We Strengthen the Capacities of the American people for constitutional self-government.
History
Since 1983, Ashbrook has demonstrated success by building and refining high-quality programs to educate students, teachers, and citizens.
The Ashbrook Center, an independent academic center located at Ashland University, was established and named in honor of the late Congressman John M. Ashbrook, who represented Ohio’s 17th Congressional district for 21 years. President Ronald Reagan personally dedicated the Ashbrook Center on May 9, 1983. While based in north central Ohio, Ashbrook offers educational programs across the country for students, teachers, and citizens.
The mission of the Ashbrook Center is to strengthen constitutional self-government by educating our fellow Americans—students, teachers, and citizens—in the history and Founding principles of our country and the habits of reflection and choice necessary to perpetuate our republic.
Ashbrook’s programs began quite modestly in 1984 with 14 students in the inaugural class of the Ashbrook Scholar Program. Over the years, the Ashbrook Scholar Program has grown dramatically and achieved a national reputation as one of the finest programs for undergraduate students.
Many of Ashbrook’s friends and supporters know Ashbrook for sponsoring nationally and internationally known speakers at the John M. Ashbrook Memorial Dinner, including Margaret Thatcher, George H.W. Bush, Benjamin Netanyahu, Clarence Thomas, Henry Kissinger, and William F. Buckley. Ashbrook’s other major speakers’ event, the Major Issues Lecture Series, is the oldest lecture series of its kind in the region.
Ashbrook began offering educational programs for middle and high school teachers in 1991. Teachers eagerly attended these events, hungering for a substantive education in American principles that was sorely lacking in their formal education. In 2001, Ashbrook launched TeachingAmericanHistory.org to offer teachers free access to teaching resources and a collection of primary sources that has grown to over 2500 historical documents.
At the request of teachers, Ashbrook established the Master of Arts in American History and Government graduate degree program in 2005. The graduate program, designed specifically for teachers, offers educators a deep understanding of the subjects they teach, while helping them to supplement or replace textbooks with original historical documents and engage their students in thoughtful conversations about the enduring questions of American history.
In 2013, an Ashbrook Board member who was deeply concerned about the direction of our country challenged Ashbrook to take action. He encouraged us to mobilize our unique capabilities to deploy our programs broadly to the nation’s 125,000 middle and high school history and government teachers. He was convinced that by preparing teachers, we could reach a generation of young Americans.
In response Ashbrook launched one-day seminars, multi-day seminars at historic sites, and webinars at no cost to the nation’s social studies teachers. These Teaching American History programs equip teachers to help their students discover for themselves the true story of America.
Since 1983, the Ashbrook Center has grown into a truly national organization, supporting teachers, students, and citizens wherever they live and work.
Ashbrook’s growth and success would not be possible without the sacrifice and vision of the founders and directors of the Ashbrook Center.
Ashbrook is governed by its own Board and is responsible for raising all of the funds necessary for its many programs. Contributions to Ashbrook are tax-deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.
Who was John Ashbrook?
John Milan Ashbrook
(September 21, 1928 – April 24, 1982)
“John Ashbrook was a man of courage and principle. He served his constituents and his country with dedication and devotion, always working towards the betterment of his fellow man. His patriotism and deep belief in the greatness of America never wavered and his articulate and passionate calls for a return to old-fashioned American values earned him the respect of all who knew him.” — Ronald Reagan.
The Board
Board Members
Emeritus Members
Staff
Dawne Beckel
Operations & Budget Manager
Cole Branham
Foundation and Donor Relations Manager
Amanda Bryan
Publications Manager for TeachingAmericanHistory
Candee Collins
Teacher Programs Manager
Quinn Cotter
Senior Manager, Donor Engagement
Josh Distel
Alumni Relations and Citizen Programs Manager
Julie Doerner
Manager of Philanthropic Services
Jeremy Gypton
Academic and Citizen Outreach Manager
Hannah Hines
Office Assistant
Michelle Hubenschmidt
Teacher Programs Manager
Jamie Jarvis
Manager of Donor Research & Stewardship
Chad Kifer
Senior Director of Philanthropy & Strategic Partnerships
Ben Kunkel
Director of Student Programs
Patrick Maloney
Deputy Director
Sabrina Maristela
Student Programs Coordinator
Charles Martindell
Graduate Programs Resource Manager
Elizabeth Modricker
Manager of Philanthropic Events and Operations
Monica Moser
Teacher Programs Administrator
Rhyan Opel
Student Programs Recruiting Coordinator
Christian A. Pascarella
Director of Graduate Programs
Rich Policz
Associate Director of Student Programs
Cristi Putman
Teacher Programs Administrator
Courtney Reiner
Teacher Programs Manager
Brent Rossman
Donor Communications Manager
Emily Schramm
Teacher Programs, Publications and Multi Day Coordinator
Sally Schramm
Senior Director
Jeffrey Sikkenga
Executive Director
Ann Stiteler
Office Manager
David Tucker
Senior Fellow
Ellen Tucker
Communications Editor
Dantan Wernecke
Major Gift Officer
Faculty
Resident Faculty
Cara Rogers
Assistant Professor of History
Christopher Burkett
Associate Professor of Political Science
Director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program
David Foster
Professor of Political Science
David Tucker
Senior Fellow
Gregory McBrayer
Associate Professor of Political Science
Director of Citizen Programs
Director of University Core Curriculum
Jason Stevens
Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and History
Jeffrey Sikkenga
Professor of Political Science
John E. Moser
Chair of the Department of History and Political Science and Professor of History
René Paddags
Associate Professor of Political Science
Robert Wyllie
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Director of Political Economy Program
National Faculty
Abbylin Sellers
Associate Professor of Political Science, Azusa Pacific University.
