Ben Carson Ben Carson dreamed of becoming a physician. But growing up poor in a single-parent household in Detroit with bad grades and a horrible temper, the statistics were not in his favor. Fortunately, Ben’s mother, having only completed third grade herself, challenged her two children to reach beyond their meager circumstances through reading and building their knowledge of the world. Ben’s grades improved dramatically and he developed a life-long love affair with learning. Young Ben excelled in high school and attended college at Yale University where he met Candy, the young lady who would become his wife. After graduation, Ben worked as an X-ray technician, a bank teller, a school bus driver, a supervisor for highway cleanup crews, and a crane operator in a steel factory, before being accepted into The University of Michigan School of Medicine. Ben and Candy were married, and after graduating medical school, Ben moved his family to Baltimore where he performed his residency training at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. Johns Hopkins would become his home for most of his career, as he went on to direct pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for 29 years. Some of Dr. Carson’s career highlights include the first successful separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head in 1987, the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa, and the first successful placement of an intrauterine shunt for a hydrocephalic twin. Dr. Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 and in 2001 was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 “Living Legends.” He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP. Dr. Carson holds 67 honorary doctorate degrees and has sat on the boards of directors of Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, the Academy of Achievement, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corporation, the governing body of Yale University. As a strong believer in the power of education, and alarmed by studies showing America’s students falling behind the rest of the world, Ben and Candy Carson founded the Carson Scholars Fund in 1994. Built to reward young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments, the Carson Scholars Fund now operates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, having awarded scholarships to more than 7,500 scholars. Dr. Carson has published eight books, including his autobiography, Gifted Hands, and two titles that were New York Times Bestsellers, America the Beautiful,Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great, and One Nation, What We All Can Do to Save America’s Future, which was on the New York Times Best Sellers List for twenty weeks, five of those weeks at #1. Gifted Hands was the subject of the award-winning, made-for-television movie under the same title as the book in which Cuba Gooding, Jr., played Dr. Carson in the leading role. Newt Gingrich Speaker Newt 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 forty years. He was a Republican candidate for president of the United States from 2011 to 2012. 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 forty years. He was a Republican candidate for president of the United States from 2011 to 2012. Newt Gingrich is a Fox News contributor and the author of twenty-seven books, including 14 fiction and nonfiction New York Times best-sellers. He is a Senior Advisor at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, as well as a Senior Scientist at Gallup. Newt and his wife, Callista, host and produce historical and public policy documentaries. Recent films include The First American and Divine Mercy. Recognized internationally as an expert on world history, military issues, and international affairs, Newt is the longest-serving teacher of the Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals. He also teaches officers from all five services as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University. In addition, Newt 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. Newt resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Callista. Callista Gingrich Callista Gingrich is the president of Gingrich Productions. She and her husband, Newt, host and produce historical and public policy documentaries. Recent films include The First American, Divine Mercy, A City Upon a Hill, America at Risk, and Nine Days that Changed the World . is the president of Gingrich Productions. She and her husband, Newt, host and produce historical and public policy documentaries. Recent films includeand Mrs. Gingrich is the author of the New York Times bestselling children’s series featuring Ellis the Elephant. Recent books include Sweet Land of Liberty, Land of the Pilgrims’ Pride, Yankee Doodle Dandy, From Sea to Shining Sea, and Christmas in America. She is also the co-author of Rediscovering God in America, and Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. Mrs. Gingrich is the voice for several audio books, including, A Nation Like No Other and To Save America. An avid musician, Mrs. Gingrich sings in the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and plays French horn with the City of Fairfax Band in Fairfax, Virginia. She is also the president of the Gingrich Foundation, a charitable non-profit corporation. Mrs. Gingrich resides in McLean, Virginia with her husband, Newt Gingrich. Wayne LaPierre Under the direction of a 76 member board of directors, he is responsible for implementing NRA policy as well as