Senator Bernie Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia. At age five, his American dream began when he moved to the United States with his family. Bernie became an American citizen at age 18.
Bernie purchased his first car dealership in 2005 by investing every cent he had, and then some, and never looked back. Through his relentless work ethic and untamable entrepreneurial spirit, he turned that one dealership into one of the largest dealership groups in America.
More recently, in 2016, Bernie recognized the value and transformational potential of blockchain technology, before it received mainstream attention, and moved much of his volunteer time and investment dollars into the space. In 2018 he co-founded ChampTitles, which eliminates the need for States to issue paper titles. The company has grown to be quite successful as Bernie served as Chairman of the Board. He recently sold his entire stake in the company and is no longer Board Chair.
After a long, successful career, Bernie sold most of his business to begin focusing on his calling: protecting the American dream for another generation. He saw the government calling some people essential and other hardworking Ohioans “unessential.” He saw schools shut down and China go unpunished for unleashing a virus on the world. He saw politicians afraid to take on the CCP for stealing our jobs and technology; buying our farmland; and influencing young minds via TikTok and Confucius Institutes.
Solving our country’s problems requires common sense. In Washington, Bernie will fight to shrink government, protect our freedoms, stop the Chinese communist party from taking our data and land, and always put America First.
Ohioans are done with politicians who talk a big game and do nothing. Bernie wants to go to D.C. to get work done – just like he always has.
Bernie lives in Westlake, Ohio, with his wife, Bridget, and has four adult children.
Congressman Mark Green first took the oath of office to represent the 7th District of Tennessee in Congress on January 3, 2019. It is the exact oath he first took as a cadet on the historic Plain at West Point more than thirty years earlier. As a successful business leader, decorated combat veteran, ER physician, and former Tennessee State Senator, Green is uniquely equipped to represent the people of his district.
In Congress, Rep. Green has worked tirelessly on behalf of the people of Tennessee’s 7th District and was selected by his colleagues to serve as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Congressman Mark Green grew up on a dirt road in Mississippi. After graduating from West Point, Green came to Tennessee in his last assignment in the Army as the flight surgeon for the premier special operations aviation regiment. As a Night Stalker, Green deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan in the War on Terror. His most memorable mission was the capture of Saddam Hussein. During the mission, he interrogated Hussein for six hours. Congressman Green was awarded the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with V Device for Valor, among many others.
Green was elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2012, where he distinguished himself as a conservative leader that fought for freedom and smaller government for all Tennesseans. His many legislative accomplishments include the repeal of the Hall Income Tax and the passage of the Tennessee Teacher Bill of Rights. He won the National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Guardian of Small Business award and the Latinos for Tennessee’s Legislator of the Year award, among many other recognitions.
His 24 years of service—between the United States Military Academy, active-duty Army, and Army Reserves—have impressed upon him the need for well-cared for military families. Green made veteran families a priority during his time in the Tennessee State Senate and has continued to do so during his time in Congress. Fulfilling a promise to his constituents, his first bill introduced in the House was the Protecting Gold Star Spouses Act, which allows surviving spouses to continue receiving benefits during government shutdowns.
Rep. Green’s time serving in the Armed Forces also made him aware of the need for strong American leadership internationally, the generational threat China poses, and the dire need for a secure southern border.
Michael J. Rigas currently serves as the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. He is an executive leader with over 25 years of professional experience, navigating organizations through change in the public, private and non-profit sectors, including banking and government.
He has a proven track record as a C-Suite executive, improving organizational performance, streamlining operations, and consistently achieving outstanding results while working across organizational boundaries in a global environment.
Previously, Rigas served as a senior advisor to the Trump-Vance 2025 transition where he oversaw the development of department and agency action plans for every department in the federal government as well as a training program to prepare appointees for service. He previously served as the Director of the America First Policy Institute’s Presidential Transition Project.
In the first Trump administration, Rigas served as the Acting Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Acting Deputy Director for Management at the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Acting Federal Chief Information Officer and senior advisor in the General Services Administration.
