regulatory burden and free labor markets are the keys to economic success and prosperity. If Antoniotti and his group of 23,000 independent coffee producers succeed, one Central American country will have taken a significant step in the right direction.

Since 2008, the rise of technology in politics has turned elections into a whole new ball game, and no one knows this better than Rachel Kania. Rachel currently serves as the Senior Field and Technology Strategist for Rand Paul's presidential campaign. But she didn't just fall into the position. Rachel is a firm believer in starting at square one and working your way up the ladder. Rachel grew up in an apolitical household in Spring Hill, FL. Her passion for politics didn't come right away. In fact, it wasn't until 2007 that she became drawn to political philosophy and seeking out a candidate with strong principles. While perusing through YouTube videos, Rachel discovered Ron Paul and became inspired. After transferring to the University of South Florida, Rachel began finding other like-minded conservative activists inspired by the Texas Representative. Kania went on to serve with Students for Ron Paul and at Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). It was during her internship with YAL that Rachel was introduced to Leadership Institute (LI) trainings. Out of the many LI trainings she attended, she distinctly remembers what she learned from LI's Youth Leadership School and the Campaign Boot Camp, LI put together with YAL. “I still have my notes from those trainings and I reference them often,” Rachel said. The trainings provided Rachel with the knowledge to create a campaign budget, develop an effective staff structure, and how to build and spread the message. While describing her experience at LI, Rachel says, “What did I learn? More like, what did I not learn?” Kania says that the first place she sends activists is to a Youth Leadership School. When asked how LI has been helpful in her professional journey, Rachel responded with “connections.” Kania describes LI as a great networking tool and a “confidence booster.” She further explained that the Leadership institute helped her to find more activists like herself who were passionate about seeking the truth and electing principled conservatives. Following her time with YAL, Rachel was accepted into the Charles Koch Institute's intern program where she helped the Bill of Rights Institute create a student forum which reached out to and taught high school and college students about the Constitution. Since then, Rachel has served in top positions for Ron Paul's presidential campaign and for Ted Cruz's senatorial campaign. Rachel Kania is also responsible for creating Uproots Strategies, LLC, which provides field planning, digital strategy, and campaign management services. Uproots is responsible for putting the first two Republicans in history on Austin's city council. When asked what advice she would give potential leaders like herself, she said “Start from square one and climb… be flexible with your location and pay. Your experience gets your name out there.” She described her campaign experience as “building a business from the ground up.” “The biggest obstacle was going up against the establishment's big money and rallying activists,” Rachel said. But, the political world is “changing dramatically,” Rachel said. “Digital helps us access demographics we haven't reached before. Rand Paul's presidential campaign is already accommodating the evolution of politics by seeking out online volunteers to help their blogging and social media team. The campaign has even asked for volunteers to design their next t-shirt.” Rachel Kania predicts that the political world will keep evolving in the next 10-20 years due to the rise of technology. Please join LI in congratulating Rachel Kania 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 where they will have an article written about them, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,581 conservative campus groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 163,714 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

Over the past two days, the Leadership Institute (LI) successfully completed the launch of its new Effective Legislative Hearing Training. “Liberals push their big government ideas using congressional hearings,” Morton Blackwell, the President of LI, stated in an email. “Conservatives must learn to harness legislative hearings effectively to promote their principles.”This new school adds to the already impressive diversity of LI's forty-four political trainings.Day 1Morton spoke during the introduction, asserting conservatives must learn the legislative hearing process and use it to their political advantage. Thirty-four people in the audience, made up of everyone from members of prominent think tanks to Capitol Hill staff, listened intently as Shant Boyajian from the Committee on Environment and Public Works presented an overview of the entire committee and hearing process. He finished by including all participants into a simulated legislative hearing, assigning character roles and pitting team against team.Katy Talento, a member of Sen. Thom Tillis's office, ended the night, energetically explaining how to prepare for a hearing on the Hill. Even at 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, she had everyone laughing throughout her presentation.Day 2The second day of LI's Effective Legislative Hearing Training brought the same excitement as the first.After a networking dinner, Neil Siefring of Hilltop Advocacy, LLC, began an energizing presentation on how to prepare a Member of Congress for a hearing. Neil stressed how legislative hearings allow each Member of Congress to: showcase expertise in the subject area, demonstrate understanding of current issues, and display active support for constituencies.Katy Talento then returned for her second night. With her usual energy, she taught the audience how to prepare witnesses and the difficulties a minority party faces. Katy brought her years of experience to life, revealing fantastic ‘tips and tricks of the game.'The night ended as Bruce Fein, a constitutional lawyer at Bruce Fein & Associates, Inc., held the class in awe with his vast knowledge of the constitutional issues that now plague America. He explained the importance of Congress checking the power of the executive branch, hearings being the primary way Congress achieves this goal. At the end of the training, all who participated left prepared to take on the challenge of a congressional hearing. The school equipped each student with a better understanding of the committee process, and ultimately fulfilled LI's mission to “increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists and leaders in the public policy process.”>

