Young America’s Foundation April 2026
National Headquarters
11480 Commerce Park Drive Sixth Floor Reston, Virginia 20191 (800) USA-1776 • www.yaf.org
Knowles, Shapiro, and Johnson Draw Overflow Crowds as YAF Brings Top Voices to Campuses
Reagan Ranch Center
217 State Street Santa Barbara, California 93101 (888) USA-1776
Reagan Boyhood Home 810 S. Hennepin Avenue Dixon, Illinois 61021
Governor Scott Walker, President Jason Barbour, Director of Development Christopher Byrnes, General Counsel Andrew Coffin, Vice President Patrick X. Coyle, Vice President Jessica Jensen, Chief Operating Officer Raj Kannappan, Vice President Paul Matthews, Chief Financial Officer
Board of Directors
Governor Scott Walker, President Ronald Pearson, Vice President Kimberly Begg, Esq. T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr., Esq., Treasurer Wynton C. Hall Nicole Hoplin, Secretary Emily Jashinsky Kate Obenshain Keeler Peter Schweizer
Reagan Ranch Board of Governors
Governor George Allen, Chairman Edwin Meese, Co-Chairman Robert F. Agostinelli Candee Arndt Dr. Suzanne Becker George & Becky Norton Dunlop Bruce & Kathi Eberle Richard Gaby & Barbara Van Andel-Gaby Robert Giuffra Jr. Timothy S. Goeglein Michael W. Grebe Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold Nicole & Eric Hoplin Ann Knapheide Mark Larson Rebekah Mercer Dennis & Nancy Moore Doug & Pat Perry Larry R. Polhill Rear Admiral JJ Quinn Ruppert & Cheryl Reinstadler Richard & Jane Schwartz Bernadette Casey Smith Thomas F. & Joan D. Streiff Tonette Walker Jay Webber
Ben Shapiro addresses hundreds of students at the University of Pennsylvania through YAF’s Things That Matter Lecture Series.
Throughout April, Young America’s Foundation continued to bring the most effective conservative voices to campuses across the country, reaching thousands of students and fostering serious engagement on issues shaping the nation. At Villanova University, The Daily Wire host Michael Knowles spoke to a standing-room-only audience. In his speech, titled “The Pope and the President Must Work Together,” Knowles examined the relationship between faith, government leadership, and Western civilization. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School hosted The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro to hundreds of attendees, with hundreds more turned away due to capacity limitations. Addressing questions of economics, culture, and purpose, Shapiro challenged students to think critically about the role of ideas in shaping society, stating, “Culture flows downhill from what people believe— and what people believe matters.”
Also in this Issue...
YAF Brings Free Market Champions to Campuses Nationwide............................page 4 Equipping the Next Generation: Freedom at 250 Gains National Traction............page 5 Steele, Di Martino, and Freitas Headline 25th annual Rawhide Circle Retreat.........page 7 Young America’s Foundation’s Monthly Report is sent to the Foundation’s key supporters, board members, and friends. The report includes updates on our student programs, the Reagan Ranch and Reagan Boyhood Home, the National Journalism Center, the Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise, and other news relating to Young America’s Foundation. Editor: Jessica Jensen, Chief Operating Officer