serving as president of the National Firearms Museum Fund and trustee of the NRA Foundation. An avid sport shooter, he holds an executive position with the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the world's largest wildlife program, and officiates each year at NRA events nationwide. Mr. LaPierre joined the staff in 1978, as a state liaison in the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, the lobbying arm of the Association. Initially responsible for a 10-state region, he was promoted twice in two years and named the Director of State & Local Affairs in 1979. The next year he accepted a position as the Director of Federal Affairs, where he was responsible for the planning and execution of all NRA initiatives before Congress and the executive branch. In 1986, Mr. LaPierre was again promoted to Executive Director of NRA-ILA. It was in this position that he took to the forefront as the leader and spokesperson for all NRA legislative activities at every level of government. Wayne LaPierre serves on the board of directors of the American Association of Political Consultants. He holds a master's degree in American government and politics from Boston College and a bachelor's degree in education and political science from Siena College in New York. After accepting his current position in 1991, Mr. LaPierre became the chief national spokesperson for the National Rifle Association which, under his leadership, has achieved the most dramatic growth in membership since NRA was founded in 1871. Wayne LaPierre is the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Rifle Association of America. In his leadership position, Mr. LaPierre conducts the affairs of an over 3.5 million member association through a staff of over 550 employees with an annual budget of over $120 million. Edwin Meese III In that capacity, Meese oversees special projects and acts as an ambassador for Heritage within the conservative movement. Meese was chairman of Heritage’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies from its founding in 2001 until what he calls his “semi-retirement” on Feb. 1, 2013. He joined Heritage in 1988 as the think tank's first Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow -- the only policy chair in the country to be officially named for the 40th president. His work focused on keeping President Reagan’s legacy of conservative principles alive in public debate and discourse. The legal center now bears his name, in recognition of Meese’s contributions to the rule of law and the nation’s understanding of constitutional law. Its mission is to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution and legal principles -- and how they affect public policy. Perhaps best known as U.S. attorney general during Reagan’s second term, Meese’s service to the conservative icon stretched from the California governor’s mansion in 1966 to the White House in 1981 before he went to the Department of Justice four years later. His Heritage “hats” kept Meese among the major conservative voices in national policy debates at an age when most men and women enjoyed quiet retirements. In 2006, for example, Meese was named to the Iraq Study Group, a special presidential commission dedicated to examining the best resolutions for America's involvement in Iraq. In the past few years he wrote and spoke about constitutional topics ranging from religious liberty to the responsibility of Supreme Court justices. Immediately after Reagan's death in 2004, and in the years since, Meese often agreed to major media appearances to discuss the lasting impact of his old friend, mentor and boss. He has summarized the Reagan legacy in three accomplishments: Reagan cut taxes and kept them low. He worked to defeat and end the Soviet Union and its worldwide push for communism. And he restored America's faith in itself after years of failure and "malaise." "I admired him as a leader and cherish his friendship," Meese wrote in a 2004 essay for Heritage members and supporters. "Ronald Reagan had strong convictions. He was committed to the principles that had led to the founding of our nation. And he had the courage to follow his convictions against all odds." Edwin Meese III was born Dec. 2, 1931, to Edwin Jr. and Leone Meese in Oakland, Calif. He graduated from Yale University in 1953 and holds a law degree from the University of California-Berkeley. Meese spent much of his adult life working for Reagan, first after the former actor, sports announcer and athlete was elected as California’s governor in 1966 and then when he sought and won the presidency in 1980. Reagan never forgot Meese's loyalty and hard work. During a press conference at which reporters questioned Meese's actions at the Justice Department, Reagan replied: "If Ed Meese is not a good man, there are no good men." During the Reagan governorship, Meese served as executive assistant and chief of staff from 1969 through 1974 and as legal affairs secretary from 1967 through 1968. He previously was deputy district attorney in Alameda County, Calif. From January 1981 to February 1985, Meese held the position of counsellor to the president -- the senior job on the White House staff -- and functioned as Reagan's chief policy adviser. In 1985, he received Government Executive magazine's annual award for excellence in management. Meese served as the 75th attorney general of the United States from February 1985 to August 1988. As the nation's chief law enforcement officer, he directed the Justice Department and led