Developing Courageous Citizens: Revitalizing Civic Education and America’s Founding Principles at the 2026 TFAS Annual Conference

More than 300 TFAS leaders, scholars, students, alumni and friends gathered at the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., for the 2026 TFAS Annual Conference. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the event provided a critical forum for revitalizing civic education. Attendees spent two days exploring the American founding, diagnosing the current education crisis and discussing the principles of a free society through dynamic keynote addresses and rigorous panel discussions.

Opening Remarks

TFAS President Roger Ream opened the conference by addressing the crowd, stating the significance of America’s semiquincentennial and the principles that have endured for 250 years. He emphasized the opportunity the nation has to reset the founding narrative about what America is and means and how TFAS programs can build a pipeline of courageous citizens to carry forward the American experiment.

Roger Ream ’76, TFAS President and CEO
Brittany Baldwin, Senior Policy Advisor on the White House Task Force 250

Revitalizing Civic Education

The conversation began with a blunt diagnosis of the civic knowledge deficit. Panelists used data and classroom experience to show how decades of neglect have eroded foundational knowledge. Speakers analyzed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and founding documents and principles to describe the moral shift from British subjects to American citizens. They argued that students cannot understand the scope of the current problem without first mastering these original founding texts. Panel topics and speakers included:

Civics and American Founding Knowledge Deficit

Victoria Hughes, Co-Chair of America 250 Civics and Civic Engagement Task Force
Brenda Hafera, Assistant Director and Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation’s B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies
Judge Douglas Ginsburg, U.S. Circuit Court Appellate Judge, D.C. Circuit
Joseph Starrs, Division Director, TFAS Collegiate Programs

Developing Courageous Citizens

David Bobb, President and CEO, Bill of Rights Institute
Wilfred McClay, Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization, Hillsdale College
Lindsay Craig, TFAS Strategic Advisor and America 250 Program Lead

The Making of the American Mind

Matthew Spalding, Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Hillsdale College
Samuel Goldman, TFAS Professor, University of Florida, Hamilton School of Classical Thought Professor and Jack Miller Center Fellow

America’s Founding Principles

Following sessions provided a deep dive into the mechanics of liberty. Legal and economic experts examined the separation of powers and the First Amendment, explaining how these safeguards protect individual rights. Panelists linked free enterprise and virtue to constitutional order while exploring the rise of the administrative state and offering practical steps to restore the consent of the governed. Panel topics and speakers included:

Protecting Liberty Through Separation of Powers

Judge Janice Rogers Brown, U.S. Circuit Court Appellate Judge, D.C. Circuit (Retired)
Robert Alt, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Buckeye Institute
Ilya Shapiro, Director of Constitutional Studies at the Manhattan Institute and TFAS Law Fellowship Advisory Committee Member

Did Adam Smith Attend the Constitutional Convention?

Anne Bradley, George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and TFAS Vice President of Academic Affairs
Ted Tucker, Executive Director, Foundation for Teaching Economics
Dominic Pino, Editorial Writer, The Washington Post Opinion

Consent of the Governed

Jay Lapeyre, President, Laitram, LLC, Free Society Coalition and Cato Chairman
Donald Devine, TFAS Senior Scholar and President Ronald Reagan’s Civil Service Director
Lindsay Craig, TFAS Strategic Advisor and America 250 Program Lead

Creation of the Bill of Rights, First Things First

Ryan Bangert, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Special Counsel to the President, Alliance Defending Freedom
Carine Hajjar, Rago ’22, Novak ’24, Opinion Journalist, The Washington Post Opinion
Ryan Wolfe, Director, TFAS Center for Excellence in Journalism

Endowed with Natural Rights

Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States
Eric Cohen, Executive Director, Tikvah Fund

250 Years of Freedom

The conference established a roadmap for a curriculum based on a return to America’s founding principles. Thanks to the generosity of TFAS supporters, more than 300 participants engaged deeply with the ideas that sustain a free society, a true investment in the next generation of courageous citizens. Attendees left with more than just a deeper understanding of history; they carried a renewed commitment to ensuring the legacy of 1776 continues to inspire people all over the world for generations to come.

Dinner Keynote

Daniel Hannan, Lord of Kingsclere, TFAS America 250 Visiting Fellow and member of the U.K. House of Lords

The Alumni Experience

Throughout the conference, TFAS alumni reflected on the enduring TFAS legacy and its programs in Washington, D.C., and around the globe. Beyond just a summer or semester in D.C. or abroad, alumni highlighted how the TFAS experience served as a pivotal turning point in their professional and personal journeys.They shared stories of building lifelong connections, meeting valuable mentors and gaining leadership skills that remain essential to their daily lives. From the hallowed halls of D.C. to international hubs, the consensus was clear: the TFAS experience isn’t just a memory, it’s a lifelong competitive advantage.

Alumni Testimonies

Dan McConchie ’93, ’95, Founder and CEO, Accessibility Policy Institute, Former Illinois State Senator and TFAS Trustee
Jean Schindler ’06, Chief of Staff, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

From Bicentennial to Semisesquicentennial: Class of ’76 TFAS Alumni Conversation

Mark Levin ’76, Best-Selling Author, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and Constitutional Lawyer
Roger Ream ’76, TFAS President and CEO

The Conversation Continues

Join TFAS around the country for the Developing Courageous Citizens: Revitalizing Civic Education and America’s Founding Principles event tour to examine the ideas that shaped the American founding and their relevance today.

Fall 2026 – The Pacific Club, Newport Beach, California
Fall 2026 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, date and location forthcoming

To learn more about TFAS’s commitment to civic renewal and America 250 educational programming and celebrations, please visit TeachingFreedom250.org.