As we bid farewell to 2024—and look forward to an exciting 2025 together—we would like to thank our amazing supporters who make our work possible.
Because of you, young women across the country:
- Learn your conservative ideas and values,
- Build friendships with conservative peers,
- Become inspired by strong, conservative women role models,
- Acquire communication, etiquette, firearms, and other life skills, and
- Develop the confidence and courage they need to become strong conservative leaders in all aspects of their lives.
We hope you enjoy these highlights from our last 12 months together.
Summer Internship
We hosted eight women from seven colleges—University of Notre Dame, University of Florida, Hillsdale College, Christendom College, Biola University, Kenyon College, and Grand Canyon University—at our 10-week summer internship.
Key moments of their experience included:
- Participating in seminars on etiquette, journalism, constitutional law, career preparedness, the Second Amendment, and leadership and communications
- Attending our Washington, DC Summit and a College Women’s Luncheon
- Receiving firearms safety and marksmanship training
- Researching and giving presentations on cultural and public policy topics including feminism, the right to life,
- transgenderism, and religious freedom
- Touring Washington, DC
- Attending an outdoor concert with Broadway performers, and
- Hosting a tea at the Luce Center
Following the internship, six of our eight interns joined us at our Nashville Student Summit, where they played a leadership role in providing a fantastic experience for their fellow students.
Day At The Range
More than 60 young women received professional firearms training through our Day at the Range program for college women. In addition to our summer intern class, we served student groups from Patrick Henry College, Texas A&M University, Georgia Tech, University of Dallas, and Grand Canyon University.
National Student Summits
In June, more than 80 young women from across the country attended our 28th annual Washington, DC Summit, where they heard from strong conservative role models and gathered with like-minded women in a spirit of friendship.
Thousands tuned in online through livestreaming on YouTube and Instagram and real-time tweeting on X.
Washington, D.C. Summit
Our all-star speaking line-up—which included Paula Scanlan, the NCAA swimmer featured in Matt Walsh’s “What Is a Woman?” documentary, Allie Beth Stuckey, host of Relatable, Catherine Pakaluk, director of social research and associate professor at The Catholic University of America, and Alexandra DeSanctis Marr, co-author of Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing—reinforced the need for greater courage and truth-telling among young women who want to live in a stronger, freer, more virtuous America.
Student attendees included Capitol Hill interns with Senator Mike Lee (UT), Senator Ron Johnson (WI), Senator Ted Cruz (TX), the House Committee on Homeland Security, the United States Commerce Department, the Heritage Foundation, and many other offices and organizations.
Nashville Student Summit
In November, more than 100 participants from 16 states and 24 schools gathered to learn from strong, conservative women and build camaraderie aimed at helping them become confident, courageous conservatives.
Speakers included Liz Wheeler, host of The Liz Wheeler Show, who accepted our 2024 Woman of the Year award, as well as KT McFarland, deputy national security advisor for the first Trump Administration, Paula Scanlan, former NCAA swimmer and legislative liason for Independent Women’s Forum, Amanda Collins Johnson, Second Amendment advocate, Allie Beth Stuckey, host of Relatable, and Lauren Husmann, program director at the Luce Center.
Special guests included Brett Cooper, then-host of The Daily Wire’s The Comments Section; Carol Swain, prominent political science scholar and former Vanderbilt University professor; Luce Center Board of Directors members Linda Teetz and Clare Luce Abbey, granddaughter of Clare Boothe Luce; and Luce Center alumnae Alyssa Cordova, vice president of public relations at The Daily Wire, and Mary Margaret Olohan, senior reporter at The Daily Wire and Luce Center Board of Advisors member.
College Women Luncheons
In February, nearly 70 young women attended our annual CPAC luncheon, where they heard from Abby Johnson, pro-life advocate and author of Unplanned, her memoir that inspired the major motion picture of the same title.
In July, 200 young women attended our annual luncheon at Young America’s Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference. Erin Hawley, wife of Senator Josh Hawley and Alliance Defending Freedom attorney, delivered remarks about balancing life as a litigator and a mother.
Campus Lectures
The Luce Center sponsored campus lectures throughout the year featuring Liz Wheeler, Abby Johnson, Lisa Daftari, Tara Ross, and KT McFarland at the University of California, Berkeley, University of Florida, University of Tampa, California Polytechnic State University, Biola University, and Fresno State University.
