Kevin D. Roberts, Ph.D., is president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action.
Since taking the helm in 2021, Dr. Roberts has led Heritage through a period of bold renewal—launching initiatives like the Oversight Project, the Border Security and Immigration Center, transformational election projects, and growing annual revenue by 27% to more than $100 million—cementing Heritage’s role as the intellectual command center for the conservative movement’s fight to save the Republic.
Dr. Roberts has also reasserted Heritage’s voice in the national conversation, calling out global elites at Davos, labeling Big Tech the “enemy of the people,” demanding accountability for endless foreign aid, and identifying the Chinese Communist Party as America’s foremost adversary. His leadership has drawn widespread attention and praise: The Hill wrote that Heritage has undergone “a transformation in how it approaches key issues,” while the New York Post noted that “under Roberts, there’s actual thinking going on at a think tank.”
Before joining Heritage, Dr. Roberts served as chief executive officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), the nation’s largest state-based think tank. Prior to TPPF, he was the second president of Wyoming Catholic College, where he led the decision to reject all federal funding—ensuring the college could remain faithful to its mission and free from government interference. That bold move earned him the moniker of a “cowboy-style Catholic” from The New York Times.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Roberts founded John Paul the Great Academy, a classical Catholic school in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, where he served as president and headmaster for seven years.
A lifelong educator and historian, Dr. Roberts earned his Ph.D. in American History from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in History from Virginia Tech, and a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
He is the author of the bestselling book Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America and hosts The Kevin Roberts Show, a weekly podcast featuring conversations on faith, culture, and American renewal.
Dr. Roberts is a proud husband and father to four wonderful children.
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Jun 12, 2026 3 min read