Seventeen years ago, Michelle Easton (ICPES 1973) had a dream to cultivate strong, intelligent, conservative women. She formed the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute in 1993, and since then, the Institute has affected the lives of thousands of women.

With its mission to prepare and promote conservative women, CBLPI hosts seminars and workshops that simultaneously teach leadership skills and conservative principles. Acting as a vehicle for women to become strong leaders, CBLPI also gives young conservative women a network and support system by encouraging discussion and debate on current issues.

Easton has been the President of CBLPI for over 17 years, but her professional life in public policy began long before launching CBLPI. Easton worked under President Ronald Reagan’s and President George H. W. Bush’s administrations in the Department of Education and the Department of Justice. As President of the Virginia State Board of Education, she worked to improve academic accountability for both teachers and students.

Easton attended The Fund’s Institute for Comparative Political and Economic Studies (ICPES) in 1973. That was Easton’s first summer in Washington, and she remembers this time as a valuable introduction to Washington, DC. She interned at Young Americans for Freedom, was hired on full-time and spent five years with the organization. She worked as an assistant to Frank Donatelli, a fellow TFAS alumnus.

Easton considers her experience at TFAS a crucial part of her extensive career in public policy in Washington, DC. The connections she made led her not only to continue her work at YAF, but opened doors to her that later led to opportunities with President Ronald Regan and the beginning of her national non-profit organization.

Easton lives in Reston, Virginia with her husband and fellow TFAS alumnus, Ron Robinson. The couple has three grown sons.