As the Chief Management Officer of the federal government, he chaired the President’s Management Council and improved the federal government’s performance in its efficient and effective spending of over $4 trillion in the areas of financial management, procurement, information technology and personnel. As the Acting Director of OPM, he led the agency that manages human resources, talent recruitment and development, and policy for the 2.1 million employees in the federal government, and health care for the over eight million individuals covered by the largest group health insurance plan in the world, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. Under his leadership, federal employees recorded the highest ever score for employee satisfaction in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Rigas spent more than a decade in the private sector, including at Mellon Financial Corporation and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelors and Masters degree in Economics from Boston University. His academic background includes economics, international trade, leadership, and negotiation.
Rigas was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and currently resides in Virginia with his wife Laura and daughter Mary Elizabeth.
The Honorable Robert Wilkie is from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and serves as a Co-Chair, Center for American Security at AFPI. Wilkie was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as the tenth Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). He was confirmed by the United States Senate after previously serving as the acting Secretary of VA. Before confirmation as VA Secretary, Wilkie was the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. In that role, Wilkie served as the principal advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense for Total Force Management as it relates to readiness, National Guard and Reserve component affairs, health affairs, training, and personnel requirements and management, including equal opportunity, morale, welfare, recreation, and the quality of life for military families.
He also previously served as Assistant Secretary of Defense and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Wilkie is a Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. He holds an Honors degree from Wake Forest University, a Juris Doctor from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans, a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from Georgetown University, and a master’s in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.
A graduate of the College of Naval Command and Staff, Air Command and Staff College, the United States Army War College, and the Joint Forces Staff College, Wilkie has published many articles. Wilkie also serves as Senior National Security Analyst for Newsmax Television. He holds personal and unit decorations, as well as the Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest noncareer civilian award of the Department.
John Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and reelected in 2022. He has built a distinguished career as a conservative champion for the people of Louisiana and a dedicated watchdog of taxpayer money.
Sen. Kennedy serves on the Appropriations, Banking, Budget, and Judiciary Committees in the U.S. Senate. He serves as the top Republican of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy.
During his first term in the Senate, Kennedy passed several bills to protect our stock market from foreign corruption, extend flood insurance protection for Louisiana homeowners, stop corrupt lobbyists, and preserve disaster relief programs for small businesses. No other Louisiana senator has passed more bills in his or her first term.
Prior to his election to the Senate, Sen. Kennedy served as state treasurer of Louisiana for five terms. As treasurer, he oversaw the state’s multi-billion-dollar investment portfolios. He also oversaw local and state bond issues and returned millions of dollars in unclaimed property each year.
Matthew G. Whitaker assumed his role as the Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO on April 3, 2025.
Before this appointment, he built a distinguished career in private practice and public service.
Ambassador Whitaker previously served as Acting Attorney General of the United States from 2018 to 2019, following his tenure as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Earlier, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, serving from 2004 to 2009.
In private practice, Whitaker was the managing partner of Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff, LLP, a Des Moines-based law firm, from 2009 until he rejoined the U.S. Department of Justice in 2017. He most recently served as a Senior Fellow at the American Cornerstone Institute, Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute, a Senior Fellow at the American Conservative Union Foundation, and was Of Counsel with the Graves Garrett Greim law firm.
A graduate of the University of Iowa, Whitaker earned a Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts. During his time at Iowa, he was a three-year letterman on the football team, contributing to a Big Ten Championship and playing in the 1991 Rose Bowl. He was also awarded the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor for his academic and athletic achievements.
James Sherk is currently at the White House Domestic Policy Council. He was born in Ontario, Canada, and immigrated with his family to Midland, Michigan while in middle school. He previously served as AFPI’s Director of the Center for American Freedom. Sherk previously served as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy on the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Donald Trump. James served as the Administration’s top civil service reform and labor policy advisor from 2017 to 2021. At the White House, he was the principal author of and/or policy lead for approximately two dozen executive orders and presidential memoranda. Sherk also served as a member of the President’s Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture. Prior to his White House service, Sherk was a Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, where he was a nationally recognized expert on the civil service and labor policy. Sherk received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from Hillsdale College and an Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Rochester. Sherk and his wife, Jill, live in Northern Virginia with three beloved children who teach their parents to ponder inscrutable questions like “how much drawing can go on the walls before we have to repaint them?”
