In November 2014, Senator Steve Daines became the third Republican to hold a Senate seat in his state in a century. Winning by almost 18%, he became a Senator for Montana.Steve is a fifth generation Montanan who started his early political experience as one of the youngest delegates for the 1984 Republican National Convention. He was the president of College Republicans at Montana State University (MSU). After graduating from MSU with a B.A. in Chemical Engineering, he went on to work in the private sector for 28 years. In 2012, Steve won his election to the House of Representatives as Congressman for Montana, which has one at-large seat – and he quickly got to work.When asked about his experience in the House, Senator Daines explained, “I introduced bills that would address the challenges facing our nation and worked to move them through the committee process. Through these efforts, I was rated the most effective first-term Representative for the 113th Congress by GovTrack. Montanans sent me to Washington to be their voice and deliver results. I am committed to continuing to work hard for Montanans as I serve them in the Senate.”After an opportunity opened for conservatives to take the Senate, then-Congressman Daines decided to run. He faced some tough challenges in this race, but he knew how to activate his grassroots supporters.There's a new wave of support for the conservative movement. “Across the country, we are seeing Americans united behind traditional conservative ideals, such as reining in the federal government, protecting Americans from threats both abroad and here at home, and creating more good-paying jobs," said Senator Daines. "We must remain strong in our beliefs and work to effectively communicate how conservative solutions will get our nation back on track and promote economic opportunity.” Senator Daines' campaign shows conservatives can win when they have the right message and know how to activate their grassroots supporters. Senator Daines learned how to activate his supporters after he took the Grassroots Campaign Workshop in Bozeman, Montana. “I'm thankful for the work that the Leadership Institute does to further conservative ideals that have shaped the future our nation for future generations,” he said.The Grassroots Training Workshop teaches conservatives effective grassroots and campaigning organizing. Attendees learn how to get involved, drive support for an issue or candidate, organize activists in large or small groups for maximum impact, communicate more effectively, use the media to help advance an issue, and build personal leadership skills, abilities and confidence. The Leadership Institute thanks Senator Daines for his dedication to conservative principles and congratulates him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award. To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org. The Leadership Institute offers over 44 types of training programs, working with more than 1,761 conservative student groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, LI has trained more than 170,266 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.>

Another exciting year for the Leadership Institute is on the books! In 2015, the Institute trained more than 10,000 conservatives, set new records in the Campus Leadership Program, and expanded its career services -- all thanks to the generous support of LI donors.LI's staff and 320 volunteer faculty trained 10,253 students -- totaling 102,058 hours of student training. The Institute trained 8,322 students nationally and 1,931 students internationally, bringing the total trained to 171,185 since 1979.In total, LI offered 283 training events representing 42 types of Institute trainings. These ranged from on-camera TV trainings to week-long Campaign Management Schools to grassroots activist workshops to the Youth Leadership School, the boot-camp of politics.The Institute also launched a new type of training: Campaign Academies. These intensive academies combine five weekends of in-person training with online seminars so candidates and campaign staff learn how to win races for elected office. On college campuses around the country, LI's National Field Program staff identified 53,986 new conservative students and added 491 new student groups to LI's unique network of affiliated conservative student organizations. By the end of 2015, this network of conservative student groups had grown to 1,732 -- an all-time high.The Youth Leadership School set a new record. In 2015, 1,072 conservatives attended 41 trainings -- the most students trained at a Youth Leadership School in a single year.CampusReform.org remains America's #1 source for campus news online. Its 886 stories – many written by 60 campus correspondents – about liberal bias and abuse generated 11.5 million pageviews. In total, CampusReform.org's reporting led to 26 victories for conservatives on college campuses, 15 hits on the Drudge Report, and 101 appearances on TV. More than 2,585 job seekers connected with 2,195 available jobs on the Institute's ConservativeJobs.com. The Career Services Center hosted 569 attendees at job fairs and offered 271 hours of personal career mentoring. Viewers from all 50 United States and around the world have tuned in to LI's free webinars since they began streaming from LI Studios in 2011. In 2015 alone, 1,845 viewers watched LI's 22 webinars.LI's Wednesday Wake-up Club Breakfasts hosted 1,067 attendees and 12 speakers in 2015. Speakers included Right to Work President Mark Mix, Congressman Jim Jordan, and Congresswoman Barbara Comstock.The 44th National Fourth of July Conservative Soiree hosted 645 attendees. This year's featured speaker was Martha Boneta, a Virginia farmer, conservative activist, and LI graduate.It's been a good year at the Leadership Institute, and LI is excited about what 2016 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.>

