“The Republicans have the plan that will put this country back onto a path of fiscal sanity and regulatory restraint that will help sustain the greatness of America,” Watts said. “The Southern Republican Leadership Conference is an important opportunity for us to shape the vision and articulate the ideas for our party and our country that will lead us to victory in 2010, 2012 and beyond.”

J.C. Watts served as a Congressman from Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District for four terms. After, Watts was appointed by President Bush to the Board of Visitors for the U.S. Military Academy. He later created a lobbying and consulting firm, J.C. Watts Companies, located in Washington, D.C. where he fights for the causes he championed in Congress. He wrote an autobiography, worked as a columnist for several publications, became a member of the board of directors for several corporations and served as the chairman of GOPAC.

“We are honored to host J.C. Watts at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference,” SRLC President and CEO Charlie Davis said. “He is an effective leader who has continued to fight for conservatism even after his successful Congressional career.”

About SRLC

The Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) is the most prominent Republican event outside of a Republican National Convention. It is held every two to four years and brings the top Republican activists, donors, candidates and elected officials together for three days of training, briefings, receptions and speeches from the leaders of the Republican Party.

SRLC 2010 will be held at the Hilton Riverside from Thursday, April 8 to Sunday, April 11, 2010 in New Orleans, La.

The 14 Southern states with delegates attending SRLC are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

SRLC is a credentialed event for the media. For information on the conference and to register for credentials, visit http://www.srlc2010.com/media. For more information, please visit http://www.srlc2010.com.
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Ron Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine, before proudly serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies! He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have seventeen grandchildren.

While serving in Congress during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Paul’s limited-government ideals were not popular in Washington. He served on the House Banking committee, where he was a strong advocate for sound monetary policy and an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary measures. He also was a key member of the Gold Commission, advocating a return to a gold standard for our currency. He was an unwavering advocate of pro-life and pro-family values. Dr. Paul consistently voted to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending, and regulation, and used his House seat to actively promote the return of government to its proper constitutional levels. In 1984, he voluntarily relinquished his House seat and returned to his medical practice.

Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th Congressional district of Texas. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee, the International Relations committee, and the Joint Economic Committee. On the Financial Services Committee, Rep. Paul serves as the vice-chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.

Dr. Paul is the author of several books, including Challenge to Liberty; The Case for Gold; and A Republic, If You Can Keep It. He has been a distinguished counselor to the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and is widely quoted by scholars and writers in the fields of monetary policy, banking, and political economy. He has received many awards and honors during his career in Congress, from organizations such as the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Council for a Competitive Economy, Young Americans for Freedom, and countless others.

Dr. Paul’s consistent voting record prompted one Congressman to comment that “Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers’ ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are.” Another Congresswoman added that “There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few.”

A self-described “Lincoln Republican,” Mr. Steele earned a place in history in 2003 when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, becoming the first African-American elected to statewide office in the state.

An expert on political strategy and election reform, he most recently served as Chairman of GOPAC, and also held posts on the National Federal Election Reform Commission and the NAACP Blue Ribbon Commission on Election Reform.

Mr. Steele’s experiences as a successful elected conservative African-American Republican and his engaging speaking style have launched him into national prominence. His first major exposure was during an appearance at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Since then, President George W. Bush selected Steele to be part of the U.S. delegation to the investiture of Pope Benedict XVI, and a member of the Presidential Delegation to the Leon H. Sullivan Summit VIII in Tanzania.

Mr. Steele’s ability as a communicator and political analyst have been showcased through his roles as a contributor on the Fox News Channel and regular host of the Salem Radio Network’s nationally syndicated Morning in America Show.  Additionally, Mr. Steele is an entertaining and eloquent guest on cable political talk shows such as HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

A corporate finance attorney, Mr. Steele founded his own company, The Steele Group, a business and legal consulting firm.  His writings on law, business and politics have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Politico.com, Townhall.com, and The Journal of International Security Affairs, among others.

Born in 1958 at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Mr. Steele was raised in Washington, DC. He spent three years as a seminarian in the Order of St. Augustine in preparation for the priesthood, but, ultimately, chose a career in law instead. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991.

Mr. Steele serves on the Administrative Board of the Maryland Catholic Conference and is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Landover Hills, MD, where he attends mass regularly with his wife Andrea and their two sons.