international efforts to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime. Meese’s relationship with Heritage began when he met with senior management to discuss the think tank's landmark policy guide, Mandate for Leadership, prepared for the incoming administration. Meese later recalled that Reagan personally handed out copies of the 1,093-page book to members of his Cabinet and asked them to read it. Nearly two-thirds of Mandate's 2,000 recommendations would be adopted or attempted by the Reagan administration. More than a decade after joining Heritage, Meese assumed the chairmanship of its Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Under his guidance, the center counseled White House staffers, Justice Department officials and Senate Judiciary Committee members on the importance of filling judicial vacancies with qualified men and women who are committed to interpreting the Constitution according to the founding document's original meaning. The center became known for hosting "moot court" practice sessions to sharpen the arguments of attorneys slated to bring important cases before the Supreme Court. Those cases addressed constitutional issues ranging from property rights to racial preferences in primary and secondary schools to restrictions on free speech in campaign finance law. Meese headed the legal center's Advisory Board for the writing and editing of the best-selling book, The Heritage Guide to the Constitution (Regnery, 2005). In it, 109 experts walked readers through a clause-by-clause analysis of the Constitution. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was among those keeping the reference work handy during Judiciary Committee hearings on Supreme Court nominees. Meese's other books include “Leadership, Ethics and Policing” (Prentice Hall, 2004); “Making America Safer” (Heritage, 1997); and “With Reagan: The Inside Story” (Regnery Gateway, 1992). He wrote the Introduction to a well-received 2010 book on the “overcriminalization” trend, “One Nation Under Arrest,” by Heritage veterans Paul Rosenzweig and Brian W. Walsh. He also is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California and lectures, writes and consults throughout the United States on a variety of subjects. As both attorney general and counsellor to Reagan, Meese was a member of the Cabinet and the National Security Council. He served as chairman of the Domestic Policy Council and the National Drug Policy Board. After Reagan won the White House in the 1980 election, Meese headed the transition team. During the campaign, he was the Reagan-Bush Committee's senior official. Meese had a career outside government and politics. From 1977 to 1981, he was a law professor at the University of San Diego, where he also directed the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management. He was an executive in the aerospace and transportation industry as vice president for administration of Rohr Industries Inc. in Chula Vista, Calif. He left Rohr to return to the practice of law, doing corporate and general work in San Diego County. A retired colonel in the Army Reserve, Meese remains active in numerous civic and educational organizations. He and his wife, Ursula, have two grown children and reside in McLean, Va. Edwin Meese III, the prominent conservative leader, thinker and elder statesman, continues a quarter-century formal association with The Heritage Foundation as the leading think tank’s Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow Emeritus. LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.) North was born in San Antonio, Texas, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and served 22 years as a Marine officer. His awards for service in combat include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for valor and two Purple Hearts for wounds in action. Assigned to the National Security Council staff in the Reagan administration, Lt Col North was the United States government's counter-terrorism coordinator from 1983-1986. He was involved in planning the rescue of 804 medical students on the island of Grenada and played a major role in the daring capture of the terrorists who hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro. After helping plan the U.S. raid on Muammar Qaddafi's terror bases in Libya, North was targeted for assassination by Abu Nidal, the infamous terrorist killed in Baghdad in August, 2002. President Ronald Reagan described North as "an American hero." Since 2001, he has been the host of "War Stories" - the award-winning military documentary series on Fox News Channel - and has been embedded with more than 55 U.S. and allied combat units. North has authored thirteen books, all of them New York Times best sellers. His latest, Heroes Proved is a gripping tale of intrigue and duplicity at the highest levels of the U.S. Government. North serves on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association and is the founder of Freedom Alliance, a foundation providing support for the men and women of America's Armed Forces. He claims his most important accomplishment is being "the husband of one, the father of four and the grandfather of fourteen." Oliver North is a combat decorated U.S. Marine, a #1 best-selling author, the founder of a small business, an inventor with three U.S. patents, a syndicated columnist, and the host of "War Stories"on Fox News Channel. J.D. Hayworth J.D. Hayworth's broadcasting career began at age 14 in his native High Point, N.C. Hayworth's professional journey