The Right Hour with Paul Weyrich, Chairman/CEO Free Congress Foundation
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Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation. He served as President of the foundation from 1977 to 2002. From 1989 to 1996, Mr. Weyrich served as President of the Kreible Institute of the Free Congress Foundation, responsible for training democracy movements in the states comprising the Former Soviet Empire. He is a founder and past director of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the founding president of the Heritage Foundation, and the current National Chairman of Coalitions for America.

A former reporter and radio news director, Mr. Weyrich hosts a weekly Internet radio talk show and is a regular guest on daily radio and television talk shows. A sought-after writer, Mr. Weyrich has published policy reports and journals on a variety of conservative issues and has contributed editorials to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He has been described by The Economist as "one of the conservative movement's more vigorous thinkers." Voted three years in a row from 1981 - 1983 by readers of Conservative Digest as one of the top three "most popular conservatives in America not in Congress," Mr. Weyrich was named in January 1990 by Regardie's Magazine as "one of the 100 most powerful Washingtonians." He has been married since 1963 to the former Joyce Smigun, is the father of five children, and serves as a deacon in his church.

PERSONAL

Age: 63. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, married to Joyce Smigun Weyrich, July 6, 1963.

Children:

Dawn (wife of businessman Edward Ceol), 42, Mother of granddaughter Jillian, twin grandsons, Alexander and Benjamin, and grandson Christian

Peter, 40, Lobbyist, Former Vice President, Coalitions for America

Diana (wife Lt. Colonel Craig Pascoe), 39, Former President, The Capital Network and Development Group, Former Director of Development, Coalitions for America, Mother of grandsons Stephen, John, Brian and Christopher

Stephen, 35, President, Weyrich Productions, Father of grandson Matthew, granddaughter Sarah, grandson Michael and granddaughter Katie

Andrew, 30, CEO, Wyrik Enterprises Companies, Masters degree, George Mason University

BACKGROUND AND POSITIONS

Public Policy

Chairman and CEO, Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, 2002 – Present

President, Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, 1977 – 2002

Member, Board of Directors, Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, 1980 - Present

President, The Krieble Institute of Free Congress Research and Education Foundation (responsible for training democracy movements in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Empire) 1989 - 1996

Treasurer, Council for National Policy (CNP), 1981 - 1992. (Permanent Member of the Executive Committee of the CNP)

National Chairman, Coalitions for America (CFA), 1978 - Present

Founder, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), 1973; Director, 1975 - 1978

Founding President, The Heritage Foundation, 1973 - 1974

Media

Hosts, THE RIGHT HOUR (weekly Internet radio talk show, www.rightalk.com), November 2004 – Present

President, Chief Operating Officer, National Empowerment Television (NET), public affairs cable channel, April 1991 - October 1997

Host, "Direct Line" (daily talk show on America's Voice), December 1993 - December 1998

Co-host, "Endangered Liberties" (weekly syndicated TV show on the privacy/technology issues), April 1999 - April 2002

Executive Producer and Host, Public Disclosure (syndicated investigative show), February 1995 - December 1998

Member, Board of Directors, National Empowerment Televisions (NET), 1991 - 1998

Political Commentator, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 1989, 1992

Executive Co-Publisher, Conservative Digest, 1988; Senior Editor, 1985 - 1988; Columnist, 1980 - 1990

Member, Board of Advisors, Texas Review, University of Texas, Austin, 1986 - 1991

Radio Commentator, Listen America Radio Network, 1985 - 1988

Member, Board of Directors, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation; (WEEI Newsradio, Boston, Massachusetts), January 1984 - May 1990

Publisher, Election Politics Journal 1983 - 1988; Journal of Family and Culture, 1984 - 1988; 1991 - 1994

Publisher, Family, Law & Democracy Report, 1979 - 1990; The Political Report, 1977 - 1990

Moderator, Senator Gordon L. Allott’s Colorado television show from U.S. Senate, 1967 - 1972

Substitute host, "The Michael Reagan Show," "The Alan Keyes Show," WMAL, Newstalk 630, Washington, D.C.

