| Following is a partial but representative list of officers, directors, chairs, and advisors of the Lincoln Heritage Institute.
Charles A. Bedell, LHI Secretary and Trustee
Mr. Bedell, a native of Ohio, is counsel and manager of Environmental and Governmental Affairs for Murphy Oil Company. He received his B.A. from Kenyon College and his J.D. from the University of Kentucky. After serving as counsel of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, and as the chief minority counsel of the Ad Hoc Select Committee on the Outer Continental Shelf, Mr. Bedell joined the International Association of Drilling Contractors as counsel managing government and environmental affairs. Mr. Bedell has had extensive experience in international law and has written many papers, articles, and pieces of legislation on domestic and international environmental law; and oil and gas exploration, development, and production.
Phil Brennan, Trustee
Mr. Brennan serves as director of Special Projects for the Institute and writes numerous articles for the Institute’s website. He served as the Washington correspondent for The National Review, writing under the pseudonym CATO. He organized the 1964 GOP Truth Squad for Barry Goldwater and served as its Public Relations director. He also was a public relations consultant for the Alaska Statehood campaign. From 1961 until 1966 he was Director of Public Relations and Special Projects for the House Republican Policy Committee, under Representative John Rhodes.
His investigative work uncovered many scandals including the Bobby Baker case, and also resulted in a book he co-authored with Ralph de Toledano on Florida Governor Claude Kirk, which helped defeat Kirk when he ran for re-election.
In addition to his work with the Institute, he is the producer and editor of Wednesday on the Web, a conservative internet magazine, and is the author of ten books.
Harry Burroughs, Advisor and Instructor
Mr. Burroughs has served 18 years as senior staff in the U.S. House of Representatives as a legislative director in Congressional offices, and as staff director for various Committees and Subcommittees of the House. He has been responsible for legislative issues such as the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration, and Endangered Species. Currently he serves as Staff Director of a Subcommittee of the House Resource Committee dealing with the Endangered Species and related statutes.
Mike Catarino, Policy Board Member
Mr. Catarino recently retired as public and government representative of Beneficial Finance Corp. He is currently a Legislative and government consultant.
Ray Chambers, Life member of the Institute’s Policy Board
Mr. Chambers is founder and chairman of RBC Associates, a Washington D.C. firm representing railroads and transit companies. He founded and represents the Association of Regional Railroads of America. He is a former senior staff member of the U.S. Congress; a former deputy assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare; and a former director of Congressional Relations at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Chambers received his B.A. from Redlands University and his MA from Rutgers.
U.S. Representative Helen Chenoweth, LHI Policy Board Member
The Hon. Mrs. Chenoweth is in her third term representing Idaho’s First Congressional District. She has received numerous awards for her votes to balance the budget, lower taxes and shrink the size of government, and is a leader in promoting individual and states’ rights, particularly property rights.
Rep. Chenoweth, a native of Burlingame, Idaho, attended Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash. From 1964 to 1975, she was a self-employed consultant with a national clientele. During that time she was a guest instructor at the University of Idaho’s School of Law. Currently she serves as chairman of the Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee of the House Resources Committee and also serves on the House Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and Government Reform committees.
Representative Chenoweth served as state executive director of the Idaho Republican Party, and went on to serve as chief of staff to then-Congressman Steve Symms. After leaving Symms’ office in 1978, she founded Consulting Associates Inc., a firm that specialized on issues relating to natural resources, energy policy, environmental policy, government contracts and political management.
Mickey Craig, Ph.D., Senior Advisor
Dr. Craig is a professor of Political Science and the chairman of the Division of Social Sciences at Hillsdale College in Michigan. He also directs the Washington-Hillsdale Intern Program. Dr. Craig received his B.A. in Political Science from Arkansas State University, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Claremont. He has published several journals, including The Political Science Reviewer and Benchmark.
Jerry Crandall, Senior Advisor and Instructor
Currently press secretary to Republican Caucus of the Michigan State House, Mr. Crandall has more than 30 years of news, public relations, and legislative experience, most of it on the firing line. He began his career in broadcasting as a reporter and newscaster, and ultimately the producer of the award-winning 10:00 news for station WJBK-TV in Detroit. He later launched a second career in public relations by joining the firm of M.G. and Casey in Detroit which led him into the political arena. In 1986, then-Senate Majority Leader John Engler named Crandall his chief of staff. When Engler was elected Governor, he appointed Crandall the Michigan State Lottery Commissioner, a position he held until 1994 when he joined Speaker Hillegonds’ staff.