He founded the Congressional Working Group on Religious Freedom and spearheaded the passage of several key pieces of legislation. From 2001 to 2007, he served as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, where he directed the communications operations of Senate Republicans and was the third-ranking member of the Republican leadership.

Rick Santorum is currently a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, established and directs EPPC’s Program to Protect America’s Freedom. He is writing a book on the “gathering storm” of the 21st century — the challenges posed by radical Islamic fascism and its growing alliances around the world. In 2005, he authored “It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good.”

Following graduation from law school, Pence ran for Congress in 1988 and 1990. In 1991, he was named president of a conservative state think tank based in Fort Wayne, Indiana known as the Indiana Policy Review Foundation.

Pence began his career in radio broadcasting in 1992 and two years later, Network Indiana syndicated his show throughout the state of Indiana. “The Mike Pence Show” aired Monday through Friday on 18 stations. He also hosted a Sunday morning political television show in Indianapolis from 1995-1999.

Pence was first elected to Congress in 2000 and was most recently elected to a fifth term in November of 2008. He also was elected unanimously by House Republicans to serve as House Republican Conference Chairman in November 2008. In his role as Conference Chairman, he helps to develop and disseminate the message of the Republican Conference and to promote its Members.

Congressman Pence describes himself as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.”

Congressman Pence and his wife Karen have three children and reside in Columbus, Indiana. The Pence family lives in Arlington, Virginia, while Congress is in session.

Conservative Leader

During the 109th Congress, Congressman Pence served as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee. The Republican Study Committee is the largest caucus in the House of Representatives; membership grew to 110 House Republicans under his leadership, and has been the leading voice for advancing conservative social and economic issues in Congress since the mid-1980s.

Congressman Pence has emerged as a national spokesman for conservative principles. In March of 2005, The Washington Post described Pence as “A New Face on Conservatism” observing, “he delivered conservative opinions with the even tones and polite demeanor of his Midwest upbringing.” In November 2005, Business Week described Pence as a “new power broker” and syndicated columnist George Will singled out Pence and Governor Mitch Daniels’ brand of conservatism as the “wave of the future.” Peggy Noonan has complimented Pence on his ability to maintain an upbeat attitude even in a partisan environment, quoting him as saying “I’m a conservative, but I’m not in a bad mood about it.” An April 2006 profile in U.S. News and World Report said Pence “has emerged as a powerful force, moving Congress further to the right.”

Pence’s role as a conservative leader has been profiled in The Chicago Tribune, Business Week, the Weekly Standard, U.S. News and World Report and The New York Times. He appears regularly on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Pence also appears weekly on Indiana’s most prominent talk radio stations.

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He was born January 1, 1953 and attended the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque from 1971 to 1975, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While in college, Gary Johnson earned money as a door-to-door handyman. His successes in this area led to his own construction business, Big J Enterprises, which was founded in 1976. Johnson grew the company into a multi-million dollar corporation that employed over 1000 people in 1994. When he sold Big J in 1999, no employee lost his job and the company remains very successful to this day.

In 1994, Johnson was elected Governor of New Mexico despite having little political experience at the . He defeated the incumbent Democratic Governor Bruce King in the general election by 50% to 40% as well as a former Republican Governor in the Republican primary election. In 1998, Johnson was re-elected as governor, defeating Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez by a 55% to 45% margin.

Results. As Governor of New Mexico, Johnson was known for his common-sense business approach to governing. He eliminated New Mexico’s budget deficit, cut the rate of growth in state government in half and privatized half of the state prisons.

Johnson also shifted state Medicaid to managed care (which led to better healthcare by creating a statewide healthcare network that previously did not exist and which saved money) and reduced state employees by over 1000, with no firings. During his term, New Mexico experienced the longest period without a tax increase in the state’s history.

While in office, Governor Johnson vetoed 750 bills (which was more than all the vetoes of the other 49 Governors in the country at the time.)

By New Mexico State Constitution, Gary Johnson could not run for a third consecutive term as governor. He currently lives in New Mexico and has remained very active, competing in numerous athletic competitions. He is an avid skier, adventurer, and bicyclist who abstains from alcohol. In 2003, he climbed Mount Everest. Johnson was raised Lutheran and throughout his life has ordered his life according to spiritual principles. Gary Johnson has two grown children.