Press Secretary, U.S. Senator Gordon L. Allott (Republican, Colorado), 1967 - 1971

News Director, KQXI, Denver, Colorado, 1966

Political Reporter, Weekend Anchorman, CBS - Milwaukee, 1964 - 1965

Reporter (City Hall, state politics), Milwaukee Sentinel, 1963 - 1964

News Director, Announcer, Program Director, WLIP, WAXO-FM, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1960 - 1963

Op-ed Contributor, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other newspapers

Transportation

Member, Amtrak Reform Council, appointed to five-year term by the Senate Majority Leader, February 1998. Elected Vice Chairman, May 1998. Re-elected February 2000, January 2001 and January 2002

Member, Board of Directors, National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK), 1987 - 1993

Staff Assistant for Transportation Appropriations, U.S. Senate, 1967 - 1973

Publisher, The New Electric Railway Journal, 1988 - 1996 (Publisher Emeritus NERJ, April 1996 - April 1999)

Co-Host, "The New Electric Railway Journal" (NERJ TV hour with Bill Lind), January 1994 - March 1996

Member, Board of Directors, Transit Associates (citizens group aimed at saving the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway), 1958 - 1961

Producer, Award-winning television documentary, "Rapid Transit - Who Needs It?" for WISN-TV, CBS, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1965

Washington Editor, Transport Central, 1968 - 1971

Chairman, Dulles International Airport (Washington, D.C.) Light Rail Task Force, 1985 - 1990

Member, Board of Advisors, Joint Center for Urban Mobility Research, Rice University, Houston, Texas, 1987 - 1989

Member, Section 15 Task Force, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, 1985 - 1986

Member, Dulles Corridor Transit Citizens Advisory Committee, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Virginia, 1988 - 1990

Consultant, American Public Transport Association (APTA) October 1995 - Present

Co-Author, "Conservatives and Mass Transit: Is It Time for A New Look?", 1996, "Does Transit Work? A Conservative Reappraisal", 1999, "Twelve Anti-Transit Myths: A Conservative Critique", July 2001, "Bring Back the Streetcars! A Conservative Vision of Tomorrow's Urban Transportation", 2002, “How Transit Benefits People Who Do Not Ride It: A Conservative Inquiry”, 2003 and “Winning Transit Referenda: Some Conservative Advice”, 2005. Other works in progress.

Politics

Winner of the 1996 Crystal Ball Award from The Washington Post for correctly predicting the outcome of the elections that year, 1996

Winner of the Thomas Jefferson Award for Servant Leadership, Council for National Policy, 1997

Chairman, Board of Sponsors, Indochinese American Voters General League, 1989 - 1991

National Chairman, Committee for Effective State Government, 1980 - Present

Reagan Delegate, Virginia Republican State Convention, 1980

National Chairman, Free Congress PAC, 1974 ­– 2004

National Chairman, Sixty Votes Coalition PAC, 2006 - Present

Founder, Senate Steering Committee (with Senator Carl T. Curtis), 1974

Special Assistant, U.S. Senator Carl T. Curtis (Republican, Nebraska), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference,1973 -1977

Advisor, numerous U.S. Senate, House and Presidential candidates, 1970 - Present

Organizer, Republican Study Committee (with Edwin J. Feulner and Congressman Philip M. Crane), 1973

Vice Chairman, Racine County, Wisconsin, Young Republicans, 1961 - 1963.

Other

To be presented the John M. Ashbrook Award for lifetime achievement in the conservative movement by the John M. Ashbrook Center and the American Conservative Union (ACU), February 2006

Presented the 2005 Clare Booth Luce Award from The Heritage Foundation for conservative leadership, November 2005

Presented the 1998 American Patriot Award from Concerned Women for America, September 1998

Recipient of One Who Makes a Difference Award from Eagle Forum, September 1998

Presented the President's Award from the National Association of Religious Broadcasters, January 1998

Listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.

Member, Board of Directors and Former Chairman,

Member, Board of Visitors, Robertson School of Government at Regent University, 1996 - 1998

Described as "one of the conservative movement's more vigorous thinkers," The Economist, February 6, 1988

Member, Board of Directors, The Roe Foundation of South Carolina, 1987 - 1998

Named by National Journal as one of 150 people in America "Who make a real difference," 1986

Named by Dossier Magazine as "One of the most influential men in Washington," 1985

Chairman of the Board, Yorktownuniversity.com, July l999 - June 2003, online university presenting the core curriculum stressing traditional Western values

Member, Board of Directors (resumed), Yorktownuniversity.com, 2006 - Present

Presented "Patriot of The Year Award" from the Leadership Institute, 2003

Presented "Founders Award" from ALEC, The American Legislative Exchange Council, on their 30th Anniversary, 2003

Education

University of Wisconsin, 2 years

Religion

Ordained Deacon of Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton by Archbishop Ignatius Ghattas, November 11, 1990

Ordained Protodeacon by Archbishop John Elya September 24, 2000