Right Way Initiative is an advocacy organization that seeks to advance right-of-center public policies. To this end, Right Way Initiative intends to educate the public about the legislative-process and encourage Americans to support constructive and responsible conservative policies. ¹

Activities

Right Way Initiative supports constructive conservatism, which aims to advance conservative principles through public awareness, education, and support of public policy solutions. Right Way Initiative advocates for finding a political common ground, as opposed to finding fault and placing blame, managing the public’s expectations of how government works, especially as it relates to the speed at which things are done, and taking a traditional and healthy focus on conservatism, instead of focusing on rhetoric and emotion. ²

In addition to issue advocacy, Right Way advocates for candidates that support constructive conservatism and against those who do not. ³ In the 2016 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Ohio, Right Way Initiative spent $690,676 in support of Republican state legislator Timothy Derickson and $12,813 in opposition to fellow Republican Warren Davidson. ⁴

Funding

Right Way Initiative is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While Right Way Initiative does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm a $15,000 donation from the Conservative Leadership Alliance in 2018. ⁵

Board of Directors

Michael E. Baroody is the chair of the board and a former executive vice president at the National Association of Manufacturers. From 1981 to 1985 Baroody served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Public Affairs at the White House under President Ronald Reagan. He was Assistant Secretary for Policy at the United States Department of Labor during the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. ⁶

Daniel P. Flynn is the president and secretary of the board. ⁷

Saxby Chambliss is the treasurer of the board and a partner at the law firm DLA Piper. Chambliss is a former Republican member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from Georgia. ⁸

Sam Dawson is the president and owner of the marketing agency Jackson Dawson and the chair of the board of Bob Jones University. ⁹

1. “Home.” Right Way Initiative. Archived from the original May 31, 2018. Accessed September 26, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20180531025842/https://www.rightwayinitiative.org/.
2. “Home.” Right Way Initiative. Archived from the original May 31, 2018. Accessed September 26, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20180531025842/https://www.rightwayinitiative.org/.
3. “Home.” Right Way Initiative. Archived from the original May 31, 2018. Accessed September 26, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20180531025842/https://www.rightwayinitiative.org/.
4. “Right Way Initiative Recipients, 2016.” OpenSecrets. Accessed September 26, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2016?cmte=C90015801&tab=targeted_candidates.
5. CLA, Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.
6. “Hon. Michael E. Baroody.” Arab American Institute. Accessed September 26, 2023. https://www.aaiusa.org/team/hon-michael-e-baroody.
7. Right Way Initiative Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), 2018, Part IV.
8. “Saxby Chambliss.” DLA Piper. Accessed September 26, 2023. https://www.dlapiper.com/en-us/people/c/saxby-chambliss.
9. “BJU Board of Trustees Elect Dr. Sam Dawson as Chairman.” Bob Jones University, April 14, 2023. Accessed September 27, 2023. https://today.bju.edu/news/bju-board-of-trustees-elects-dr-sam-dawson-as-chairman/.