Jim Jordan was raised in Champaign County, Ohio, graduating from Graham High School in 1982, where he was a four-time state champion in wrestling with a career record of 150-1. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, where he was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion. He later earned a Master’s degree in Education from the Ohio State University and a Law Degree from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Jordan is a fiscal conservative who believes that families and taxpayers, rather than government, know best how to make decisions with their money. Throughout his career, Jim Jordan has led the fight against tax hikes, including those proposed by his own political party. He believes that cutting taxes and letting families keep more of what they earn helps build strong communities and a vibrant economy.
In Congress, Jordan has also emerged as a prominent defender of the taxpayer’s pocketbook through his work on spending issues. In 2009, he introduced the only balanced budget alternative to President Obama’s budget. In the 112th Congress, Jordan served as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives, advancing conservative ideas and solutions on Capitol Hill. In the 114th Congress, Jordan helped found the House Freedom Caucus, and served as its first Chairman.
Jordan has been an advocate of the taxpayer, looking for waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. He serves as the Chairman on the House Judiciary Committee and serves on the House Oversight Committee.
As one of the most conservative members of Congress, his efforts have earned him recognition from Citizens against Government Waste, Family Research Council, Americans for Tax Reform’s Friend of the Taxpayer Award and the 2012 Weyrich Award for “National Legislator of the Year.”
Joseph M. Humire is a Senior Fellow at AFPI’s Western Hemisphere Initiative and the Executive Director of a national security think tank, the Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS). Humire is a national security expert on transregional threats in the Western Hemisphere and provides regular briefings on countering China, Russia, and Iran’s authoritarian influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as combating the convergence of international terrorism and transnational organized crime. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps with a combat tour in Iraq and a multinational training exercise, UNITAS, in Latin America and the Caribbean. After leaving the military, he graduated from George Mason University with a degree in economics and global affairs. Humire began building SFS’s global network of more than 100 security scholars in almost 30 countries worldwide as the Director of Institute Relations at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. He was formerly a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for National Security and is a regular guest lecturer for the National Defense University and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Humire’s unique blend of military experience, economics education, and expertise in asymmetric warfare offers a unique perspective regarding U.S. foreign policy and national security grounded in an America First policy perspective and American values and leadership.
Jonathan Shell was elected Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner on November 7, 2023. A fifth-generation farmer, he, alongside his dad Gary, owns and operates Shell Farms and Greenhouses in Garrard County, where they raise cattle and grow flowers, corn, and pumpkins.
Realizing farming is a way of life for many in Kentucky and agriculture’s vital impact on every Kentuckian, Shell is dedicating his administration to ensuring a bright future for Kentucky agriculture. Commissioner Shell believes agriculture can be summed up in three words: food, faith, and family. As Agriculture Commissioner, he will fight for Kentucky’s farm families and Kentucky values, bringing what he has learned on the farm to his role.
His goal is to ensure the important business of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture continues seamlessly while remaining a resource Kentucky farmers can count on as they feed their neighbors and the entire world.
Before being elected Agriculture Commissioner, Shell was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2012, becoming the youngest member of the General Assembly. Before the 2016 election, he was tapped by Republican leadership to spearhead candidate recruitment. It was that year Kentucky elected its first Republican House Majority in nearly 100 years.
The following year, Shell’s colleagues elected him Kentucky’s first Republican House Majority Floor Leader. During his time in the House of Representatives, Shell developed and executed legislative strategies to pass policies into law that focused on job creation, support for farmers, and cracking down on opioid traffickers.
Shell is a graduate of Garrard County High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business from Eastern Kentucky University.
He and his wife, Brooke, live in Lancaster with their four children. The family attends church at Pilot Knob Missionary Baptist Church, where Shell serves as Sunday School Director.