Last Wednesday the Leadership Institute hosted its biweekly webinar and the topic was fascinating. Peggy Grande visited LI studios to discuss the science of fascination during the free live webinar Lead, Live, and Be Fascinating.Peggy had the opportunity to work with one of the most fascinating individuals in history -- Ronald Reagan. She began the webinar discussing how her work with Reagan shaped her perspective on the science of fascination. What made him uniquely fascinating and why are we still analyzing his life and leadership? What can we learn from his life that we can apply to our own?Peggy answered these questions and offered insight into this iconic leader. She told us about the secrets to his effectiveness. How the life and presidency of Ronald Reagan can guide you and I toward greater personal success and shapes us professionally to be our best self.President Reagan was truly a fascinating man, and the lessons you and I can learn from his unique personality certainly make us better people.But still, I wondered, what makes me the most fascinating person? Sure, Ronald Reagan was fascinating and how he used his natural qualities to his advantage was great. But, how do I do this? What makes me different and how do they make me the most valuable to others? Peggy had the answer. Whether you are looking for a new job, moving up in your current career, or changing careers, it is essential to know how you uniquelyadd value. Trying to be “better” or “more” rarely works because it is subjective and constantly changing. Instead, she suggests you find out what makes you different and then you should become more of that. This was truly a fascinating webinar. Learning what makes each of us different, and then using that as an advantage, makes us unique in the work place. To hear Peggy talk about the science of fascination click here. It will be fascinating, I promise.For more information on webinars email Carol@LeadershipInstitute, or check out LI's training calendar to find the next live webinar.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 170,116 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.>

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.>

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.>

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.”>

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. >

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.>

The Leadership Institute wishes students, faculty, donors, and friends a merry Christmas. In the holiday season, we are all thankful -- for our families, for our friends, and for the blessings in our lives. Everyone at the Leadership Institute is thankful for you, and your support of the Institute and training the next generation of conservative leaders. LI is thankful for all you do to fight for conservative principles. Whether at worship at church or gathering for a meal with family and friends, the Institute hopes you have a blessed and joyous day. From all of your friends at the Leadership Institute, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for your loyal support.>

Prepared candidates do not panic. They have a plan. The Leadership Institute (LI) identifies, trains, and places conservatives who are prepared, and they win races. Many won in 2014 alone.“I am so proud of the work Morton Blackwell has done over the past fifty years to build a winning conservative movement,” said David Fenner, Vice President of Programs at the Leadership Institute. “Last night, Leadership Institute trained candidates, staff, and volunteers worked hard and smart in local, state, and federal campaigns in all fifty states. Despite staying up most of the night, Morton gave the following remarks to at our 8:00 a.m. Wednesday Wakeup Club Breakfast this morning.”  "The most appropriate thing for me to say this morning is thank you to the donors of the Leadership Institute, because the good that you enable us to do has a long-term impact," said Morton Blackwell, President of the Leadership Institute.Join me in congratulating all of the Leadership Institute graduates who ran in, worked on, and volunteered on campaigns.>

