BEAVER CREEK, CO. – Steamboat Institute, as part of the 15th Annual Freedom Conference, named Kayleigh McGhee White and George E. Bogden the 2023-24 Tony Blankley Fellows for Public Policy and American Exceptionalism.
“While Steamboat Institute typically awards just one fellowship each year, the Selection Committee felt strongly that both George and Kaylee would be exceptional representatives of the principles that Tony Blankley and Steamboat Institute share,” said Jennifer Schubert-Akin, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Steamboat Institute. “With George’s keen insight and analysis of complex foreign policy issues and Kaylee’s inspiring work at the Washington Examiner, we continue to build an impressive cadre of principled young journalists in the mold of Tony Blankley.”
McGhee White serves as the Restoring America editor at the Washington Examiner, based in Washington, D.C. Her writing focuses on religion, politics, and culture. Bogden, who focuses on global foreign policy challenges, is the Olin-Searle-Smith-Darling Fellow in Law at Columbia Law School in New York.
“I am thrilled to join the Steamboat Institute as the next Tony Blankley Fellow and carry on Tony Blankley’s passion for freedom, community, and American exceptionalism, especially at a time when all three face significant challenges,” said McGhee White, who is also a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum. “Like the journalists awarded this honor before me, I look forward to working with the Steamboat Institute to restore America’s founding values and the unity of her citizens.”
Bogden is an Olin-Searle-Smith-Darling Fellow in Law at Columbia Law School, as well as senior visiting fellow at Bard College. He is a graduate of Yale University, and earned a doctorate at the University of Oxford in addition to a Juris Doctorate at New York University School of Law. His writing focuses on international affairs.
“It is one of the great honors of my professional life to be named a Blankley Fellow,” said Bogden. “I am humbled that the program’s namesake will be associated with my work, and I hope to live up to the standard set by his legacy.”
The fellowship, which has been awarded to 10 journalists and thought leaders since its inception in 2014, is named after the late journalist Tony Blankley, an early friend of Steamboat Institute and moderator of its first three Freedom Conferences (2009-11).
Previous winners include:
- Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner
- Carrie Sheffield, Columnist
- Patrice Onwuka, Independent Women’s Forum
- Amber Athey, Spectator USA
- Saagar Enjeti,YouTube Breaking Points
- Philip Wegmann, RealClearPolitics
- Kelsey Bolar, Independent Women’s Forum
- Hadley Heath Manning, Independent Women’s Forum
- Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner
- Jillian Kay Melchior, Wall Street Journal
Fellows receive a $10,000 award and extensive speaking and networking opportunities.
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