has spanned almost four decades, taken him from coast-to-coast and was punctuated by 12 years in the United States House of Representatives. An Eagle Scout, Hayworth's involvement in radio began through "Exploring," the career oriented senior division of Boy Scouts. He worked professionally at three stations in High Point before accepting a football grant-in-aid to North Carolina State University. Sidelined by health problems after his freshman football season at N.C. State, he later served as student body president his senior year and graduated cum laude with a double major in political science and speech communication. After seven years on the air in Arizona, Hayworth was elected to Congress as part of the first Republican House majority in 40 years. He served as part of the GOP leadership team during his freshman term and became the first Arizonan to serve on the Ways and Means Committee. Hayworth also became chairman of the Conservative Opportunity Society. After six terms on Capitol Hill, Hayworth returned to broadcasting as a talk-radio host in Phoenix. He stepped away from a highly rated afternoon show to unsuccessfully challenge John McCain in the 2010 Arizona GOP Senate primary. J.D. is married to Mary Yancey. They have three children, Nicole, Hannah, and John Micah. J.D. joined Newsmax TV in February, 2014 as the host of "America's Forum". We are proud to announce J.D. is now the host of "Newsmax Prime" which airs Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ralph Hallow Washington Times Chief political writer Ralph Z. Hallow served on the Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Washington Times editorial boards, was Ford Foundation Fellow in Urban Journalism at Northwestern University, resident at Columbia University Editorial-Page Editors Seminar and has filed from Berlin, Bonn, London, Paris, Geneva, Vienna, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Belgrade, Bucharest, Panama and Guatemala. David A. Keene The Washington Times , the nation’s largest conservative daily print newspaper. The Times ’ web site is one of the top five most widely read online news outlets in the country. David A. Keene is the Opinion Editor of, the nation’s largest conservative daily print newspaper.’ web site is one of the top five most widely read online news outlets in the country. While serving as President of the National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest Second Amendment membership organization, Keene, along with NRA’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, led the “All-In” Campaign against electing gun-control advocates in 2012. He worked tirelessly to keep the U.S. from adopting further gun control legislation in 2013, and the organization grew from four to five plus million members during his tenure. He remains on the board and chairs the NRA Publications Policy Committee and the NRA National School Shield program. From 1982 to 2011, Keene served as the elected Chairman of the American Conservative Union, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots conservative advocacy group. ACU is the major organizer of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference or CPAC. Under Keene’s leadership, CPAC grew from a small issues conference attracting a few hundred attendees to an annual conference that draws more than 11,000 conservative activists to Washington, D.C., to hear conservative leaders and to network with fellow conservatives from around the country and the world. In addition to these two volunteer civic roles, Keene was for many years of Counsel to the Carmen Group, a Washington governmental affairs firm. He remains on the boards of The Center for the National Interest, The Constitution Project, The Montana Policy Institute, and is a founding member of Right on Crime, a conservative criminal justice reform organization. Keene was the National Chairman of Young Americans for Freedom as a student and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He has been a John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, a First Amendment Fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Freedom Forum, and a member of the Board of Visitors at Duke University’s Public Policy School. He served as a Special Assistant to Vice President Spiro Agnew during the Nixon Administration, then as Executive Assistant to New York Senator Jim Buckley on Capitol Hill in charge of the landmark first Supreme Court fight on campaign finance reform, Buckley v Valeo. In addition to advising local, state, and national figures in hundreds of campaigns, he has been: Southern Regional Political Director for Ronald Reagan’s 1976 presidential campaign; National Political Director for George Bush’s 1980 presidential race; Senior Advisor to former Senator Bob Dole’s presidential race in 1988; and an advisor to Mitt Romney’s first Presidential bid. For more than ten years, Keene wrote a regular column for The Hill, which focuses on a Capitol Hill readership. He has written for the Boston Globe, National Review, Human Events, and the American Spectator, along with several book chapters. His appearances include Face the Nation, The PBS News Hour, and he was a CBS News political campaign consultant for a Presidential campaign, among others. Keene is married to Donna Wiesner Keene, former Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 appointee, has five conservative children, seven grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. They spend their free time hunting and fishing.