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University
Adam Seagrave
Associate Professor of Political Science, Arizona State University.
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Andrew E. Busch
Crown Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow, Claremont McKenna College.
Ph.D., M.A., University of Virginia
Dan Monroe
John C. Griswold Distinguished Professor of History, Millikin University.
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; M.S., Illinois State University
David F. Krugler
Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Ph.D., M.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
David Wrobel
Professor of History, University of Oklahoma; Chair of Western American History, University of Oklahoma
Ph.D., M.A., Ohio University
Dennis K. Boman
Adjunct Professor of History, American Intercontinental University.
Ph.D., M.A., University of Missouri
Eric C. Sands
Associate Professor of Government and International Studies, Berry College.
Ph.D., M.A., University of Virginia
Eric Pullin
Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, Carthage College.
Ph.D., Univesity of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A., Northern Illinois University
Gregory Schneider
Professor of History, Emporia State University.
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago; M.A., Ohio University; B.A., Drake University.
J. David Alvis
Associate Professor of Political Science, Wofford College.
Ph.D., Fordham University; M.A.
Jace Weaver
Franklin Professor of Native American Studies and Religion and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Georgia.
J.D. Columbia Law School of Columbia University; Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary in New York
James Stoner
Professor and Director of the Eric Voegelin Institute in the Department of Political Science, Louisiana State University.
Ph.D., M.A., Harvard University
Jason Jividen
Associate Professor of Politics, McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government, Saint Vincent College.
Ph.D., University of Northern Illinois; M.A., Marshall University
Jay D. Green
Professor of History, Covenant College.
Ph.D., Kent State University; M.A., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Jennifer D. Keene
Chair and Professor of History, Chapman University.
Ph.D., Carnegie-Mellon University; M.A., The George Washington University
Jeremy D. Bailey
Sanders Chair in Law and Liberty, University of Oklahoma.
Ph.D., Boston College
John Dinan
Professor of Politics, Wake Forest University.
Ph.D., M.A., University of Virginia
Joseph R. Fornieri
Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology.
Ph.D., Catholic University of America; M.A., Boston College
Joshua Dunn
Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, University of Colorado; Director of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual, University of Colorado.
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Kathleen Pfeiffer
Professor of English, Oakland University.
Ph.D., Brandeis University
Ken Masugi
Visiting Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University.
Ph.D., M.A., The New School for Social Research
Lauren K. Hall
Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology.
PhD, MA – Northern Illinois University
Lucas E. Morel
Professor of Politics and Head of the Politics Department, Washington and Lee University. Ph.D., M.A.,
Claremont Graduate School
Marc K. Landy
Edward & Louise Peterson Professor of American History & Government, Ashland University; Professor of Political Science, Boston College.
Ph.D., Harvard University
Natalie F. Taylor
Associate Professor of Government, Skidmore College.
Ph.D., M.A., Fordham University
Peter C. Myers
Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Ph.D., Loyola University, Chicago
Peter McNamara
Associate Professor of Political Science, Utah State University
PhD, Boston College
Robert J. Norrell
Professor of History and Bernadotte Schmitt Chair of Excellence, University of Tennesee. Ph.D., University of Virginia
Robert M.S. McDonald
Professor of History, United States Military Academy.
Ph.D., M.A., University of North Carolina; M.St., Oxford University
Sarah M. Burns
Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology.
Ph.D., M.A., Claremont Graduate University
Scott Yenor
Professor of Political Science, Boise State University.
Ph.D., Loyola University.
Sean Sutton
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
Ph.D., University of Dallas
Stephen F. Knott
Professor of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College; Thomas & Mabel Guy Professor of American History & Government, Ashland University.
Ph.D., Boston College
Stephen K. Tootle
Professor of History, College of the Sequoias.
Ph.D., Ohio University; M.A., California State, Fresno; B.A., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Suzanne Hunter Brown
Resident Scholar, Dartmouth College
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Todd Estes
Professor of History, Oakland University.
Ph.D., University of Kentucky.
William B. Allen
Emeritus Dean and Professor of Political Science, Michigan State University.
Ph.D., M.A., Claremont Graduate School
William J. Atto
Associate Professor of History, University of Dallas.
Ph.D., M.A.