A group of 14 “promising young professionals” has completed three days of meetings and events in the nation’s capital as the initial recipients of a fellowship to study the conservative movement that was initiated by a Texas couple.
The Conservative Partnership Institute announced the inaugural class for its Ryan & Regan Haggerty Family Fellowship, which it says assembles young Americans “who are interested in maximizing their influence in the conservative movement as leaders, philanthropists, and engaged citizens.”
“The idea behind the fellowship was to identify young conservative leaders throughout the country and give them the opportunity to get to D.C. for a three-day deep dive into conservative policies and [the] mechanics of Capitol Hill,” Ryan Haggerty, an investment manager in Dallas, told The Daily Signal.
Haggerty is a member of The Heritage Foundation’s board of trustees as well as the board of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
He and his wife, Regan, are residents of Fort Worth, Texas. To create the fellowship, they partnered with the Conservative Partnership Institute, which works to connect citizens, members of Congress, congressional staff, and conservative scholars.
“We are so thankful to the vision of Ryan and Regan Haggerty, who understand the critical importance of building the next generation of conservative movement leaders,” Jim DeMint, chairman of the Conservative Partnership Institute and former president of The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal.
Those awarded fellowships include Jonah Bennett of San Francisco; Mike Cantrell of Arkansas; George Etheridge of Tampa; John Hyde of Southlake, Texas; Skylar Brogdon O’Neal of Fort Worth, Texas, Cheraya Peña of Fort Worth; Luke Perez of Missouri; Sterling Ream of Dallas; Ali Richardson of Austin, Texas; Steve Rowe of Arlington, Texas; Spencer Schulze of Bozeman, Montana; Titus Techera of San Jose, California, and Bucharest, Romania; Josey Theal of Austin; and Matthew Tyrmand, of New York.
The Haggerty Family fellows, who are provided with travel to and lodging in Washington, D.C., recently completed three days of courses early this month, institute spokesman Wesley Denton said in a phone interview.
The courses included visits to Congress and the White House, seminars on how the House and Senate operate, and opportunities to meet “key conservative influencers” to better understand how the conservative movement functions within Congress.
Besides DeMint, also a former Republican senator from South Carolina, the list of guest speakers included Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon, House Freedom Caucus Executive Director Justin Ouimette, Special Assistant to the President Paul Teller, March for Life Vice President Tom McClusky, ForAmerica President Dave Bozell, Federalist Publisher Ben Domenech, and Daily Caller News Foundation Editor in Chief Christopher Bedford.
“This was a great opportunity for [the fellows] to come to D.C. and learn how things work,” Haggerty said. “We’re excited to see them bring that knowledge and energy back home and get plugged into organizations and initiatives that advance conservative ideas.”
