Thanks to generous supporters like you, Advancing American Freedom (AAF) has grown over its four years to become the premier defender of traditional conservative ideas. Today, Advancing American Freedom (AAF) announces the addition of three senior leaders, who previously led the legal, economic, and data teams at The Heritage Foundation.

John Malcolm, Richard Stern, and Kevin Dayaratna, PhD, along with members of their teams, will be joining AAF and leading unprecedented growth for the organization into 2026. AAF has raised more than eight figures to support these new centers.

Here’s a quick preview of the new talent coming to AAF:

• John Malcolm recently served as Vice President, Institute for Constitutional Government, Director of Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, and Ed and Sherry Gilbertson Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Malcolm will found the new Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at AAF.

• Richard Stern previously served as Acting Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and Director, Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. Stern will lead Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at AAF.

• Kevin Dayaratna, PhD recently served as Director, Center for Data Analysis and Chief Statistician at The Heritage Foundation. Dr. Dayaratna will be starting up the data analysis team at AAF.

Our Founder, Vice President Mike Pence, released the following statement on this exciting news: “AAF is honored to welcome these principled conservative scholars to the team. They bring a wealth of experience, a love of country, and a deep commitment to the Constitution and Conservative Movement that will further the cause of liberty.”

Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III stated the following, “I am proud to announce Advancing American Freedom as the home for the new Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law. AAF has already established itself as a leader in the conservative movement.

I am confident that the lawyers and staff in the Meese Institute will continue to play a leading role in advancing the conservative legal movement in terms of their scholarship, and by working with allies to achieve our mutual objectives, educating the general public about important legal issues, helping to train the next generation of conservative lawyers, and defending the Constitution and rule of law.”

In order to make this momentous acquisition, AAF has raised more than eight figures to support these new projects from generous benefactors like you. None of this would be possible without you.

But friends, there is much work left to be done to ensure these new centers can maximize their impact.

This exciting expansion presents a prime opportunity for AAF to lead the conservative movement in advancing economic liberty and the rule of law, both in Washington and across the nation.

As the year winds down, we humbly request that you consider making an end-of-year, tax-deductible contribution that will go directly towards supporting AAF’s newest centers and cementing AAF’s standing as the nation’s leading conservative institution.