C. Grady Drago, President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Mr. Drago spent 23 years with the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as administrative, legislative, and press assistant to various U.S. Congressmen, and as chief minority counsel and professional staff of congressional committees. In those capacities, he was responsible for issues such as domestic oil and gas production, the Panama Canal, taxes, government reorganization, environmental protection, and education. He drafted numerous pieces of legislation that were signed into law, and was involved in many political campaigns. He has had studies and articles published on issues as diverse as schools of choice, alternative energy technologies, outer continental shelf oil and gas development, federal taxes, and the federal budget.
Mr. Drago has served as a charter member and president of the historic society in his community, and as president of his county historic commission,. He is a member of the Capitol Hill Club, and a past member of the Capitol Hill Investment Club, the Republication Communications Association, and the Conservative Energy Resource Council. He has also been listed in Who’s Who in American Politics, Who’s Who in the Mid-West, and Oxford Press’ Men of Achievement.
Theodore R. Eck, Ph.D., Chairman of the Institute’s Advisory Committee on Commerce, Science, and International Affairs
Dr. Eck recently retired as the Chief Economist of Amoco Corporation, which he joined in 1970 after working for Creole Petroleum Corp. Prior to that, Dr. Eck was Chairman of the Department of Finance for SMU, and petroleum analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Dr. Eck is a frequent consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy and to other agencies on petroleum related matters. Dr. Eck received his M.A. in economics from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
Pat Hucker, Member of the Board of Trustees
Mr. Hucker is a past national co-chair of Dole for President Committee, and a multi-year Republican Eagle. Hucker is on his third successful career, beginning as owner of auto carburetor manufacturing plant in Windsor, Canada, and moving on to housing development.
Charles Laser, LHI Policy Board Member
Charles Laser is an oil and gas “wildcatter” with operations in Wyoming. He has been an independent oil and gas consultant for many years, and was the executive vice president of GeoSpectra Corporation, a leading world-wide geological sensing company. He has been involved in numerous national and community political activities including serving as the executive director of the Washington, D.C. and Saginaw County (Michigan) Republican Parties; former president of the Boca Raton Republican Men’s club; and served as chairman of Senator Connie Mack’s Palm Beach Round Table.
Mr. Laser has been active in many community organizations including Toastmasters, the Boca Raton Rotary Club, and the Board of Governors of Northwood University, to name just a few. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1958. He has been listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in the South, Who’s Who in Science, and in the 54th edition of Who’s Who in America, published in 2000.
U.S. Representative Robert Livingston, Chairman of the Institute’s Policy Board
Congressman Livingston, now retired, was the chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented the 1st Congressional District of Louisiana for 19 years. He is a former U.S. Attorney, and the chief prosecutor for the Organized Crime Unit of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.
Mr. Livingston received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Tulane University, and also graduated from Loyola University’s Institute of Politics. He was honorably discharged from the U.S Navy.
Before becoming chairman of House Appropriations, Mr. Livingston served in numerous House leadership positions, including chairman of the Republican Study Committee and member of U.S. delegation that observed the elections in El Salvador and in the Philippines.
Lee MacGregor, Advisor
Mr. MacGregor has a proven national record in marketing and direct mail fundraising. He is a founder and partner in Alexander and MacGregor, a full service direct mail and marketing firm located in Washington, D.C. Mr. MacGregor also has a successful record as an employee of the U.S. Congress, serving as an assistant to U.S. Senator Robert Griffin.
Pennsylvania State Representative Ron Marsico, Policy Board Member
Ken Mason, Director of International Trade Policy for the Institute
Mr. Mason has recently retired as the Secretary of the International Trade Commission after 22 years of service. During his tenure with the Commission, he gained a reputation as one of our top experts on imports, and was appointed to two GATT trade negotiating teams. Mr. Mason has also retired form the Air Force with the rank of colonel after 30 years of service.
Mr. Mason has always been active in his church, and has served as an elder for the St. Marks Presbyterian Church in Potomac, Md., since 1993. He received his B.S. from Rutgers and his M.S. from the University of Maryland.
John W. McGowan, Member of the LHI Policy Board
Mr. McGowan is president of Cedar Point Oil company and the McGowan Working Group.