Labor Day marks the end of summer and the return of many special American traditions...children return to school, the football season begins, leaves change color...and Sutton's Place returns from an extended summer hiatus.The political season is upon us as well. Rather than an occasional commentary every week or two, Sutton's Place will be very active during the next several weeks. So expect to see more frequent observations and opinions (at least through Election Day).Let's start with a discussion of the relatively obscure Democrat primary for Governor in Rhode Island. Who thought RI's Dem primary would hold a valuable lesson for conservatives?Check out this op-ed from the Washington Post. It details the candidacy (and victory) of Gina Raimondo who championed an aggressive restructuring of public sector employee union pensions in RI.You may recall the attempt to recall Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, an important campaign which drew our attention. But on the same day that recall attempt failed, there were two very important referendums in California that deserved our attention as well.On the ballot for voter approval in two different California cities were initiatives to trim public sector employee union pensions...one in San Diego and another in San Jose. The ballot initiatives passed easily in both cities. San Jose voted overwhelmingly (more than 2/3rds, I believe) for President Obama and has a Democrat mayor (also an Obama supporter). But San Jose voters voted 2/3rds FOR the limits on union pensions. The mayor strongly supported the initiative as well.There are two important reasons that voters support trimming public sector union pensions. One is that public services are being limited/curtailed/cut to pay for generous pensions. Parks are closing, libraries are reducing their hours, and even police and fire protection is being limited. This is why many Democrats/liberals (who believe strongly in greater government services) are voting to limit public sector employee union pensions.The other reason is that in order to continue paying the generous pensions, voters/taxpayers are being asked to raise taxes on people making $45,000 a year to pay for more generous benefits for people making $65,000 a year. In addition to better pension plans (i.e. lifetime defined benefit retirement pensions with COLAs), government union workers also get better health care plans, greater job protections, and higher salaries than non-government workers. That is simply not acceptable to middle America.This is a solid issue to blunt talk of "income inequality". This is income inequality created by government and liberal politicians who pick winners and losers and favor special interests. It puts conservatives (and rational liberals) on the common sense side of fighting for middle America, and reveals the most extreme big-gov't liberals for what they are. It's a great issue to champion. Just be prepared...the unions will hate you. But they already do, don't they?>

“My advice to emerging leaders is to stay true to your values. Make honesty and integrity a priority in everything you do," said Nate Morris of Rubicon Global.Nate, co-founder of Rubicon Global and trusted friend of Sen. Rand Paul (KY), has proven himself a strong leader in the private sector as well as the conservative movement.Nate was one of former President George W. Bush's youngest fundraisers.He has become a trusted advisor and friend of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Since the two became friends, Nate has traveled to Israel with the Senator and helped with fundraising efforts.Nate grew up in Kentucky with a natural inclination towards politics. He began working on campaigns at a young age and was an active member of his College Republicans chapter. During his undergraduate studies at the George Washington University, Nate attended the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School.“At the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School I learned how to be a better manager and leader. I also learned that even at a young age I could be capable of making a difference through public service,” said Nate.As he began his professional journey, Nate continued to make an incredible impact in politics.After attending Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, Nate brought his conservative ideals to the private sector and founded Rubicon Global, North America's leading provider of sustainable waste and recycling services.Rubicon Global helps businesses reduce costs, lower overhead, and keep waste out of landfills.“We believe technology combined with a market-based approach is the key to solving the problem of waste,” said Nate.While working hard to provide sustainable, market-based solutions to some of our nation's environmental concerns, Nate has not left his lifelong passion for politics behind. “Working on campaigns at a young age gave me the opportunity to meet some of our nation's smartest and most hardworking people,” said Nate.Nate has made great success for himself by pursuing free market solutions to environmental problems, and he persistently lends his efforts to candidates and elected officials who promote freedom and prosperity.“The Leadership Institute has helped me become a better leader and more effectively communicate why I believe in conservative ideals,” said Nate.Please congratulate Nate Morris on his work as an entrepreneur and as a conservative fundraiser, and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader Award.To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award where they will have an article written about them, please contact Carol Wehe, at CWehe@LeadershipInstitute.org.>