“People used to say to me, Morton Blackwell is the guy who will continue the Reagan Revolution and he's going to do it through the Leadership Institute.” That's what coworkers told John Shosky about Leadership Institute (LI) president, Morton Blackwell, years ago. John Shosky is the president of Roncalli Communications, a professional speech writer, trainer, and author of almost 3000 speeches for government officials, political candidates, and public interest advocates. John first heard of Morton Blackwell in 1988 while working in White House public affairs on a collection of President Reagan's accomplishments called The Reagan Record. “They began to tell me that before the administration started, Morton, who was a friend of Reagan's, was part of a loose pre-election kitchen cabinet that Reagan had,” Shosky said. “Morton had the idea – and Reagan thought it was a great idea – of trying to go beyond the 8 years of the administration and think about the future, and the future would be grassroots training for new generations of leaders, conservative leaders for the years to come.” Over the years, the Leadership Institute has trained 162,792 such leaders under the direction of Morton Blackwell, and through the generous donations of people who believe in investing in the future by training young conservatives. According to the numbers, and to John Shosky, the Leadership Institute has done just what people predicted years ago. He has kept the Reagan Revolution alive and well in young leaders across the United States. If you would like to know more about the Leadership Institute, hear more about the trainings and services LI offers, or want an opportunity to hear prominent conservative leaders speak publicly in support of what LI continues to accomplish, watch these videos featuring students and leaders LI has impacted. The Leadership Institute offers 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,607 active conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 162,764 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.

Leadership Institute partners with TeenPact to train Christian high school youth Seventy dedicated Christian youth aged 14-19 spent five days at the Leadership Institute to train for a lifetime of activism and leadership. With a strong commitment to advancing faith and freedom through community and civic engagement, these students came from 41 states for their annual adventure known as ‘Back to DC' – a program run by TeenPact. Founded in 1994 and based out of Richmond, Virginia, TeenPact is a dynamic, hands-on leadership school for Christian students. TeenPact works to train youth to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend their Christian faith, and engage the culture. The Leadership Institute has partnered with TeenPact for 19 years to help these students achieve those goals. Five intense days of training at the Leadership Institute During the five-day program in October, experienced Leadership Institute faculty taught students political lessons, including: The Real Nature of Politics Campaign Structure and Organization Developing Effective Speeches and Literature Voter Outreach Media and Public Relations “Every year, this is the only group of students that intimidates me,” said Steven Sutton, the Leadership Institute's Vice President of Development. “They're razor sharp and brilliant.” After addressing the group, Steven asked if there were any questions – nearly every hand in the room went up. “Each student showed a level of maturity and intellect well beyond their years,” said Steven. “They process information quickly, add context from their personal experiences, and extrapolate to the next level. You can practically see their brains growing right in front of you.” TeenPact's training program also included several visits to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and visit the institutions that comprise America's constitutional government. Turning campaign knowledge into experience Students participated in campaign exercises where they applied their political lessons to run mock presidential campaigns – complete with press conferences, letters to the editor, and targeted voter outreach. The culminating activity was a presidential debate where each team uniquely and creatively put their theories into practice. Five Leadership Institute and TeenPact judges rated six teams based on performance in all areas of their campaigns. Outstanding young graduates win elections Several outstanding Leadership Institute graduates got their start through TeenPact, including: Jessica Koehler – After an internship and several trainings with the Leadership Institute, Jessica went home to manage her father's campaign – and propelled him to election victory to the Ohio House of Representatives this past November. Jennifer Sullivan – This 23-year-old took the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School and learned how to organize volunteers for campaign victory. Jennifer is now the youngest woman ever elected as a state representative in Florida. Youth already putting their training into practice TeenPact students filled the Leadership Institute's classroom with energy, enthusiasm, and determination to make a difference – ready to apply their training in their communities. “I learned so much this week and I'm really motivated to become more active in my state's government,” said Rachel Bass. “I've already started helping on my lieutenant governor's campaign for re-election in 2016. I wouldn't have gotten involved in the campaign if it hadn't been for TeenPact and all the Leadership Institute speakers we heard from.” Donor support makes this exceptional teenage training possible and allows the Leadership Institute to cultivate conservatism in teens before they meet with the onslaught of liberal bias and indoctrination on college campuses. The Leadership Institute offers 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,602 active conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 162,508 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.

