We hope you enjoy these top news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Please visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news and information and sign up to receive weekly updates.
TFAS alumni, staff and faculty continue to make headlines. Read news, analysis and updates by visiting this week’s “Quick Links.”
TFAS Welcomes Kelly Johnston to Board of Regents
TFAS is pleased to announce the election of longtime volunteer and mentor Kelly Johnston to its Board of Regents.
Although Johnston is not a TFAS alumnus himself, he has dedicated nearly 20 years to TFAS through volunteering. His connection to TFAS can be traced back to 1995, when he first assisted students with internships in the U.S. Capitol. Johnston served as Secretary of the U.S. Senate at this time and notes that helping TFAS students is one of the highlights of his career. He believes wholeheartedly in TFAS’s vision of winning over each new generation to the ideas of liberty, limited government and free markets.
“TFAS is the best summer intern program in Washington for the character and values it instills in our future generation of leaders,” Johnston shared. “Nothing else comes close.”
In addition to his volunteer service, Johnston encouraged both his sons to participate in our summer academic internship programs, which serves as testament to his confidence in the TFAS mission. Gavin Johnston ’09 participated in the Business + Government Relations program and Garrett Johnston ’13 in the Journalism + Communications program. Johnston says both his children had “memorable experiences that prepared them not just for future jobs and careers, but as fully engaged citizens.”
Read more about Johnston and his contributions to TFAS programs at TFAS.org/Johnston.
TFAS Supporter Spotlight: A Q&A With Edie Seymour
Longtime TFAS friend and Legacy Society member Edie Seymour is originally from Chicago, but she has called the San Francisco Bay Area home for many years. She and her late husband, Charles “Chuck” Seymour, Jr., traveled extensively and enjoyed their strong relationship with TFAS, which Edie continues to this day. In her free time, Edie enjoys participating in activities with her church, learning new things and meeting new people.
It is a good feeling that by funding TFAS, we are being true patriots to the greatest country in the world.” – Edie Seymour
Legacy Society members since 2009, the Seymours believe that TFAS’s programs are essential in teaching liberty and leadership to rising generations. Edie shared that being involved in the Legacy Society has allowed her to promote these important principles through supporting TFAS’s mission.
“The Legacy Society helps us to relegate funds to meet these threats to the country’s present and future prosperity,” Edie said. “It is a good feeling that by funding TFAS, we are being true patriots to the greatest country in the world.”
To learn more about why the Seymours chose to support TFAS and how you can get involved in the Legacy Society, visit TFAS.org/Seymour.
Economics Lesson of The Week: Women and Work in American History – The Opportunity Cost of Staying Home
TFAS provides resources to help teachers and parents continue the important task of educating our nation’s future leaders. Our “Economics Lesson of The Week” series features new lessons from our high school programming division – the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) – each week.
This week’s lesson is “Women and Work in American History – The Opportunity Cost of Staying Home.” In this activity, students assume the roles of married women in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States. As they play their roles, they learn to identify the opportunity costs involved in choosing whether to stay home or go to work. Successive rounds of the activity incorporate changing societal values and wage rates, both of which influence their choices about whether or not to enter the labor force and take jobs outside their homes.
TFAS offers a plethora of online lesson plans, readings, handouts, video demonstrations, and hands-on activity guides to teach the “economic way of thinking” in engaging and relatable ways. Visit TFAS.org/FTELessons for a one-stop guide to our available resources.
Post of the Week
In 2020, TFAS continued to teach liberty and leadership to young leaders. Visit TFAS.org/2020Review to see how the generous support of our alumni, donors and volunteers impacted students around the globe.
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QUICK LINKS
TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 joins the Dan Proft Show with alumnus Dan Proft ’93 to discuss how TFAS promotes free speech and intellectual diversity on college campuses.
Blaise Misztal ’00, PPF ’09, is now the vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
Alexis Black ’17, ’19 and Justin Black ’18, ’19 were interviewed by ABC 7 News in D.C. about their new book, “Redefining Normal.”
Alisha Forbes ’13 is interviewed by NBC2 Nebraska about her time as the executive director of Mid-Plains United Way, and what’s ahead for the organization and her career.
TFAS Trustee Emeritus Mitch Daniels shares lessons learned from the reopening of Purdue University last fall in a piece for The Washington Post.
Tom Bossert ’97 writes about the scope and scale of cyber attacks on the U.S. government and corporate interests in an op-ed for The New York Times.
TFAS Leadership Scholar Raymond Horchos ’20 is now a research intern for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Laura Vanderkam ’99, Novak ’06, discusses time management and personal growth in a piece for Forge.
Liz Gross ’02 is profiled in the December 2020 edition of In Business about her social listening agency startup, Campus Sonar.
Molly McNulty ’17 is the manager of digital engagement for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.
Oriana Pawlyk ’10 discusses potential growth for the Space Force in 2021 in a piece for the Military Times.
Naomi Schaefer Riley, Novak ’01, writes about the collapse of international adoption in a piece for the Institute for Family Studies.
TFAS Trustee Paula Dobriansky shares the importance of American global leadership to the protection of vital national interests in a piece for The National Interest.
Charles McElwee, Novak ’20, writes about how the small town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, represents the story of our nation’s economy in a piece for The American Conservative.
Tim Carney, Novak ’03, reflects on the unprecedented occurrences of 2020 in a piece for the Washington Examiner.
Erin Mundahl, Novak ’16, discusses efforts by the U.S. oil and gas industry to improve environmental footprint in 2020 in a report for Energy in Depth.
Megan Basham, Novak ’04, shares how Hollywood was transformed in 2020 in a piece for World Magazine.
Kaitlin Durbin ’11 writes for The Blade on how the COVID-19 pandemic brought more awareness for the American Sign Language (ASL) community.
Jen Hale ’99 wraps up the NFL season with Fox.
Peter Gazik ’06 has been named CEO of Telenor Hungary.
Kari Travis ’12, Novak ’18, is now the director of public engagement for the University of North Carolina System.
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