Michael Faulkender is the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). While at AFPI, he served as the Chief Economist and Senior Advisor for the Center for American Prosperity. Dr. Faulkender previously served as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, advising the Secretary on domestic and international economic issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he assisted in negotiating the CARES Act and was the senior Treasury official who led the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Award for Distinguished Leadership, the highest service award granted at the Department of the Treasury. His research areas include public policy, corporate capital structure, risk management, corporate liquidity, and executive compensation. His work has been published in top academic finance journals and has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The New York Times, among other publications. Professor Faulkender teaches classes in the MBA and EMBA programs at the Smith School and previously served on faculty at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Kellogg School at Northwestern University, and the Olin School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Lee Zeldin is a former United States Congressman who represented New York’s First Congressional District from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, Zeldin made national headlines by nearly winning New York’s gubernatorial race, garnering the most votes for a Republican candidate statewide since Nelson Rockefeller over 50 years earlier. His strong performance at the top of the ticket helped Republicans flip multiple suburban House districts in New York, resulting in the Republican Party’s majority in the House of Representatives.
Born and raised in Suffolk County, New York, at just 23, Lee Zeldin became the youngest attorney in New York at the time. Zeldin served four years on active duty in the U.S. Army, where he held roles as a Military Intelligence Officer, Prosecutor, and Military Magistrate. In the summer of 2006, Lee Zeldin deployed to Iraq with an infantry battalion of fellow paratroopers from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Today, he continues his service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, marking over two decades in the military. In 2010, Zeldin was elected to the New York State Senate, where he served until 2014, when he won a seat in Congress. During his eight years in Congress, Zeldin served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Financial Services Committee. As one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, he co-chaired the House Republican Israel Caucus, which had over 100 members. He was a vocal advocate on foreign policy, border security, military affairs, combating antisemitism, environmental issues, energy policy, and much more.
For his district, he championed vast infrastructure and research projects, including the preservation of Plum Island, Army Corps of Engineers initiatives, and a $2 billion Electron-Ion Collider for Brookhaven National Lab.
Lee Zeldin currently resides on Long Island, in New York State, with his wife, Diana. Their twin daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, recently left for college, marking an exciting new chapter for their family.
Elon Musk is an entrepreneur, businessman and investor, and the CEO and founder of multiple high-profile companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. Musk is serving as a senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His influence extends beyond business, as he is a prominent figure in both technology and popular culture worldwide. Musk is known for playing a significant role in reshaping the media landscape through his acquisition of Twitter (X), which now promotes free speech and discourse. Musk has achieved global fame as the CEO of electric automobile maker Tesla and the private space company SpaceX. He is known for his ambitious vision to advance technology, he has pioneered efforts in electric vehicles, space exploration, and renewable energy.
Howard W. Lutnick has been nominated to serve as the 41st United States Secretary of Commerce. During President Trump’s 2024 election campaign, he was the Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Transition Team.
Before entering public service, Mr. Lutnick was a prominent figure on Wall Street for over three decades, simultaneously serving as Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. and BGC Group, as well as Executive Chairman of Newmark. He joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming President and CEO at just 29 years old.
Tragedy struck on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 of its 960 New York-based employees, including Mr. Lutnick’s brother and his best friend. He emerged from these events with an indomitable sense of purpose to rebuild the firm to honor those lost, support their families, and become a beacon of hope for those who remained.
In the days after the attacks, Mr. Lutnick launched the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which donated $180 million to families of his coworkers who died on 9/11. He has donated more than $100 million to victims of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies around the world.
Mr. Lutnick served on the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Weill Cornell Medicine. He was named the Financial Times Person of the Year in 2001 and Ernst & Young’s United States Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. Howard also received the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor granted to non-military personnel by the Navy.
General Keith Kellogg was born in Dayton, Ohio, grew up in California, and 23 global and stateside military moves later, settled in Virginia. He is currently the Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. While at AFPI he served as co-Chair of the Center for American Security at AFPI. Kellogg is a highly decorated, retired three-star Army General and has extensive experience in the military and international business. Most recently, he was the National Security Advisor to former Vice President Mike Pence. He also served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. Kellogg has wide-ranging experience in Europe, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. He has served as an author and contributor on Fox News and CNN. Kellogg graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Political Science and went on to receive his master’s degree in International Studies from Kansas University. Kellogg and his wife, Paige, have three children, and love nothing more than having their four grandchildren stay with them and spoil them with anything they want. It drives their parents nuts.
Lieutenant Colonel Tulsi Gabbard’s life is defined by her unwavering commitment to service and her love of country. From her earliest days in public office to her extensive military career, she has dedicated her life in service to protect the safety, security and freedom of the American people and our nation.