If you've ever wondered how effective Leadership Institute trainings are when it comes to the working world of politics, go ask Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Better yet, watch and listen from the comfort of your own home as Sen. Rand Paul shares his thoughts on the Leadership Institute and on LI's founder and president, Morton Blackwell.“In our office we actually have 6 of our staff who have come out of the Leadership Institute,” said Senator Rand Paul. “My former chief of staff was actually with the Leadership Institute and worked closely with them for many years.”The goal of the Leadership Institute is to effectively train young conservative activists to be leaders in our nation's government. Sen. Rand Paul says LI is doing just that.“I think what's great about the Leadership Institute is that it does something really no one else is doing…. There's really nobody [else] training the next generation of people who will be the leadership of our country,” said Sen. Rand Paul. “To me it's an amazing thing and it is genius for Morton Blackwell to come up with the idea.”Sen. Rand Paul first crossed paths with Morton at the Republican National Convention of 1976 when Morton was a Reagan delegate. This was during the time of the Rockefeller Republicans, before Bush. In essence, Morton was a Reagan Republican before it was cool and remained steadfastly so during President Reagan's political career.That was only part of Morton's ongoing efforts in the conservative movement, and Sen. Rand Paul said such a career speaks to the value of Morton's political work and experience.“Morton Blackwell's legacy will be [as] someone who has been there from the very beginning and really was one of the originators who created the conservative movement,” Sen. Rand Paul said.If you would like to know more about the Leadership Institute, experience the trainings and services it has to offer, or want an opportunity to hear Sen. Rand Paul and many other prominent conservative leaders speak publicly in support of what LI continues to accomplish, watch these videos. They feature Senator Ted Cruz, former liberal student Jesus Rodriguez, young conservative Gabrielle Jackson, LI faculty Ian Ivey, and many more conservatives making a difference for the future.The Leadership Institute offers 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,591 active conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 162,508 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. >

From Campus Reform to the New York Times, Leadership Institute graduates are letting freedom ring in the media and making a difference throughout our country.Former Leadership Institute intern and Indiana University Senior Crayle Vanest, who became the first woman on the board of the lobbying group Students for Concealed Carry, caught The New York Times limelight Wednesday, February 18 speaking out on two explosive college campus issues that have people fired up around the nation. The New York Times' article “A Bid for Guns on Campuses to Deter Rape” reports Crayle “said she should be able to carry her licensed .38-caliber Bersa Thunder pistol on campus, where she said she had walked unarmed after her late-night shifts at a library food court.”The article also quotes Crayle linking the issue of gun rights to the issue of campus safety and sexual assault.“‘Universities are under a ton of investigation for how they handle sexual assaults — that shows how safe campus maybe isn't,' said Ms. Vanest, who is lobbying Indiana lawmakers. ‘Our female membership has increased massively. People who weren't listening before are listening now.'”Conservative leaders like Crayle Vanest and Larry Pratt, LI faculty and executive director of Gun Owners of America, have helped put the prospect of concealed carry on college campuses and more expansive gun rights at the forefront of the national consciousness. They have done so amidst an ocean of controversy and liberal backlash.The campaign for constitutional gun rights is a fight that has gone on for years in the arena of public opinion. The issue of sexual assault against women, reinvigorated by the Rolling Stone story “A Rape On Campus,” puts a new perspective on the issue. In the face of threats like deranged shooters and sexual predators, conservatives like Crayle say students, especially women, should have a decisive means of defense.LI's Campus Reform has often reported on campus gun rights, the issue of sexual assault on campus, and other issues that affect the rights and wellbeing of college students across the country.The Leadership Institute boasts a long line of graduates like Crayle who have gained public attention in support of hot button issues and candidates. LI is committed to training conservative leaders like Crayle, giving them the skills and tools to make their voices heard, and shining the spotlight on important issues concerning the rights of college students through Campus Reform.The Leadership Institute offers 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,591 active conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 162,508 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. >