Conservative Women’s Network events
Hundreds of women (and some men) of all ages heard from our vast network of speakers during our monthly Conservative Women’s Network events. Our 2024 speakers included Mallory Carroll, Amanda Collins Johnson, Katie Gorka, Mary Margaret Olohan, Rachel Bovard, Emma Waters, Amber Smith, Erika Bachiochi, Katy Faust, and Michelle Easton.
Great American Conservative Women calendar
In the fall of 2024, we released our 2025 Great American Conservative Women calendar, which celebrates conservative women who model courage, grace, intelligence, and poise.
The 2025 calendar features Abby Roth, Liz Wheeler, Mary Margaret Olohan, Amber Duke, Catherine Pakaluk, Alexandra DeSanctis Marr, Elisha Krauss, Helen Roy, Allie Beth Stuckey, Emily Jashinsky, Amber Smith, Paula Scanlan, and Clare Boothe Luce.
National Survey of Young Women’s Attitudes
In March, the Luce Center released the findings of a national survey of 18-to-24-year-old women affirming that young women hold naturally conservative beliefs—especially related to marriage, motherhood, crime, personal safety, and fairness—but often hide them to avoid conflict.
Our poll attracted national media attention from The Washington Times, The Federalist, The Daily Signal, The Jesse Kelly Show, The College Fix, and other media outlets.
Circle of Friends
Katie Gorka, a senior official in the first Trump administration who served in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), hosted a patriotic “Circle of Friends” brunch at the Luce Center on November 6, introducing like-minded friends to the Center’s outreach, educational, and mentoring efforts.
If you are interested in hosting a “Circle of Friends” event near you, please contact Cindy Rushing, vice president, at crushing@cblwomen.org. We would be delighted to help you organize a gathering to introduce like-minded friends to our work.
Michelle Easton Helps Parents Raise Strong, Conservative Daughters
The Luce Center gave a warm welcome to Michelle Easton, our founder, longtime president, and chairman of the board, who spoke at a Conservative Women’s Network event on December 6, 2024.
The topic of Michelle’s remarks, “How to Raise a Conservative Daughter,” is the title of her best-selling book helping parents raise strong girls and young women who are capable of resisting leftists influences in their schools and the broader culture.
In her remarks, Michelle emphasized the importance of teaching young women the value of hard work, noting that their first jobs often shape their perspectives on responsibility and self-reliance.
Reflecting on her own early experiences, she described her first job at a movie theater and how it instilled in her an appreciation for earning and managing money. “Most people remember their first job with a smile,” she remarked, highlighting the lessons of independence and perseverance such roles impart.
She also tackled the pervasive influence of social media, urging parents to curtail their children’s screen time and delay introducing smartphones until they are older. She shared anecdotes from her own family, advocating for rules that prioritize meaningful, offline activities such as reading, sports, and music over the “empty online life” that social media often promotes. In a poignant discussion about the unique qualities of women, Michelle celebrated the natural differences between men and women as strengths to be cherished, not diminished. She criticized modern ideologies that blur these distinctions and encouraged parents to guide their daughters in embracing their femininity in their own time and way. “Allow your daughter’s femininity to blossom in God’s perfect timing,” she said, underscoring the importance of protecting and nurturing young women in a culture that often undermines traditional values.
She also delved into the challenges posed by “woke” culture, expressing concerns about its impact on education, sports, and societal norms. She cited instances of biological men competing in women’s athletics and the dangers of radical gender ideologies, calling for continued advocacy and awareness to protect the rights and privacy of girls. Another key topic she covered was the role of physical intimacy and its differing effects on men and women. She recommended one of the Luce Center’s popular resources, a booklet titled “Sense and Sexuality: The College Girl’s Guide to Real Protection in a Hooked-Up World,” which provides scientific and medical insights into these differences. She encouraged parents to have open and honest conversations with their daughters about these issues, equipping them with the knowledge to make informed decisions.
Following her remarks, Michelle signed copies of her book for guests, providing an opportunity for attendees to engage with her personally and gain further insights from her work.
Thank You
Thank you for your support of the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women.
We deeply appreciate all you do to empower young women to live happier, more meaningful lives and contribute to a stronger, freer America.
I would be delighted to hear from you. You should always feel free to reach out to me at kimberly@cblwomen.org.
We look forward to partnering with you to reach new audiences of young women in 2025.