The people of Hawaii elected LTC Tulsi Gabbard to the State Legislature when she was 21 years old, to the Honolulu City Council eight years later, and at age 31, to the United States Congress where she served for four terms. Having experienced firsthand the true cost of war, LTC Gabbard vowed to honor the lives and sacrifice of her brothers and sisters in uniform, serving on the Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs Committees in Congress.
A combat veteran with three deployments to the Middle East and Africa as part of a special operations mission to counter terrorism, LTC Gabbard has served in uniform since 2003. She served in a medical unit during her 2005 deployment to Iraq and later led a Military Police platoon in Kuwait, where she was the first woman to receive an award of appreciation from the Kuwaiti military, earning their hard-won respect. She currently serves in the U.S. Army Reserve as Battalion Commander of the 1-354 Regiment in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leading soldiers in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas.
LTC Tulsi Gabbard approaches every issue, domestic and foreign, with a focus on ensuring the safety, security, and freedom of the American people. She is honored to be President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence and is committed to securing the nation, upholding the Constitution and serving the American people.
Doug Burgum was raised in Arthur, North Dakota.
Burgum worked as a chimney sweep to help pay his way through North Dakota State University before earning an MBA from Stanford University. In 1983, he literally “bet the farm” to provide seed capital for a software startup called Great Plains.
Burgum led Great Plains through a successful IPO and grew the company to over 2,000 employees before its acquisition by Microsoft. Burgum remained with Microsoft for six years as the Senior Vice President of Business Solutions.
Burgum later co-founded Arthur Ventures and served as chairman of international software companies, including Atlassian and SuccessFactors, as well as a board member for Avalara.
In 2016, Burgum was elected to serve as North Dakota’s 33rd Governor. In 2020, he was re-elected in a landslide. Under his leadership, North Dakota passed the largest tax cut in state history and dramatically reduced red tape.
As a testament to Burgum’s leadership, Forbes named him “America’s Best Entrepreneurial Governor.” During his tenure, North Dakota experienced the highest growth in real GDP and had the lowest unemployment rate in the country.
Burgum has three adult children. He is married to Kathryn Burgum, a nationally recognized advocate for addiction recovery.
Tom Homan is an American law enforcement officer and political commentator who served as acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 30, 2017, to June 29, 2018. In November 2024, then president-elect Donald Trump designated Homan as “border czar.” His official title is White House Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Homan advocates for the deportation of illegal immigrants and opposes sanctuary city policies. Within the government, he was among the most strident proponents of separating children from their parents as a means of deterring illegal entry into the country. After 2018, he began contributing to Fox News as a commentator.
Scott Turner, from Richardson, Texas, is a visionary leader with a distinguished career in public service, business, and professional sports. As Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, he led more than 200 policy actions to revitalize economically distressed communities. Turner served as Founder and CEO of the Community Engagement & Opportunity Council, which is dedicated to revitalizing communities through mentorship, sports, and economic opportunity.
Turner served as a Texas State Representative for the 33rd District (2013–2017) and played nine seasons in the NFL. He also served as an Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church. He holds a degree in speech communications from the University of Illinois and an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. Turner and his wife, Robin, are active in their church and community and are proud parents of Solomon, a recent University of Illinois graduate.
John Phelan was sworn in as the 79th Secretary of the Navy on March 25, 2025. Phelan oversees the well-being, readiness, and development of nearly 1 million Sailors, Marines, reservists, and civilian personnel in the Department of the Navy and manages an annual budget of $263.5 billion and balance sheet assets totaling $922 billion. His departmental priorities focus on strengthening shipbuilding and the maritime industrial base; fostering an adaptive, accountable and warfighting culture; and improving the health, welfare and training of our people.
Before his appointment, Phelan was the Founder and Chairman of Rugger Management, LLC, a private investment firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. Before launching Rugger, he was a co-Founder and co-Managing Partner of MSD Capital, L.P., a private investment firm for Michael Dell, and MSD Partners, a SEC-registered investment advisor that managed investments for a select group of third-party investors. Under his leadership, MSD posted double-digit net returns, generated over $20 billion in profits, and grew assets under management to over $30 billion.
Phelan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude, with distinction from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a B.A. in Economics and Political science. He also earned a General Course degree in Economics and International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE).