As Governor, he has balanced Minnesota’s budget three times without raising taxes, despite facing record budget deficits.  Governor Pawlenty’s most notable accomplishments include proposing and signing into law significant new benefits for veterans and members of the military; enacting a property tax cap, eliminating the marriage penalty and cutting taxes; toughening the state’s education standards; reforming the way teachers are paid through a nation-leading performance pay plan; instituting free-market health care reforms that increase accountability and provide tax credits to encourage the use of health savings accounts; and implementing a plan to Americanize our energy sources by generating 25% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Under Governor Pawlenty’s leadership, Minnesota leads the nation in a variety of measures.  Minnesota ranks first among states in Fortune 500 companies per capita, first in overall quality of life, first in homeownership, first in percentage of residents with a high school diploma, and first in residents over 25 with a bachelors degree.  Minnesota has the highest average ACT scores in the nation and is among the “Healthiest States in America.”

Pawlenty grew up in South St. Paul, Minnesota.  The only child in his family to graduate from college, he attended the University of Minnesota and practiced law in the private sector.  His public service career includes serving as a criminal prosecutor, Eagan City Councilmember, and ten-year member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, including four years as House Majority Leader.  Pawlenty served as Chair of the National Governors Association and on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, the Achieve Inc. Board of Directors and the James B. Hunt Jr. Institute Board of Directors.  He is Chair of the Education Commission of the States and former Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association.

Pawlenty and his wife, Mary, have two daughters.

Texas’ 47th governor, and the first Texas A&M graduate to occupy the Governor’s Mansion, Rick Perry has led a life of public service, starting in the United States Air Force and continuing over two decades in elected office.

Governor Perry’s administration has focused on creating a Texas of unlimited opportunity and prosperity by improving education, securing the border and increasing economic development through classical conservative values. Under Governor Perry’s leadership, lawmakers recently passed a $153 billion budget, financing:

• a $3 billion cancer research fund
• a health opportunity pool that will help more Texans buy private health insurance
• more college financial aid
• a new incentive program for colleges and junior colleges
• $100 million to border security

Additionally, Governor Perry signed a school finance reform package that provides a 33 percent school property tax reduction, $2,000 pay raise for teachers, record funding for classrooms and a reformed business tax.

Governor Perry also signed the nation’s most sweeping lawsuit reforms, which stand as a national model for addressing skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates. Many hospitals and doctors subsequently experienced insurance savings. Obstetricians and specialists are returning to practice in previously high-risk areas and physicians from across the country are moving to Texas to practice medicine.

Starting with his election as lieutenant governor in 1999, Rick Perry has worked to build a stronger safety net for the poorest of the poor. The number of children with health insurance under Medicaid and CHIP has more than doubled since 1999. He is also working to expand opportunities for the private sector to offer health insurance, and signed legislation allowing small businesses to pool together to offer affordable health insurance policies.

Additionally, the governor has proposed the most visionary transportation plan in the nation – the Trans Texas Corridor – which provides thousands of miles of new roads and rail lines, and room for petroleum, electric and water lines and broadband technology. This proposal, along with new renewable energy requirements and emissions reduction legislation will help clean the air in urban areas.

Rick Perry’s political career started in 1985 as a representative for a rural West Texas district in the state House of Representatives. He was first elected to statewide office in 1990, and served as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture for two terms. Governor Perry hails from Paint Creek, a small farming community north of Abilene. His father, Ray Perry, served as a Haskell County Commissioner, school board member and a World War II tail gunner. Between 1972 and 1977, Governor Perry served in the United States Air Force flying C-130 tactical airlift aircraft in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.

He is a 1972 graduate of Texas A&M University where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, a junior and senior yell leader and an animal science major. The younger of Ray and Amelia Perry’s two children, Governor Perry is an Eagle Scout and lifetime member of American Legion Post #75.

He first met Anita Thigpen at a piano recital during their elementary school years. They married in 1982 and are the proud parents of two grown children – Griffin and Sydney.

In 1977, Herman Cain joined The Pillsbury Company and within three years, at the age of 34, rose to the position of Vice President of Corporate Systems and Services. Cain, reflecting his father’s drive to seek greater challenges, then set his sights on a corporate presidency.

With this goal ahead of him and his mother’s faith to support him, Cain resigned his senior position and started on another career path – the restaurant industry. He started from the ground up by making hamburgers at Pillsbury’s Burger King division. Nine months later, he was managing 400 Burger King units in the Philadelphia region, the country’s poorest performer. Within three years, his region had earned the reputation for excellence and was the company’s best.