The American Enterprises Institute's new Pursuit of Happiness project explores the meaning of happiness, how to pursue it as individuals, and how government policies can promote it. With speeches by AEI president Arthur Brooks, columnist Megan McArdle, and AEI scholar Robert Doar, the Pursuit of Happiness project lays out a conservative vision of social justice in which the government creates an environment where all individuals have the opportunity to seek happiness.One of the speeches by Arthur Brooks, “The Secret of Happiness,” explains that happiness comes from four major sources: faith, family, community, and work. “Those are your big four. That's your happiness portfolio. Don't waste your time on other stuff,” said Brooks.The other speech by Brooks, “A conservative vision of social justice,” lays out what Brooks calls “The Hope Agenda.” This is a public policy designed to sanctify work and entrepreneurship and help the poor escape poverty by teaching them the values of free enterprise, not just handing them money.Robert Doar, former commissioner of New York City's Human Resources Administration, gave a talk emphasizing the importance of requiring and rewarding work for welfare payments and promoting the family and a strong economy.“We didn't make any disparagements about dead-end jobs or low wage jobs,” said Doar. “Any job is a step up.”Megan McArdle, a columnist at the Bloomberg View, spoke about the importance of social capital in poor communities and how it often acts as a substitute for financial capital. “If we want to help the poor climb that ladder into the middle class… then we need to address this problem. This is at the core of what opportunity and stability and the American Dream is going to mean to all the poor people trying to climb that ladder,” said McArdle.In addition to the talks, the Pursuit of Happiness website has a section for readers to share their own stories of “creating value in your life or in the lives of other people” or reading those of others.Pursuit of Happiness also recommends related books, news articles, and social science research on happiness and conservative social justice.>

Tim Carney, senior political columnist at the Washington Examiner and visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), joined the Leadership Institute and 129 guests earlier this week for LI's monthly Wednesday Wake-Up Club Breakfast.He talked to the crowd about the threat that the big business lobby poses in America and what conservatives can do to combat it.Carney told story after story of times when big businesses pushed for regulations on their own industry, which would ultimately prevent competitors from entering the market.“Obamacare would have failed if the drug industry and the healthcare industry had not gotten on board,” said Carney.He reminded the crowd of several examples ranging from light bulb manufacturing to the current debate over the export import bank where the government is stepping in and helping big business keep the “little guys” out.“Regulation isn't the tool that government uses to protect the regular guys from big business; it's the tool that government uses to protect big business from the regular guy,” said Carney.Carney suggests that the misconceptions that some conservatives have come from the mainstream media insisting “that pro-business and free-market are the same thing.”“It poisons the debate,” said Carney, “Republicans talk in the morning about free enterprise and then vote in the afternoon for corporate welfare and then they wonder why people think they just care about the rich.”However Carney did bring good news on the topic, “the Republicans have started to wake up,” said Carney, and he believes there is something conservatives can do.“The battle today is over the heart and soul of the Republican party,” said CarneyHe urges conservatives and Republicans to re-adopt a true free enterprise system.“In free and open competition, if you're going to get ahead, you're going to have to build up the trust of your customer, you're going to have to develop the trust of your investors, you're going to have to work hard, and you're going to have to treat your employees well,” said Carney.“Free and open competition fosters virtues and helps society,” said Carney.When conservatives truly adopt these principles, “the average American can look at the free enterprise system and say ‘this is the system and the philosophy that best serves me.”If America wants to see true economic prosperity again, we have to break down the barriers and regulations that big businesses lobby for to keep the competition down.Come to the Leadership Institute to learn how to be more effective in public policy. Register for a training by clicking here.For Tim Carney's full remarks, click here.The Leadership Institute offers over 43 types of training programs, working with more than 1,386 conservative campus groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute's 1979 founding, more than 148,000 conservative activists, students, and leaders have been trained. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org>