A committed patriot and philanthropist, Phelan served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Third Option Foundation, the Spirit of America, as well as Aspen Art Museum. He is a member of Business Executives for National Security. He also serves on the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School, the Investment Committee for the SMU Endowment, and the North American Advisory Board for LSE. In 2022, he received SMU’s highest alumni honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award. Secretary Phelan and his wife, Amy, have endowed free admission to the Aspen Art Museum and recently established the Phelan U.S. Centre at LSE.
Doug Collins is an Air Force Reserve colonel, chaplain, and Iraq War veteran with more than 20 years of military experience, Doug Collins knows the complex issues facing veterans across the country.
As a longtime congressman and attorney, Collins has a deep understanding of the federal government and the policy expertise to solve complex problems, cut through red tape, and get things done for those who have worn the uniform. Over eight years in Congress, Collins helped scores of veterans solve their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) problems, and he will put that expertise to work, making the VA more user-friendly so veterans won’t need outside help to navigate the department’s bureaucracy.
As a congressman, Collins championed bipartisan legislation like the First Step Act, the Music Modernization Act, and the Defend Trade Secrets Act. Collins’ efforts in support of the First Step Act earned him the 2019 Allegheny College Prize for Civility in Public Life.
When it comes to veterans policy, Collins voted for some of the most important VA reforms in recent history, including the Veterans, Access, Choice and Accountability Act, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, and the MISSION Act.
Kevin Hassett was the Brent R. Nicklas Distinguished Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution from 2019 to January 2025. In early 2025, he was appointed Director of the National Economic Council. Previously, he was the senior advisor and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2017 to 2019.
Before his White House service, Hassett was an economist at the American Enterprise Institute. He also served as a senior economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. His academic background includes being an associate professor of economics and finance at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, as well as a visiting professor at New York University’s Law School. He has also been a consultant to the U.S. Treasury Department and an advisor to various presidential campaigns.
Mark Pentecost went from being a high school teacher to becoming a billionaire entrepreneur, a nationally recognized philanthropist, and a world-renowned thought leader. Early in life, he learned to dream big and has since dedicated his life to teaching others to do the same. Today, Pentecost is the founder of It Works!, a wellness company with over 100,000 active paid distributors across more than 20 countries, generating up to $750 million in annual revenues.
Pentecost’s professional journey exemplifies dynamic versatility and unwavering determination. A riveting keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on entrepreneurship, direct sales, leadership, and inspiring people to chase their dreams to achieve once-unimaginable success. Known for igniting enduring enthusiasm, Pentecost has shared stages and podcast platforms with influential figures such as Lou Holtz, Mel Robbins, and Jay Shetty, extending his influence far beyond direct sales. His inspirational journey has been featured in Forbes, SUCCESS Magazine, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, and more.
Jentezen Franklin is the senior pastor of Free Chapel, a multicampus church with a global reach. His messages influence generations through modern–day technology and digital media, his televised broadcast, Kingdom Connection, and outreaches that put God’s love and compassion into action. He has been honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Mantle of Destiny Award for his work in racial reconciliation, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Micah Award, and the Jewish National Fund’s Tree of Life Shalom Peace Award for his unwavering commitment to Israel.
Franklin is also a New York Times bestselling author who speaks at conferences worldwide. He and his wife, Cherise, live in Gainesville, Georgia, and have five children and five grandchildren.
John Thune grew up in Murdo, South Dakota. His interest in politics was sparked at a young age after making five of six free throws during a freshman high school basketball game. He was later greeted by a spectator who said, “I noticed you missed one.” That spectator happened to be a well-known sports enthusiast and then-South Dakota U.S. Rep. Jim Abdnor. The introduction was the start of a friendship that ignited his career in public service.
Thune received his undergraduate degree from Biola University and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Dakota. Upon completion of his master’s degree in 1984, he married Kimberley Weems, a native of Doland, South Dakota.
Thune’s attraction to public service took him to Washington, D.C., to work for that sports enthusiast and then-U.S. Sen. Jim Abdnor. He then served in the Small Business Administration under an appointment from President Ronald Reagan.
