Scott Yenor is Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He is also a Professor of Political Science at Boise State University, where he teaches political philosophy and constitutional law.

Yenor writes primarily on the family. He has written two books on family policy: Family Politics: The Idea of Marriage in Modern Political Thought (Baylor, 2010) and The Recovery of Family Life: Exposing the Limits of Modern Ideologies (Baylor, 2020).

Yenor was a Visiting Fellow in the Simon Center from 2015 to 2016. He writes about higher education reform and a variety of other issues. He attended the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire for his undergraduate degree, and received a PhD from Loyola University Chicago in political science and government.

Leaders across the country praise Yenor’s work:

Rachel Bovard, Vice President of Programs, Conservative Partnership Institute:

Scott Yenor combines a scholar’s depth with practical wisdom. As a scholar of the modern family, he not only writes on the philosophic foundations of strong family life, but also he is a student of the hostile forces of feminism and liberals that rip the family apart or prevent families from forming. After exposing the ideologies undermining the family, he shows how those ideologies shape our laws and our daily lives. Heritage has made a great choice in selecting Scott to lead the Simon Center.

Ryan Williams, President,  Claremont Institute:

Scott Yenor is a rare thing in today’s America: an academic scholar of American principles and their operation in our politics who is equally at home outside the classroom putting ideas into practice. I cannot think of a better leader for the Center for Principles and Politics. 

Rusty Reno, Editor, First Things:

Heritage is lucky to have attracted Scott Yenor as Director for the Simon Center. Scott is a wise and deep student of political philosophy and an academic author of several books who bridges the gap between theory and practice. When I want someone to write about restoring the conditions for healthy family life in America, Scott is one of the voices I turn to at First Things. His thinking is clear and he is willing to buck conventions by bringing ancient wisdom to bear on today’s maladies.

Mary Eberstadt, Senior Research Fellow, Faith and Reason Institute:

The Simon Center is uniquely positioned to shape a conservative politics grounded in the wisdom of the American Founding. And Scott Yenor is uniquely positioned to lead the Simon Center. His prodigious scholarship supports the renewal of family life, the growth of classical education, and a deeper reform of American education—each of which is essential to preparing citizens capable of self-rule. His hire is great news for Heritage, for the country and for those of us in D.C. who do not see Scott enough!

Heather McDonald, Manhattan Institute:

The modern breakdown of the family has been a catastrophe. Scott Yenor has shown us why family breakdown occurs and what America can do to restore the married, two-parent family. I look forward to the great things he and the Simon Center will do, whether promoting classical education or leading the way in higher education reform.

David Azerrad, Assistant Professor of Politics, Hillsdale College:

Scott Yenor is one of the leading pro-family intellectuals in the country. His last book, The Recovery of Family Life (Baylor, 2020), which he wrote as a visiting fellow at the Simon Center, is a comprehensive refutation of second-wave feminism. Scott has consistently demonstrated courage in the public square, arguing not just for the family, but also for comprehensive higher-education reform. Heritage is lucky to have him.

Yoram Hazony, President, Herzl Institute:

Yenor brings deep experience in public scholarship, academic life, and policy leadership to the Simon Center. A long-time critic of the ideologies driving family and cultural decline, Yenor is committed to restoring the moral and philosophical ground conservatives too often cede. His writing has consistently illuminated how modern ideologies undermine natural institutions and public virtue. Yenor is also a committed national conservative, having spoken at our annual conference three times about the profound connection between a healthy family life and the wellbeing, strength, and durability of the nation. I am confident that he will be a key player in the crucial cause of reviving America’s heritage in Washington.

 R.J. Pestritto, Graduate Dean and Professor of Politics, Hillsdale College:

The Simon Center is dedicated to preserving the American Founders’ political accomplishments. Scott Yenor is the perfect candidate for director at this time of great hope for constitutional restoration. Scott has done impressive scholarship on David Hume, the Founder’s teaching, combined with his record teaching constitutional law and political philosophy over several decades. His career combines the pursuit of eternal wisdom with prudential application to our time.

Chris Rufo, Manhattan Institute:

Scott Yenor is a powerful critic of DEI and the corruption of American higher education. Scott has been a university professor for more than two decades. He teaches courses in constitutional law as well as American political thought. What sets Scott apart is his persistence in thinking about how to get from our imperfect present to a better future guided by America's constitutional heritage. A great choice to lead the Simon Center.

Margaret McCarthy, Professor of Theological Anthropology, Catholic University of America:

As a theologian interested in sexual difference, I know that Scott Yenor’s teachings are subtle, deep, and grounded in the best of the Christian tradition. Scott weaves together the teachings of Aristotle, John Paul II, Hegel, Beauvoir, and others to reveal today’s blindspots. He does not settle for half-measures, by simply opposing the latest anti-family innovations. He shows their deepest roots and points the way forward to the total recovery of family life. He also practices what he teaches, as a father of five and with a brood of grandchildren. He will provide moral and intellectual support for everyone at Heritage.