Morton Blackwell
Founder, Leadership InstituteMorton Blackwell began in 1960 to identify, train and place bright young conservatives for activism in the public policy process. Founder of the Leadership Institute in 1979 and its president since then, Mr. Blackwell has wide experience in and out of government. In 1980, Mr. Blackwell organized the national youth effort for Ronald Reagan. He served for the first three years of the Reagan Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Public Liaison. While on the White House Staff, he was the President's liaison to conservative, veterans and religious groups. He also served as the Project Officer for the White House Outreach Working Group on Central America. In January 1984, Mr. Blackwell left the White House Staff to work full-time as the president of the Leadership Institute, his educational foundation dedicated to training and placing conservatives. Today Morton Blackwell continues to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists through the programs of his Leadership Institute, which now has more than 108,097 graduates of its training and more than 1,335 independent, conservative student groups active on college campuses in all 50 states.