In 1989, Thune and his family returned to South Dakota, where he served as the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party. In 1991, then-Governor George S. Mickelson appointed him to be state railroad director, a position he held until 1993, when he became executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League.
In 1996, with a shoestring budget and the support of family and friends, Thune won his first term as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was re-elected to a second term by the largest margin in South Dakota history. He returned again to Washington in 2001 to serve his third term in the House.
Thune then honored his 1996 campaign pledge to serve only three terms in the House. After a narrow loss in a 2002 U.S. Senate race, he won his current Senate seat in 2004, when he made history by defeating a sitting Senate party leader for the first time in 52 years.
In 2010, Thune was elected to serve a second term in the Senate in a rare unopposed race. He was only the third Republican and the only South Dakotan to run unopposed for the Senate since direct elections were created in 1913. Thune was elected to a third term in 2016. In 2022, he became the second South Dakotan in history to be elected to a fourth term in the U.S. Senate.
For the 119th Congress, Thune serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Finance Committee. He also serves as the Senate Majority Leader and has previously served as the Senate Republican Whip from 2019–2024, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009–2011, and chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 2012–2018.
Thune and his wife live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and they have two grown daughters and six grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, pheasant hunting, and running.
Speaker Mike Johnson is the 56th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a Republican Member of Congress proudly serving Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. On October 25, 2023, he was elected unanimously by his House Republican colleagues to serve as the Speaker. After a tenure of less than 6.8 years in the House, Johnson was given the honor faster than any person in history, except for Speaker John G. Carlisle in 1883, who had previously served for only 6.75 years. He was re–elected on January 3, 2025, to continue serving as Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress.
As a Member of Congress, he represents the nearly 760,000 residents of 20 parishes in the northwest, northeast, and western regions of his state. Johnson was first elected to Congress on December 10, 2016, by the largest margin of victory in his region in more than 50 years and is currently serving in his fifth term in Congress.
Karoline Leavitt is an American spokesperson who has served as the White House Press Secretary since 2025.
Leavitt studied politics and communication at Saint Anselm College, writing for the school newspaper and founding a broadcasting club. She interned in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence during President Trump’s first term and later became its associate director. She also served as communications director for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21).
In July 2021, Leavitt announced her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives election for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. She established herself as a pro-Trump candidate. Leavitt won the Republican primary. She served as a spokeswoman for MAGA Inc., President Trump’s super PAC, and became the press secretary for his 2024 presidential campaign.
In November 2024, President Trump named Leavitt as his White House press secretary. She is the youngest press secretary in U.S. history.
Linda McMahon is originally from New Bern, North Carolina, and most recently served as Chair of the Board and Chair of the Center for the American Worker at the America First Policy Institute. McMahon served in President Donald J. Trump’s Cabinet as Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) during his first term.
At SBA, McMahon re-imagined the organization, focusing on rural development and championing women entrepreneurs and military veterans. She oversaw natural disaster recovery efforts and helped improve the way the SBA connected small businesses to capital, counseling, and government contracts.
After her service in the Trump Administration, she served as Chair of the America First Action SuperPAC and America First Policy, LLC. Before her career in public service, McMahon was the President and later CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer has dedicated more than two decades of her life to public service, beginning in 2002 on the Happy Valley Parks Committee in Oregon. She later served on the Happy Valley City Council, becoming council president, and was elected as the city’s first Latina mayor in 2010, serving two successful terms. Under her leadership, Happy Valley became Oregon’s fastest-growing community, with initiatives that strengthened working families and small businesses.
In 2022, Chavez-DeRemer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, making history as the first Republican woman and one of the first Latinas elected to Congress from Oregon. She served on the Agriculture, Education and Workforce, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees, championing practical solutions and securing critical investments for her constituents.
Chavez-DeRemer is also a successful small businesswoman and the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a business administration degree. She and her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, her high school sweetheart, founded an anesthesia management company and several medical clinics across the Pacific Northwest. A proud wife and mother, she is passionate about advocating for businesses, workers, and families across the country.
Newt Gingrich is an intellectually fearless visionary and historian. He is one of the foremost economic, social, political, and security-focused conservative thinkers today.