In 1986, Pillsbury appointed Cain to the presidency of the then financially troubled Godfather’s Pizza, Inc. chain headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. In 14 short months, under Cain’s leadership, the chain regained profitability. In 1988, he led his executive team in a buyout of the company from Pillsbury.

Cain was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association in 1988. In 1994 to 1995, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. While leading this association, he developed the organization into a pro-business voice via national debates and speeches concerning health care reform, employment policies, and taxation. Following this experience, he was appointed to serve on the Economic Growth and Tax Reform Commission in addition to serving as Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He then became a senior advisor to the 1996 Dole/Kemp campaign for the Presidency.

Herman Cain continued the responsibilities of President and Chairman of Godfather’s Pizza, Incorporated, while beginning a second career delivering national keynote speeches. Using his messages as the foundation, he created his own leadership consulting company, The THE New Voice, Inc. THE New Voice packages his speaking and develops his products, including books, DVDs, CDs of gospel music, and promotes his keynote speeches. He has authored four books to date on topics ranging from leadership to self-empowerment including Leadership is Common Sense and CEO of Self.

In 1996, Cain became CEO and President of the National Restaurant Association. He had been a member of the NRA Board since 1988, and had served as its elected volunteer chairman in 1994/1995. Cain thus became the only volunteer chairman to become the full-time CEO and President of the Association while still a member of the Board. Cain headed the NRA in this position for two and a half years.

In 1999, Cain sought to leverage his restaurant experience with the technology market and he became CEO and President of RetailDNA. Its mission is to provide innovative marketing solutions to the retail sector.

Today, Herman is a radio talk show host on “The Herman Cain Show” out of Atlanta’s WSB 750am and is a FOX News Business Commentator. Cain remains President and CEO of THE New Voice, Inc. and serves on the Boards of Directors for AGCO Corporation, Hallmark Cards Incorporated and Whirlpool Corporation. In 2004, he ran as a candidate for the United States Senate from Georgia.

During her time in office, her top priorities were resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.

Under her leadership, Alaska invested more than $5 billion in state savings, increased education funding, and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and the Climate Change Subcabinet to prepare a climate change strategy for Alaska. She also established the Rural Subcabinet to create stronger, safer and healthier communities in the state’s outlying regions.

Governor Palin’s other accomplishments include the passage of community revenue sharing, an omnibus crime package, aviation safety, the reduction of business license fees, and an overhaul of the state’s ethics laws. She took steps to address Alaskans’ emergency energy needs by establishing a renewable energy fund, making rebates available for home weatherization and increasing the availability of bulk fuel loans to small communities and utilities.

In a major milestone in state history, Governor Palin’s administration developed and implemented a competitive process to initiate construction of a natural gas pipeline through the passage of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, or AGIA. Under AGIA, the Legislature authorized the administration to award a state license to TransCanada Alaska to permit, develop and build a 1,715-mile natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to the Alberta Hub in Canada.

In a special session, Governor Palin also championed reform of Alaska’s new profits-based tax on oil production. The governor’s legislation, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Shares, or ACES, captured billions in state revenue at record high oil prices.

Governor Palin is past chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment. She was recently named chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee, which is charged with pursuing legislation to ensure state needs are considered as federal policy is formulated in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management. Prior to being named to this position, she served as co-chair of this committee.

Prior to her election as governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor/manager of Wasilla. During her tenure, she reduced property tax levels while increasing services and made Wasilla a business friendly environment, drawing in new industry.

She has served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska’s most valuable non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. In this role, she worked with local, state and federal officials to promote solutions to the needs of Alaska’s communities.

Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin, who graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla.

She is married to Todd Palin, who is a lifelong Alaskan, a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world’s longest snowmachine race.

Todd and Sarah fish in Bristol Bay with their children – Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Through Todd’s Yup’ik grandmother, Alaska’s Native heritage plays an important role in their family. Track enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2007.

Prior to taking office, Palin served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the state. She was active in her family’s pursuits – including serving as a sports team mom and school volunteer. She also runs marathons.

Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA and enjoys hunting, fishing, Alaska history, and all that Alaska’s great outdoors has to offer.

The results are significant: balanced budgets without any tax increases; a 27.8% increase in per capita personal income; prudent management of the state health care program; and new attention on Mississippi as an energy producing state that can help meet America’s energy needs in the future.