Two weeks ago we talked about why storytelling matters (because it's how you convince people). This week, we talked about how to tell stories.Beyond the simple tactics like listening to other stories, watching performers, and practicing your story out loud, we borrowed, from Made to Stick, this list. These seven story archetypes are a gut check: if your story fits an archetype, you've found a potential winner.1. Overcoming the MonsterThe fight against Common Core now has this narrative. Take a look at this trailer to see what we mean:2. Rags to RichesAll politicians have this, but because it's so common, it's become trite. Some candidates, like Wendy Davis in Texas, went to such lengths to construct a rags-to-riches narrative, that even the press have to call the bluff. If your story is rags-to-riches, ensure it's real.3. The QuestWe're not sure of the political applications for this story archetype, but in literature it's The Hobbit. Leave a comment if you have a political example.4. Voyage and ReturnGood post-war speeches use this story to explain what was won and what's going to change now. You can even glimpse this story archetype in the Gettysburg Address.5. ComedySome media personalities, like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Glenn Beck, often use comedy to make their points effectively. Comedy is powerful, so deploy comedic stories only when you're sure they'll resonate in the right way.6. TragedyLila Rose in this video tells a few short stories of tragedy to make her point about abortion: [Clip 1 - Play from 2:11 - 3:41] 7. RebirthGeorge W. Bush's story, from something of a partyboy to, through hard work, a leader in business and Texas, set the stage for his presidency.Learn about how to tell a story by watching our latest webinar here.>

Clarity Media's Red Alert Politics annual “30 Under 30” list highlighting young, conservative movers-and-shakers featured three Leadership Institute (LI) staffers and nine people that are graduates of LI training. Caleb Bonham, editor-in-chief of LI's Campus Reform, launched his career in political media after a video of him interviewing Sandra Fluke supporters quickly went viral. Caleb is regular guest on several Fox News programs.Lauren Day, director of external affairs at the Leadership Institute, was also featured on the 30 Under 30 List in 2014. She oversees LI's brand reputation and public image externally through building strategic partnerships, while managing marketing and communication activities.Also appearing on Red Alert's list is Katherine Timpf, a reporter at LI's Campus Reform. Katherine's work exposing liberal abuse, waste, fraud and bias on college campuses has appeared regularly on Fox and Friends, Drudge Report and other national news outlets. Recently, Katherine has been a guest on Fox's Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. A campus correspondent for LI's Campus Reform Jayson Veley, a junior at Eastern Connecticut State University, first started to expose liberal bias and abuse for Campus Reform when he sent an audio clip to the news website of his creative writing professor attacking conservatives in the classroom.His professor lectured the class that Republicans intended to close colleges in 2014 and “racist, misogynist, money-grubbing people” want to suppress the liberal vote. Thanks to his LI training, Jayson appeared on Fox News' The Kelly File and the professor was forced to publicly apologize.Founder and Director of Hood Conservatives, Cecilia Johnson is a graduate of the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School.RNC's Para Bellum Labs Creative Director Justin LoFranco has taken four Leadership Institute trainings including the Comprehensive Online Activist School, the International Leadership Training, the Political Voter Mail Workshop and the Advanced Public Relations School.Americans for Tax Reform's State Affairs Manager William Upton has taken the Leadership Institute's Advanced Student Publications Workshop.Montana State Representative Daniel Zolnikov has taken the Leadership Institute's Grassroots Activist School.Press Secretary for the Office of Congressman Tom Price Ellen Carmichael has taken the Leadership Institute's Grassroots Campaign School.The National Republican Congressional Committee's Digital Press Secretary Andrew Clark has taken the Leadership Institute's Grassroots Campaign School.Colorado RNC's Strategic Initiatives Director Paulo Sibaja was director of grassroots coalitions at LI prior to working for the RNC in Colorado. He has been a faculty speaker at several Leadership Institute trainings and is a graduate of the Youth Leadership School.Concerned Women for America's Communications Director Alison Howard has taken four Leadership Institute trainings including the Crisis Communication Workshop, the Intro to Techniques Television Workshop, the On-Camera Television Workshop and the Public Relations School.>

"Our employee of the Quarter is Carol Wehe," Leadership Institute President Morton Blackwell said at today's all-staff meeting. "Carol manages our fundraising, digital media, and webinars," he continued."Carol does a tremendous job reviewing and modifying her trainings to provide our students with the best possible curriculum. She has overhauled our fundraising schools, and she is currently working on a streamlined agenda for our Campaign Management School.""Earlier this year Carol was asked to audit our webinars and to create compelling content that would acquire new contacts for LI, create a path from webinars to in-person trainings, and amass an archive of LI training samples of each of LI's trainings," Morton said today."The first quarter of this year, the webinars averaged less than 40 viewers. In the most recent quarter, the webinars have averages more than 140 viewers. Our most recent webinar had 181 attendees from 42 states, DC, and 5 other countries," Morton finished.Congratulations Carol on LI's Employee of the Quarter award.>

