Here is more from the Heritage Foundation:
The Heritage Foundation today announced Dr. Kevin Roberts will become the seventh president in the think tank’s 48-year history. Roberts will succeed President Kay C. James later this year when he takes the helm of America’s premier conservative think tank.
Roberts currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), an Austin-based nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute and the largest state think tank in the nation. Under Roberts’ leadership, TPPF more than doubled in size. He also expanded the Texas think tank’s influence nationwide, opening an office in Washington, D.C., so that TPPF research might better inform federal policy debates.
James, who has served as Heritage president since 2018, will continue to serve on the Board of Trustees, a role she’s held since 2005. She says she looks forward to remaining active as a distinguished visiting fellow at Heritage and in the conservative movement going forward.
RealClearPolitics writer Philip Wegmann notes that Roberts, who was chosen from a list of more than 100 names, is a "DC outsider."
Wegmann says that former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was interested in the top post at Heritage but didn't make the final cut. Former Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and former Vice President Mike Pence were also considered for the position.
The Hill notes that while the think tank's influence waned during the Trump era, it is still a well-known conservative organization that will likely play a significant role in the 2022 midterm elections and 2024 presidential election.