Governor Barbour’s first election in 2003 marked the largest voter turnout in Mississippi gubernatorial history, and he was reelected in 2007 with 58.2 percent of the vote. The Yazoo City, Mississippi, native is only the second governor since Reconstruction to be elected to a second consecutive term as Mississippi’s chief executive.

Achievements in his first term included:

Balancing the budget without raising taxes. Inheriting a budget hole of more than $720 million, Governor Barbour led by restraining spending, controlling debt and getting the state’s fiscal house in order. His policies not only filled the budget hole but also resulted in increasing Mississippi’s rainy day fund.

The most comprehensive tort reform in the nation, restoring balance for plaintiffs and defendants in the state’s civil justice system;

Momentum Mississippi, an update to the state’s economic development programs. During the Barbour Administration, and prior to the current international economic downtown, Mississippi saw net increases in new jobs. Major announcements include Toyota, whose auto assembly plant was the most sought-after economic development project in the United States; General Electric, which will manufacture advanced jet engine components; SeverStal, which has built a state-of-the-art steel mill; and PACCAR, which is building a diesel engine manufacturing plant for its Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. Even in the troubled economy, Mississippi continues to aggressively pursue job-creation projects.

Record funding increases for all three levels of education in Mississippi: K-12, community colleges, and universities; for K-12, it was the largest increase in any four year period under any governor in the history of our state. Across-the-board reforms in public education, including new focus on teacher and school performance, reducing state bureaucracy and strengthening discipline.

Saving the Medicaid program for truly needy recipients, emphasizing preventative care, and implementing the strongest anti-fraud plan in the history of Mississippi Medicaid.

Protecting the unborn. Governor Barbour initiated and the Legislature passed seven pro-life laws that make Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child, according to a national right-to-life organization.

Today, under Governor Barbour’s leadership, Mississippi is emerging as a leader in utilizing the state’s abundant resources and developing alternative, affordable, and sustainable sources of energy. To date, approximately $10.5 billion in projects have been announced, involving biofuels, liquefied natural gas, clean coal and coal to liquid, and nuclear power. In total, the state is actively pursuing and negotiating additional energy-related projects valued at more than $26.3 billion.

In the face of the worst natural disaster in American history, Hurricane Katrina, which struck on August 29, 2005, Governor Barbour took the lead early on helping Mississippians rebuild and recover. He and First Lady Marsha Barbour, his wife of 37 years, have worked tirelessly and innovatively with local, state and national leadership to tap into many resources of assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

He created the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal to develop a broad vision for opportunities to help South Mississippi rebuild bigger and better than ever. Today, Governor Barbour continues the good management practices and award-winning stewardship of about $5.4 billion in federal funding received after Katrina for housing, infrastructure, and a wide variety of other recovery work.

For his leadership after Katrina, Governor Barbour was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award, which is presented to a nationally recognized leader by the bipartisan American Legislative Exchange Council.

He was also named Governor of the Year for 2006 by Washington, D.C.-based Governing magazine; awarded the Gulf Guardian Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for his work to rebuild and protect sensitive Coast ecosystems; and received the 2008 Adam Smith Medal from BIPAC for his pursuit of the principles of free enterprise as Mississippi’s 63rd Governor.

In his post-Speaker role, Newt has become one of the most highly sought-after public speakers, accepting invitations to speak before some of the most prestigious organizations in the world.  Because of his own unquenchable thirst for knowledge, Newt is able to share unique and unparalleled insights on a wide range of topics.  His audiences find him to be not only an educational but also an inspirational speaker.

Widely recognized for his commitment to a better system of health for all Americans, his leadership helped save Medicare from bankruptcy, prompted FDA reform to help the seriously ill and initiated a new focus on research, prevention, and wellness.  His contributions have been so great that the American Diabetes Association awarded him their highest non-medical award and the March of Dimes named him their 1995 Citizen of the Year.  Today he serves as a Board Member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

In his book, Saving Lives and Saving Money, Newt describes his vision of a 21st Century System of Health and Healthcare that is centered on the individual, prevention focused, knowledge intense, and innovation rich.  Moreover, he makes the case for a market-mediated system that will improve choice and quality while driving down costs.  To foster such a modern health system that provides better outcomes at lower cost, Newt launched the Center for Health Transformation.

Newt also serves with former Senator Bob Kerrey as Co-chairman of the National Commission for Quality Long-term Care.  The commission will make recommendations to policymakers and the public on how to transform healthcare services for the frail elderly and disabled in order to maximize independence and achieve a high quality of life and quality of care for our aging population.