Stories win races. Change minds. Influence events.Stories are one of the most valuable tools that we have.Learn the ten characteristics of effective stories from my recent Leadership Institute webinar, Storytelling Part 1: Storytelling & why it matters. Watch the recorded webinar here. 1. Stories connect to experience or values.This Chrysler commercial, played during a Super Bowl, inspired intense debate on what it was saying, and why. Why the debate over a commercial? Why did the commercial become a cultural touchstone? It connected to Americans' values. 2. Stories have a subtle takeaway.The message of a story can work even if the message is not explicitly stated. In fact, stories often work better if the ultimate conclusion is left to be made in the mind of the listener. This video, Dove's Controversial “Real Beauty” Campaign, illustrates how building a subtle message through a story can be powerful.Unremembered details from the floor of congress linked above.3. Stories force the storyteller to be concrete.Members of Congress are legendary abusers of too many unremembered details. Compare that with the Obama Administration's Julia campaign. Instead of talking about a 20-something woman, they talked about Julia. Her life had enough details to be remembered. Julia let them talk about policy in terms of personal, tangible benefits. That concrete story moved the debate.4. Stories bring the teller's emotions to life for the audience.When confronted by a lesbian couple's daughter, who spoke about her church congregation's support and love and acceptance, Doug Wilson countered not with a refutation of her stance, but instead a story of the love, acceptance, and truth found in his conservative Christian congregation. This built an emotional connection between Wilson and the otherwise hostile audience. Making them sympathize with him and think was the best outcome he could have had in that setting, and he got it with a story.5. Stories force you to focus your words on a very few points. Concision is the MVP of your communicator's toolbox. It takes time to tell a good story, and that limits what you can say. This is good. Forced prioritization, like triage, makes you stronger. Fewer, stronger, more memorable things are what you want to say. Stories help you get there. 6. Stories provide structure to your data.Pecha Kucha is a discipline where presenters are forced to spend 20 seconds per slide on 20 slides. Full stop. It's a fun event. Watch pro speaker Steven Tomlinson deliver one here. Storytelling makes a Pecha Kucha work; and like Pecha Kucha, storytelling imposes a structure on what you want to say. Stories, according to Aristotle, follow the arc of order/disorder/reorder. Your high school English teacher probably told you more about fiction as a form. The point? Stories give your audience a plot, or framework, on which to hang your points.BONUS THREE POINTS NOT COVERED ON THE WEBINAR!!!7. Stories entertain.What do we tell our friends? Stories. People like hearing stories. Jokes are stories. Want to be entertaining? Tell a story. This is a two-edged sword, because if you're too entertaining, people may remember having fun but not what your point was. Sometimes, that's ok; sometimes it's not.8. Stories are convincing.How did Barack Obama rise to power? People believed in him. They understood his story and were convinced he was the leader America needed in 2008 and in 2012. People can reasonably attribute his electoral success to his grassroots army, new voters his campaign found, and the vault of money raised and spent on his campaign. All of those may be proximate causes of his victories, but what animated them all was his narrative. People were convinced.9. Stories are sticky.In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath drop an amazing truth bomb: razor blades in homemade halloween candy never happened. It started, thrived, and lives on as a fact-free myth. Millions of parents have warned their kids against collecting any non-commercial halloween candy because of nothing. Stories are sticky.10. Stories seem real.Read the reason Subway's Jared Fogle campaign beat the ‘7 sandwiches with 6 grams of fat or less' campaign. Stories, real or not, connect with people at a deeper level, the soul, than any set of facts can. Gut beats brain.Join part two of this Strategic Storytelling webinar series to ask us your questions and learn how to tell effective stories.>