Chief Executive Officer
Mike Needham is the Chief Executive Officer for Heritage Action for America. He is responsible for setting the strategy and vision of Heritage Action, ensuring it advances the mission of The Heritage Foundation while building it into a permanent presence in Washington. He also oversees all policy decisions that hold Members of Congress accountable.Prior to his role at Heritage Action, Mike served in four different roles at The Heritage Foundation, including Chief of Staff, advisor to the President, and a director in The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies.
In 2007, he worked as Special Assistant to the Policy Director of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. In this capacity, he helped oversee all aspects of policy development on the campaign including speech writing, debate preparation, and the production of policy white papers.
Mike is a native New Yorker, holds a MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and received his Bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Williams College.
Chief Operating Officer
Tim Chapman is the Chief Operating Officer of Heritage Action for America. He oversees the day-to-day operations while working closely with our sister organization, The Heritage Foundation, to ensure both organizations work towards common goals.Prior to his role at Heritage Action, Tim previously served as Chief of Staff to Heritage Foundation President Ed J. Feulner, Ph.D. In this position, Tim advised Dr. Feulner on public policy matters and activities of the conservative movement. He also managed Dr. Feulner’s office staff and Heritage’s day-to-day operations.
In the past, Tim served as the Director of Heritage’s Center for Media and Public Policy, where he worked to improve communications between policymakers and the media who report on their initiatives. He has also helped forge Heritage’s ties with blogs and other forms of new media by helping bloggers gain access to information, policymakers and nationally recognized experts.
Tim has experience as a Senate aide as well, having worked for Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), Don Nickles (R-OK) and Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) in various roles. He was also a weekly columnist for Townhall, Human Events Online and the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.
Tim earned his Bachelor’s degree in political studies from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.
Deputy Political Director
Jessica Anderson is a Deputy Political Director for Heritage Action for America. She first started with Heritage Action as the North Carolina State Director. Previously, she led the get-out-the-vote effort, campaign and new media training for the John W. Pope Civitas Institute in Raleigh, NC. Today, you can find her identifying, equipping and training activists for Heritage Action on the ground throughout the country. She is a University of Florida graduate.
Director of Senate Relations
Tripp Baird is the Director of Senate Relations for Heritage Action for America. He leads Heritage Action’s efforts in the Senate, pushing for conservative policies, providing conservative analysis of upcoming votes. Tripp also works with Senators and their staffs to introduce Heritage-inspired legislation that advance conservative principles.Prior to his work with Heritage Action, Tripp was a Partner at the Watts Consulting Group, leading business activities in corporate strategy and public affairs, with an emphasis on public policy matters before the U.S. Congress and the Bush Administration.
In the past, Tripp has also served as the Legislative Director for former U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) and the floor assistant for then-Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). As floor assistant, Tripp informed Senators of legislative procedures and strategies, assisted the Secretary of the Majority in clearing legislative bills and nominations,.
Tripp is serving his second tour of duty; previously he served as the Director of Senate Relations at The Heritage Foundation from 2001-2005. He began his Capitol Hill career as an intern for Senator Connie Mack (R-FL).
A Florida native, he is a graduate of Florida A&M.
House Relations Deputy
Dustin Carmack is the House Relations Deputy for Heritage Action for America. Previously, he held numerous positions at The Heritage Foundation before spending a year in Israel studying Hebrew and Arabic. A Missouri native, Dustin is a graduate of Truman State University.
House Relations Deputy
Dwayne Carson is the House Relations Deputy for Heritage Action for America. Previously, Dwayne served with the Senator Burr (R-NC) campaign as a Regional Political Director. He also worked in North Carolina politics as a consultant for Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) building coalitions in the 5th Congressional district. Dwayne began his career working for Members of Congress as a Legislative Correspondent and Legislative Assistant. Carson holds a degree in Communications and Arts from Oral Roberts University.
Communications Director
Dan Holler is the Communications Director for Heritage Action for America. He is responsible for Heritage Action’s media outreach, pushing for conservative policies, providing conservative insights on upcoming votes and explaining how and why Conservatives often break ranks from the Establishment. Dan also manages Heritage Action’s blog and social media outreach.Prior to his work with Heritage Action, Dan was the Deputy Director of Senate Relations for The Heritage Foundation, where he was responsible for educating Senators and their staffs about think tank’s latest research and policy recommendations, with an emphasis on energy and environment, taxes, health care and national security.