Though she calls South Carolina home, Samantha Bonsack – soldier, world traveler, and writer – will be the first to tell you she is a Multi-State American Girl. She recently added Iowa to her repertoire of states due to her new job as Congressional Staff Assistant to Rep. Rod Blum. Samantha, though forging ahead in her political career, came relatively recently to the working world of politics. After a life of military service, and several other jobs that took her across the country and around the world, Samantha sought a new direction in life. “I began to question the direction of my life,” Samantha said. “I had one job and I was lucky if I got 18 hours! I was pretty bad off at 31 with a degree and a 10 year military background but no open doors.” Samantha said the Leadership Institute (LI) helped her open a door where at first it seemed there were only walls. “I had done an over the phone resume consultation with the Leadership Institute that helped me a lot with condensing my four page federal resume down to two,” said Samantha. “They strongly urged that I join a campaign to help me gain political experience, which I had never thought of doing.” In addition to the phone consultation with LI's Conservative Jobs, Samantha also attended LI's Capitol Hill Jobs seminar. Samantha credits the training she received in that seminar with helping her land her start in her political career. “If I had not gone to that seminar I wouldn't be where I am today, and I am so thankful for LI and the seminars they offer,” Samantha said. “At the very least, you can do a lot of networking at those events.” After Samantha's phone consultation with LI, Samantha said she was drawn to Representative Rod Blum's campaign because of their shared political values. Looking back, Samantha says she chose well. “Through personal connections with people I had met through meetings and events I learned about Congressman Blum and loved what he stood for and his principles and wanted to help him win because I felt that Congress needed more people like Rod to get things right in our country,” Samantha said. “I flew out to Iowa and canvassed the first district all day sometimes into the night and all of the team's hard work paid off because we won a primarily democratic district. One of the best and fun experiences I have had. I would definitely do it again.” Before Samantha's foray into politics she served in the munitions field of the U.S. Air Force for 10 years and was the first female in her family to join the military. Samantha's military career took her across the world. She was stationed in California, South Korea, England, and Texas, and deployed twice to Afghanistan. Samantha thrived in the military. Noble as her military career was, though, Samantha realized she wasn't fulfilling her life's passion. “I separated from active duty for two reasons,” Samantha said. “One, I wanted to go to school full time and pursue my dream job. Two, I couldn't be politically active being active duty military.” After ending her active military career, Samantha enrolled in McMurry University in Abilene, TX where she earned a BA in political science. Samantha then took a DOD contracting job in Qatar for 14 months starting in 2013. Politics, however, was a passion that stayed with Samantha throughout her life – a fact borne out not only by her current political career, but also by her career as a writer for a small town newspaper in Texas. Starting in 2011, Samantha wrote political opinion articles for the paper and continued through 2015. “Writing my political opinion (fact) articles is a passion on mine,” Samantha said. “I love writing and I love politics.” Samantha said her passion for politics began as a result of growing up in a politically aware family. “I kind of always laugh when asked, ‘why politics' and I explain to people that I am a ‘Rush baby,' that's why,” Samantha said. “My parents have talked politics since I was a little girl and I remember driving around San Diego, California with my mom and her ALWAYS listening to Rush Limbaugh.” Even though Samantha no longer actively serves in the military, she said she hopes to continue to serve her fellow service members through her political career. “I'm hoping that I can make a positive impact on the constituents in the first district and that they know they can fully rely on Congressman Blum to put their needs and concerns first,” Samantha said. “I also hope that I can contribute to legislation for veterans. I love my veterans, being one myself, and I would love to make suggestions to not only help veterans in Iowa, but all over the US. Someone needs to look out for them and I want to be that person.” In addition to serving the people of Iowa and helping veterans across the nation, Samantha has big plans for the future. “I plan to pursue my Master's degree in Foreign Relations and eventually find a PhD program to complete my long time goal of gaining the highest level of education that anyone in my family has achieved.” The Leadership Institute is committed to training and equipping leaders like Samantha. Please congratulate Samantha Bonsack on being nominated for 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 Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,576 active conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 161,460 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.