Gingrich is well known as the architect of the “Contract with America” that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994 by capturing a majority in the United States House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. He was a Republican candidate for president of the United States from 2011 to 2012.
Gingrich is a Fox News contributor and the author of 36 books, including 16 fiction and nonfiction New York Times best-sellers. His latest number-one best-sellers include Trump and the American Future.
Recognized internationally as an expert on world history, military issues, and international affairs, Gingrich is the longest-serving teacher of the Joint Warfighting course for Major Generals.
He also teaches officers from all five services as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University and is the longest-serving teacher at Capstone.
In addition, Gingrich served as a Member of the Defense Policy Board. He was a member of the Terrorism Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations, and he co-chaired the Task Force on U.N. Reform, a bipartisan congressional effort to reform the United Nations. Gingrich champions innovation and market-oriented alternatives to socialism and single-payer healthcare.
Gingrich served as an unofficial advisor to President Trump throughout the 2016 elections. As Chairman of Gingrich 360, Gingrich and his team advise leading corporations and organizations in healthcare, transportation, financial markets, and defense. His company creates and produces television and digital series, specials, and documentaries.
Sean Duffy served as a U.S. Congressman representing Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District s for 10 years, serving on the House Financial Services Committee and actively leading on local transportation issues via his co-chairmanship of the Great Lakes Task Force.
Before serving in Congress, Duffy was the District Attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, for 10 years. There, he brought more than 100 cases to trial with an over 90% trial success rate. After leaving Congress, Duffy hosted the Fox Business show, The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy.
Duffy was born and raised in Hayward, Wisconsin. As the 10th of 11 siblings in a large Irish Catholic family, he learned the enduring value of cooperation and compromise. Duffy also comes from a long line of lumberjacks who helped build his beloved state of Wisconsin and was a world-champion lumberjack athlete. He holds a marketing degree from St. Mary’s University and a J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law.
When Duffy was in his twenties, he got his start in television on the MTV reality TV show The Real World. He also starred on Road Rules All Stars, where he met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy.
Duffy and his wife are America’s first and longest-married reality TV couple. They have been married for 25 years and have nine children together.
Kelly Loeffler is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former U.S. Senator from Georgia who dedicates her life to growing businesses and advancing economic opportunity for all.
A self-made businesswoman, Loeffler rose from modest beginnings, working on her family’s farm and small trucking business, to build a three-decade career in financial services and technology. As a member of the executive leadership team at Intercontinental Exchange, she helped build ICE from a small startup to a Fortune 500 company. In 2018, she launched Bakkt, a fintech startup in digital assets, as its founding CEO.
Loeffler served in the U.S. Senate in 2020, where she brought her private-sector experience to Washington. She served on key committees, including Agriculture, Joint Economic, HELP, and Veterans Affairs, championing conservative values and pro-growth policies, advocating for small businesses, and passing legislation to strengthen economic resilience.
As co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream for a decade, Loeffler helped position the franchise as a platform to empower women through sports, demonstrating her commitment to community impact.
After her Senate service, Loeffler founded Greater Georgia Action, an election integrity advocacy and voter registration non-profit, as well as RallyRight, a conservative tech startup, while serving on several corporate and philanthropic boards.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, an MBA from DePaul University, and is the only CFA® charter holder to ever serve in Congress. A devout Catholic, she is a staunch advocate for free enterprise and opportunity for all Americans through the America First agenda.
Brooke Leslie Rollins is from Glen Rose, Texas, a small agricultural community in the American heartland. She grew up working summers on her family’s farm in Minnesota, barrel racing, and raising livestock for 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). She proudly served as a Texas State FFA Officer and worked for the National FFA Organization.
Rollins most recently served as the Founder, President, and CEO of the America First Policy Institute. Before that, she was Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives in the last White House under President Donald Trump. In these roles, she helped lead the transformational domestic policy agenda of the Trump Administration, enacting the President’s vision and leading to historic achievements for the American people.
Rollins graduated with honors from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural development and was the first woman in university history to be elected student body president. After earning her Juris Doctor with honors at the University of Texas School of Law, she served as Governor Rick Perry’s policy director before building and leading the Texas Public Policy Foundation for 15 years.
Rollins and her husband, Mark, reside in Fort Worth, Texas, with their four children.