Dan writes a weekly column for Townhall.com, serves as a regular guest on conservative talk radio stations around the country and comments regularly in Washington media outlets on congressional matters.
He began his career as an intern for The Heritage Foundation and held numerous positions there.
A Maryland native, he graduated with honors from Washington College in Chestertown, MD.
Director of House Relations
Erin Kanoy is the Director of House Relations for Heritage Action for America. She leads Heritage Action’s efforts in the House of Representatives, pushing for conservative policies, providing conservative analysis of upcoming votes and holding Representatives accountable to conservative principles. Erin also works with Representatives and their staffs to introduce Heritage-inspired legislation that advance conservative principles.Prior to her work with Heritage Action, Erin served as the Director of House Relations at The Heritage Foundation, where she developed and implemented strategy for advancing conservative principles in the House of Representatives. Before joining Heritage, she was the Legislative Director for Congressman Tom Feeney(R-FL), where she served as his chief policy advisor creating and implementing Rep. Feeney’s policy agenda and managing his activities as a member of the Republican Study Committee, as well as the Financial Services Committee.
In addition to her work on the legislative side, Erin has also worked on the political and advocacy side. She served as the Manager of Government Relations at the Independent Community Bankers of America. Her portfolio included being the lead lobbyist on data security, interchange fees, as well as regulatory and insurance reform. She also served as Senior Legislative Analyst for KPMG, LLP, where she also ran their Political Action Committee.
Erin began her career on the Bush-Cheney 2000 Campaign in Austin, Texas where she served as Assistant Coordinator for the social conservative coalition. She then served in the Bush Administration in intergovernmental relations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A native of San Clemente,CA, Erin received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Development Manager
Andrew McIndoe is the Development Manager for Heritage Action for America. He leads Heritage Action’s fundraising efforts, ensuring the organization has the resources it needs to remain the tip of the conservative spear in Washington. Previously, Andrew was the Director of Development at the Bill of Rights Institute and Development Associate at The Fund for American Studies. He was Morton Blackwell’s intern at the Leadership Institute, a Sarah T. Herman Scholar at the Young America’s Foundation Reagan Ranch Center, and a development intern at The Heritage Foundation. Originally from North Carolina, Andrew graduated with high honors from Grove City College.
Government Relations Deputy
Josh Robbins is a Government Relations Deputy for Heritage Action for America. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Studies at Yale University. Prior to graduation, he was a summer intern in Heritage’s Center for International Trade and Economics and at Heritage Action for America. He was born in New York, NY and grew up in Lexington, KY.
Deputy Communications Director
Ashe Schow is the Deputy Communications Director for Heritage Action for America. Previously, she wrote website copy based on search engine optimization. She has a background in drafting political donation messaging for conservative-leaning PACs, as well as managing grassroots outreach programs at the local and county level. A Florida Native, she graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing.
Political Director
Russ Vought is the Political Director of Heritage Action for America. He provides Heritage Action with key strategic advice on all political and policy issues of concern. He also manages Heritage Action’s issue campaigns and grassroots department, working to identify and empower key activists in order to help them influence elected officials.Before coming to Heritage Action, Russ spent 12 years on Capitol Hill, in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, specializing in efforts to control spending and limit the federal government. Most recently, he was the Policy Director for the House Republican Conference, chaired by Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN).
Prior to his time in House Leadership, Russ was the Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee, chaired by Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), where he served as the chief aide-de-camp for conservatives in the House of Representatives. Russ got his start on the Hill in the policy shop of then-Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX).
Russ received his Bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Wheaton College in Illinois and his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School in D.C. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Mary, and their three pets, Coolidge, Winston, and Milton. He is a die-hard New York Yankees fan.
Deputy Political Director
Nathanael Yellis is responsible for Heritage Action for America’s web efforts. He was formerly the Business Developer at Yellis & Foley CPAs, an accounting firm serving small and medium businesses in Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire. A Maine native, Yellis is a graduate of Patrick Henry College and the Acton School of Business.