Due to travel and safety concerns, the Tuesday, February 17, 2015, Conservative Intern Workshop has been canceled. This workshop will be rescheduled later this semester.

Drumroll please…..the winner of the Leadership Institute's 2014 employee of the year is Miss Kaitlyn Schallhorn. Kaitlyn Schallhorn joined the Leadership Institute as a Campus Reform (CRO) reporter in February of 2014. One of the first things Kaitlyn wrote for CRO was a 1,500 word exclusive report that uncovered a corrupt Black Panther professor, who was intimidating students, and involved in a graduation scandal that resulted in the resignation of the university's chancellor. But Kaitlyn's crowning achievement has been her tireless work developing and implementing the Campus Reform Campus Correspondent Program. In less than one year, Kaitlyn grew the Campus Correspondent Program from just one to 22 correspondents. The Campus Reform Campus Correspondent Program started with Lauren Cooley, a student at Furman University in South Carolina. While at Furman, Cooley discovered and wrote about the University of South Carolina - Upstate using taxpayer dollars to host a “How to be a Lesbian in 10 Days or Less” symposium. After she broke the story on CampusReform.org, the school was forced to cancel the event. Cooley's victory was just the beginning of the program's success. As the program grew, Samantha Reinis and Miller Thompson, both Clemson University campus correspondents, exposed an offensive mandatory student survey. While the South Carolina school said the survey was to help curtail sexual assaults on campus, the survey asked personally invasive questions about the sex lives of students and faculty on campus. Kaitlyn investigated the information and assisted the students in reporting the facts. Within six hours of the story being published on Campus Reform, Clemson withdrew the mandatory survey. The story was carried by nearly every major news outlet, including The Washington Post, ESPN, and was even featured in the monologue for NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyer, a first for Campus Reform. Because of Kaitlyn's hard work, campus correspondents have been featured on national television programs exposing liberal bias on campus. Lauren Clark, a junior at Arizona State University, has been featured on Fox News and Fox Business; Gabriella Morrongiello, a senior at George Washington University, has appeared on Fox News, One America News Network, and Sun News in Canada. Because of her exceptional work ethic, fearless approach to journalism, and all that the Campus Correspondent Program has accomplished in 2014, I am proud to name Kaitlyn Schallhorn as the 2014 Leadership Institute Employee of the Year.

