Registration for this event has closed. Please contact Jane Mack at jmack@TFAS.org with any questions.

Please join The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) on July 11, 2024, at The Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., for a special celebration honoring today’s congressional and business leaders and supporting our future leaders – the 2024 TFAS students.

Your involvement will make a powerful difference in our nation’s future by enabling students with outstanding leadership potential to attend the TFAS D.C. Summer Programs track on Business + Government Relations.

DETAILS

July 11, 2024

Reception 6 p.m.
Dinner 7 p.m.

The Four Seasons Hotel
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20007

Business Dress

Founding Partner of BGR Group, Haley Barbour served two consecutive terms as Governor of Mississippi, including two years as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Gov. Barbour began his political career in 1968, dropping out of college to work on Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign. In 1976, after supporting Ronald Reagan for the GOP nomination, he ran Gerald Ford’s fall campaign in the Southeast.

Gov. Barbour later served as political director in the Reagan White House, and in 1987 he founded the government affairs firm that became BGR Group. From 1993 to 1997, Gov. Barbour served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Elected Governor of Mississippi in 2003, Gov. Barbour led his state to adopt what The Wall Street Journal called the most comprehensive tort reform in the country. During his eight years as governor, per capita income in the state increased by 34 percent.

Among his many awards: after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, Gov. Barbour received national recognition from the bipartisan American Legislative Exchange Council for his swift response to the worst natural disaster in American history; for his efforts to rebuild the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he received the Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award; he was named Governor of the Year by Governing Magazine; and received the Gulf Guardian Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also was given the Adam Smith Award from BIPAC to honor his pursuit of the principles of free enterprise. The Hill has listed Gov. Barbour as one of Washington’s top lobbyists annually since his return to BGR Group in 2012. Gov. Barbour received his JD in 1973 from the University of Mississippi, which now has two centers named after him: the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence, and the Haley Barbour Center for the Study of American Politics. A native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Governor Barbour still resides in his hometown with his wife, Marsha. They have two sons and seven grandchildren.

In 2023, Senator Katie Boyd Britt was sworn in as Alabama’s first elected female Senator, the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and the only current Republican mom of school-aged kids serving in the Senate. She is proud to champion hardworking families as she fights to grow opportunity and preserve the American Dream for generations to come.

In the 118th Congress, Senator Britt serves on the Committee on Appropriations, where she is ranking member of the Homeland Security subcommittee; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and the Committee on Rules and Administration. Her committee portfolio strongly positions her to fight effectively for Alabama’s people, interests, and values as she continues to identify and achieve tangible, meaningful solutions to the pressing challenges facing Alabama and America.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, one of Senator Britt’s top priorities is ensuring we maintain a strong national defense and that our men and women in uniform are the best equipped, resourced, and trained in the world, so that American families remain safe and free. She continues to be a voice for restoring fiscal sanity in our country by spending hard-earned taxpayer money responsibly and responsively. She believes it is imperative that we get back to regular order and end the wasteful spending that’s poured fuel on the inflationary fire that is devastating Americans in every corner of our country. As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Britt has made border security a top priority, fighting to defend hardworking Americans and protect our homeland.

On the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Britt is outspoken advocate for commonsense consumer protections and fostering a financial environment that promotes freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for hardworking families, small businesses, and retirees across our state and nation. She is a tireless champion for Main Street America and local Alabama small businesses, and fights for policies that ensure they have the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Senator Britt’s position on the Rules Committee allows her to uphold the venerated institution of the Senate, as she continues to defend the Constitution, the rule of law, and the Senate’s cherished tradition of robust debate and civil discourse.

The proud daughter of two small business owners in Enterprise, Alabama, the foundational values of faith, family, and freedom were instilled in Senator Britt from an early age. Senator Britt holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Alabama and a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law. A Christian, wife, and mother, faith and family are at the heart of her life. She now resides in Montgomery with her husband, Wesley, and their two children.

Eric Tanenblatt is the Global Chair of Public Policy and Regulation of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm. He also leads the firm’s US Public Policy Practice, leveraging his three decades of experience at the very highest levels of the federal and state governments. Mr. Tanenblatt has served in the administrations of three US presidents, as a senior advisor to a US senator and governor and held a US Senate-confirmable post governing a federal agency.

He is an alumnus of The Fund for American Studies’ (TFAS) class of 1987, and over the years has maintained an extremely supportive relationship with TFAS. He serves on its board of trustees and led TFAS’s 50th Anniversary Campaign.

Tanenblatt’s community service and pro bono work are extensive, and he is also a prolific writer on a wide range of topics. He is a prominent advocate for civic engagement, often writing and speaking on the subject. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the US Senate to serve on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, serving from 2008 until 2013.

He was also the founder and chairman of Hands on Georgia, a statewide organization to promote volunteerism, and served as co-chair of the Host Committee for the National Conference for Service and Volunteerism. He was named one of Georgia’s 100 most influential persons and a political legacy leader by the magazine Georgia Trend, which years earlier named him one of the state’s “Forty under 40” rising stars. Tanenblatt epitomizes the sterling leadership qualities that TFAS hopes its young students will emulate.

Honorary Chairs

Members

Thank you to the following organizations and individuals for sponsoring our 33rd Annual Scholarship Dinner! Your generosity enables outstanding and deserving young people to attend life-changing TFAS programs. Click here to learn more about becoming a 33rd Annual Scholarship Dinner sponsor and the benefits.