Claremont Expands Its Leadership in Washington

Peterson, Scalia, and Wold join the Center for the American Way of Life to equip the new political era

The Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life in Washington, D.C., where we apply the principles of the Founding for today’s political moment, is growing—and evolving. As a new administration begins the work of restoring the American way of life, we are building the intellectual and strategic force necessary to equip it for lasting success.

Today, we’re proud to welcome three new leaders into this fight.

Matthew Peterson joins as a Washington Fellow. As editor in chief of Blaze Media and founding editor of The American Mind, Peterson is a seasoned media strategist and trusted voice in the movement to reorient the Right around truth, excellence, and courage. He previously served as Vice President of Education at the Claremont Institute.

Antonin Scalia joins as Senior Advisor. Nino’s proven commitment to the principles of the Founding and his zeal for seeing them realized in America’s institutions makes him a valuable addition to Claremont’s growing team in Washington. We are grateful for his assistance and look forward to the great things that are destined to come from our work together.

Theo Wold returns as a Visiting Fellow bringing deep legal and policy expertise to Claremont’s work in the capital. Wold previously served as Director of our Administrative State Project and has held senior government roles as Solicitor General of Idaho, Deputy Assistant to President Trump, and Acting Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice.

To help lead this next chapter of growth, Annalyssa Rogers (née Lee) will serve as Acting Executive Director of the Center for the American Way of Life, with Logan Zeppieri as Acting Assistant Director. This follows the appointment of former CAWL Executive Director Arthur Milikh to serve as Principal Deputy Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State.

These additions will strengthen our efforts to regain constitutional–and popular–control of the administrative state, dismantle the DEI regime, and equip this new political moment with the moral confidence, policy vision, and institutional force it demands.

“We are not in Washington to coast on a political victory, we are here to make it meaningful,” said Claremont President Ryan P. Williams. “These additions reflect our conviction that winning is only the beginning. To restore the American way of life, we must govern with purpose, principle, and the right people in place.”

This moment demands not just ideas, but institutions. We are building both.