Missouri's Fifth Congressional District was over 60% Democrat and the media had painted the race as “unwinnable” for a Republican. But that didn't stop one dedicated conservative from running against the odds. Unlike many who run for public office, Jacob Turk didn't plan to run. He graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is a Marine Corps veteran, business owner, volunteer, proud father, and grandfather. “Honestly, if I had not felt the Lord calling me distinctly to run for this office, I can't imagine deciding to do it on my own. It was a step of faith to run.” Jacob Turk ran for U.S. Congress in Missouri's Fifth Congressional District in 2012 and again in 2014. “We are not wealthy nor do we have powerful political connections,” Jacob said. “One of the biggest obstacles was the lack of confidence of those who live in the district…the skepticism made it difficult to raise the funds necessary for a victory.” In 2012 and 2014, Jacob Turk won the primary, but lost to the incumbent Emanuel Cleaver. “We didn't lose the war; we just didn't win a particular battle,” Jacob said. In the 2014 general election, Jacob was projected to lose by thirty points. He only lost to Cleaver by 6.6%. “Our campaign forced the Democrats to spend almost a million dollars in precious resources they could not spend on senatorial races in 2014.” The campaign also managed to bring in new volunteers and new donors. “Over 70% of our volunteers had never volunteered time in a political campaign before our race,” Jacob said. “We heard the same from a majority of our financial donors, as well.” Both Jacob and his wife Donna are Leadership Institute (LI) graduates. They have attended several LI trainings including the Campaign Management School, Television Workshop, Field Representative Training, New Media Workshop, and Youth Leadership School. “If you want to be a serious player in the conservative movement, we recommend that you take all the LI courses you can, both in DC and in your area,” Jacob said. “We can take hope that if we are able to motivate our voters to turn out every election, we can win the tough races.” Jacob credits the Field Representative Training for “the robust cadre of college and home school students that contributed thousands of volunteer hours to [his campaign] effort.” When asked to describe the Leadership Institute, Jacob said “The staff and presenters are enthusiastic about winning the ideological battle in America, and their will to win this war is infectious.” Jacob and his wife, Donna, reside in Lee's Summit, Missouri. They work tirelessly to change their local government. Please join us in congratulating Jacob Turk for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award, and in thanking him for his tireless effort to promote conservative principles. 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 Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute offers over 40 types of training programs, working with more than 1,568 conservative campus groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, LI has trained more than 161,271 conservative activists, students, and leaders. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org.

Chip Englander has a track record. He wins. When Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner was at the bottom of a four-way primary at the beginning of his campaign, he knew he needed a winner. He turned to Chip for a campaign manager. In a state President Obama swept by 25 percent in 2012, Rauner became the first candidate to defeat the governor of a president's home state since 1892, ousting incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn. Making his success even more remarkable, Rauner was outspent during the final three months of his campaign in one of the top five most expensive non-presidential races in American history. Chip was drawn to Rauner because of the candidate's viable solutions to serious issues. “I believe we have nearly intractable problems and it will take a transformational figure to change direction -- Governor Rauner can do that,” he said. Under the slogan, “Shake up Springfield. Bring back Illinois,” and running for conservative ideals including job creation, tax repeal, and fiscal responsibility, Chip was able to rally a powerful grassroots effort behind Rauner. Chip attributes his ability to muster such a critical effort to the training he received from the Leadership Institute early in his career. “I took 19 different LI training courses starting in 2000,” Chip said. “The principles on grassroots organization still guide what I do today.” Grassroots are crucial to victory. Moreover, a solid candidate is vital for a strong grassroots effort. Chip was able to recruit the manpower needed to pull off an upset because of Rauner's character. “Governor Rauner's strengths were unique to him,” Chip said. “Voters saw his vision, work ethic, and integrity.” A combination of a strong candidate and strong localized efforts is important to any conservative campaign, especially ones in Democrat-leaning counties or states. “From the first day I met Rauner he emphasized building a historic grassroots organization,” Chip said. “We opened 83 offices with 700+ paid workers and 10,000+ volunteers and knocked on millions of doors and made millions more phone calls.” Chip's efforts paid off. Rauner is one of many freshly elected Republicans in a national movement back towards conservative principles. Given Chip's winning track record, it comes as no surprise that the Rand Paul team just hired Chip Englander. According to a report from Politico's Katie Glueck, “Englander will transition to campaign manager ‘if and when Rand runs,' a senior adviser to the senator said.” Originally from Santa Monica, California, and a graduate of the University of Michigan, Chip has worked as a campaign manager in many different elections including assembly, senatorial, and gubernatorial campaigns. In 2002, Chip was the Executive Director of the Republican Party of San Diego County, an organization Rush Limbaugh called “a model for the nation” after Republicans handily seized the county previously held by Democrats. His desire to help America is the driving force behind his efforts. His beliefs coupled with his winning methods have produced tremendous victories for conservative principles. “I didn't choose politics, politics chose me,” Chip said. Conservatives everywhere have leaders like Chip to thank for the changing political scenery sweeping the U.S. Thanks to hard work and proven strategies, America is once again returning to the principles upon which it was founded. The Leadership Institute is committed to building winners like Chip. Please congratulate Chip Englander on winning 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 Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,568 conservative campus groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 161,271 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.