Recognized internationally as an expert on world history, military issues, and international affairs, Newt serves as a Member of the Defense Policy Board.  Newt is the longest-serving teacher of the Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals.  He also teaches officers from all five services as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University .  Newt serves on the Terrorism Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations.  He is an Editorial Board Member of the Johns Hopkins University journal, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, and is an Advisory Board Member of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.  Recently, Newt was named co-Chair of the UN Task Force, a bi-partisan Congressional effort to reform the United Nations.

In 1999, Gingrich was appointed to the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century, the Hart/Rudman Commission to examine our national security challenges as far out as 2025.  The Commission’s report is the most profound rethinking of defense strategy since 1947.  The report concluded that the number one threat to the United States was the likelihood over the next 25 years of a weapon of mass destruction — nuclear, chemical, and/or biological being used against one or more major cities unless our defense and intelligence structures underwent a massive transformation.  That report was published six months before September 11.

Because of his work on the Commission, Newt Gingrich is credited with the idea contained in the report of a Homeland Security Agency with a Secretary to serve on the Cabinet level.  President George W. Bush has since created the Department of Homeland Security.

Newt Gingrich is Chairman of the Gingrich Group, a communications and consulting firm that specializes in transformational change, with offices in Atlanta and Washington, DC .  He serves as General Chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future, is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and is an Honorary Chairman of the NanoBusiness Alliance.  Newt is also a news and political analyst for the Fox News Channel.

Newt Gingrich is a leading advocate of increased Federal funding for basic science research.  In 2001, he was the recipient of the Science Coalition’s first Science Pioneer award, given to him for his outstanding contributions to educating the public about science and its benefits to society.

A strong advocate of volunteerism, Gingrich has long championed the positive impact every individual can have on society.  He has raised millions of dollars for charity, donating both time and money to a wide array of causes, including Habitat for Humanity, United Cerebral Palsy, the American Cancer Society, and ZooAtlanta.  A former environmental studies professor, he is widely recognized for his commitment to the environment and to the advancement of a new, common-sense environmentalism.  In 1998, the Georgia Wildlife Federation named him Legislative Conservationist of the Year.

Newt was first elected to Congress in 1978 where he served the Sixth District of Georgia for twenty years.  In 1995, he was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives where he served until 1999.  The Washington Times has called him “the indispensable leader” and Time magazine, in naming him Man of the Year for 1995, said, “Leaders make things possible.  Exceptional leaders make them inevitable.  Newt Gingrich belongs in the category of the exceptional.”

His experiences as the son of a career soldier convinced him at an early age to dedicate his life to his country and to the protection of freedom.  Realizing the importance of understanding the past in order to protect the future, he immersed himself in the study of history, receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Emory University and Master’s and Doctorate in Modern European History from Tulane University .  Before his election to Congress, he taught History and Environmental Studies at West Georgia College for eight years.

He resides in Virginia with his wife, Callista. The Gingrich family includes two daughters, two sons-in-law and two grandchildren.

Previously, Hannity co-hosted “Hannity & Colmes” with Alan Colmes for 12 years, which was the second-highest rated program in cable news.

Known for his provocative style free-wheeling, passionate commentary on politics and the American agenda, Hannity has become one of the most popular radio personalities nationwide as the host of ABC Radio Networks’ “The Sean Hannity Show,” syndicated to more than 500 stations and heard in all of the top 50 markets with a loyal listenership of 13.5 million. Hannity is currently ranked No. 2 in Talker Magazine’s Top 100 Talk Host in America. In October 2003, Hannity has received 2 NAB Marconi Radio Award for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year and has been awarded the Radio & Records National Talk Show Host of the Year Award for three consecutive years. Newsday’s Verne Gay predicted Hannity as the third most significant player who would influence the coverage of the 2004 presidential campaign. Gay also said, “Hannity is considered more influential than FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly, who’s somewhat suspect in the eyes of the Right, or even Limbaugh, who has no TV berth.”

Hannity has interviewed many key political figures including President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Prior to his roles with WABC and FNC, Hannity hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta on WGST-AM and was a frequent substitute for fellow talk show host, Rush Limbaugh on WABC in New York.

He is also the author of two New York Times bestsellers, “Let Freedom Ring” (Harper Collins, 2002) and “Deliver Us From Evil” (Harper Collins, 2004).