Mr. McGowan graduated with a degree in geology from Louisiana State University in 1956 and served two years in the army. After leaving the army he worked two years in the oil fields for various service companies doing seismic exploration, surveying, and oil formation core analysis. Mr. McGowan began purchasing and re-equipping oil wells almost 40 years ago, and today produces oil from refurbished fields in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Presently he lives in Jackson, Miss., with his wife Diane. They have between them seven children and fourteen grandchildren
D. Joseph Olson, Member of the LHI Policy Board
Mr. Olson is currently vice president of Amerisure of Michigan. Mr. Olson was the insurance commissioner for the State of Michigan, a position he was appointed to by Governor John Engler. Prior to his current position, Olson was vice president/general counsel and secretary of Citizens Insurance Company of America, and the associate counsel for United Services Automobile Association of America.
Mr. Olson has been very active in professional and community organizations including serving as president of the Michigan Insurance Federation; a member of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce; and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Lansing Symphony Association.
Mr. Olson received his B.A. (magna cum laude) from Oklahoma City University, and his J.D. (summa cum laude) from the University of Santa Clara.
Pennsylvania State Representative Merle Phillips, Policy Board Member
Administrator of the Pennsylvania State House Republican Caucus, Phillips’ 18 years of legislative experience is only a part of his dedication to his district and the citizens of Pennsylvania. His numerous community affiliations include but are not limited to the Sunbury Community Hospital, Northumberland County Historical Society, the NRA, and Sons of American Revolution. Some of his numerous awards include the Institute’s Guardian Award, NFIB’s Guardian of the Year, Pomona Grange Official of the Year, and Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsman’s Sportsman Legislator of the Year.
Albert Small, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for International Commercial Policy
Dr. Small is currently President of INPRO, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm. Previously, he served as the director of Strategic Planning for the Bureau of International Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce; assistant director of Operations at the Price Control Commission; and deputy assistant to the Administrator of the Agency for International Development.
Matt Surrell, Senior Advisor
Mr. Surrell is currently the vice president for University Relations of Northern Michigan University. He served three years as press secretary to U.S. Senator Robert Griffin, and as a political consultant on two of former Governor Milliken’s campaigns. Prior to that, Mr. Surrell spent many years in the broadcast industry, including five years as anchor and news editor of WJR radio in Detroit, Michigan.
Jeff Suzenski, Director of Operations for the State of Pennsylvania
Mr. Suzenski is a member of the law firm of Stevens and Lee, which has six offices throughout the State of Pennsylvania. Jeff is a native Pennsylvanian, and attended Pennsylvania State University majoring in electrical engineering.
He is the Senior Government Affairs Representative for Stevens and Lee, and in that capacity works closely with the executive and legislative branch of government on regulatory and legislative matters.
Charles Van Eaton, Ph.D., Trustee
Dr. Van Eaton has just recently accepted a position with the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University. Prior to this position, he was the chairman of the School of Economics at Hillsdale College, where he held the McCabe UPS Endowed Chair of Economics. Dr. Van Eaton is a nationally recognized expert on the privatization of government and has recently authored a paper that has become a benchmark on privatization, entitled “Revitalization of the American City: A Market Perspective for Detroit.” Dr. Van Eaton writes a weekly column and lectures across the nation on a wide range of issues including education, and the privatization of municipal services, jails, and prisons.
He holds a degree in divinity from Harding College in Kentucky, and received his Ph.D. in economics from Tulane University.
Thomas Vasti, Jr., Life Member of the Policy Board and Director for the New York LHI office
Mr. Vasti is a founding partner and the managing and directing partner of Vasti and Sears, Esqs., a general practice law firm. Mr. Vasti’s areas of concentration are land development and tort litigation.
He is a native New Yorker, educated in the New York public school system. He received his Bachelors of Law degree from Brooklyn Law School, his B.S. from Loyola University, and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He is licensed to practice before the New York Supreme Court, the Tax Court of the U.S., and the Southern and Eastern District of the U.S. District Courts.
He has been involved in numerous legal associations and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law. Mr. Vasti has served his local communities in numerous capacities including receiving the Democratic nomination for the 98th District seat of the New York State Assembly. Recently, Vasti was named director of International Development for Envirotech, U.S.A., Inc.
Gilbert Ziegler, Life Member of the Policy Board
Mr. Ziegler serves as president of Alken-Ziegler, Inc., of Kalkaska, Mich., and was awarded the General Motors Supplier of the Year award for two consecutive years. Ziegler also is the owner of Harbour Air in Traverse City, Mich., an aviation service and electronics company, and recently opened one of the nation’s largest auto parts plants in Georgia.
Gil Ziegler has been very active in community and professional organizations including being a member of the Board of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Board of Control of Northern Michigan University; and member of the President’s Club of Northern Michigan University.
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