2014 was an exciting year for the Leadership Institute! From trainings to student activism and conservative events to career building, the Leadership Institute (LI) -- with the support of generous donors -- continued working to grow the conservative movement.LI's staff and 348 volunteer faculty trained 18,182 students in 2014, bringing the total trained to 161,271 since LI's 1979 founding. The Institute trained 7,805 students nationally and 10,377 students internationally.In total, LI hosted 353 trainings throughout the country and around the world.These 353 trainings covered 36 of the 44 types of LI trainings as varied as On-Camera TV trainings, week-long Campaign Management Schools and Comprehensive Fundraising Trainings, Grassroots Activism Workshops, Public Relations Schools, and Career Trainings. In 2014, LI added the Women's Leadership Training, designed by women, for women. Over the year, 127 women graduated from this training.Following the 2014 Elections, LI staff have identified 30 LI grads elected to the U.S. House and Senate, 15 elected to state-wide office, and 421 elected to state legislatures. LI graduates are now serving as legislators in all 50 states. Graduates of Leadership Institute trainings are using their skills years after their training to win elected office.LI's National Field Program staff identified 34,091 conservative students on college campuses around the country. These field staff added 394 new student groups to LI's unique network of affiliated conservative student organizations. By the end of 2014, this network of conservative student groups had grown to 1,568. Many of the 707 articles that LI's CampusReform.org published made national news, making the site America's #1 source for campus news online with 9.3 million page views. These CampusReform.org articles had a direct impact on college campuses and led to 25 conservative victories and policy changes on College Campuses.Viewers from all 50 United States and around the world have tuned in to LI's free webinars since live webinars began streaming from LI studios in 2011. In 2014 alone, 2,080 viewers watched LI's 23 webinars.LI's Wednesday Wakeup Club Breakfasts hosted 1,284 attendees and 10 speakers in 2014. Speakers included: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, and a record breaking breakfast with U.S. Senator Rand Paul with 302 attendees.LI's 43rd National Fourth of July Conservative Soiree hosted 954 attendees. This year's featured speaker was Civil War Historian and movie director Ron Maxwell.LI's 6,482 job seekers had 1,897 available jobs posted to peruse on LI's ConservativeJobs.com website. LI's Career Services Center hosted 419 attendees at job fairs and offered 272 hours of personal career mentoring for free.LI's 35 interns came from 31 colleges, 21 states, 3 countries, and spent 5,094 hours combined in LI training.It's been a good year at the Leadership Institute, and LI is excited about what 2015 has in store!How has LI helped you? Email Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org to share your story. LI is always looking to spotlight faculty doing incredible things for the conservative movement, notable LI graduates making waves, and college students taking a stand on campus.>

On January 1, 1982, Ronald Reagan said: “Although I know most of the world celebrates the New Year with us today, I think this holiday is an especially American tradition. Most of us are at home or with our families this morning, getting ready to watch the splendor of parades and excitement of football. Later our families will gather around the dinner table, and we'll pray for guidance and strength in the New Year. Today we take a short and well-earned break from the building and industry and enterprise that make our country strong. We pause to reflect on the values of God and family and freedom that make us great.” Ronald Reagan was a strong president. A man of faith, a man of conservative principles, and a man of action – who loved America and knew what made our country great. I served for three years under President Reagan on his White House Staff. I miss him. But with your help, the Leadership Institute trains students, leaders, and activists who believe in the conservative principles Reagan embraced – and the principles you and I cherish today. Those conservatives you train through the Leadership Institute work to restore our founding principles to America. You equipped them with Institute training, and many of them won elections in 2014. Many Institute graduates prepare now for the crucial 2016 elections. And young conservatives push back and win against the liberals on college campuses nationwide, thanks to you. Thank you for your friendship. With your help, you and I will see more conservatives in the mold of President Reagan rebuild our precious country. Cordially, Morton C. Blackwell