(The Center Square) – Building her legacy, former U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., launched a leadership institute on Tuesday, planning “to inspire a rebirth of freedom and faith.”
McMorris Rodgers recently retired from Congress after spending two decades in office and says it’s time for people to believe in American leadership again. She thinks a lack of trust is fueling division across the West and wants to unify the next generation of leaders before it’s too late.
The Cathy McMorris Rodgers Leadership Institute is rooted in three guiding principles: pursuing a more perfect union, building trust and doing good. Quoting author Stephen Covey, the former congresswoman told The Center Square on Wednesday that “trust is when the magic happens.”
“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel,” she said. “I really want to come alongside some good efforts that are underway currently, both here and nationally, in developing leaders in our schools.”
The institute will include several programs, including an “Issue Advocacy & Research Center.”
McMorris Rodgers said the center is still under development but clarified that she doesn’t plan to lobby, nor is the institute supposed to be political. It’s not about right or left-wing agendas; it’s about instilling American values of freedom, justice and opportunity into the next generation.
According to the website, the center will advocate “for policies that align with America’s founding principles.” McMorris Rodgers emphasized that the Declaration of Independence clarifies the unalienable rights granted by a “creator,” with freedom viewed through Judeo-Christian values.
“It’s a freedom that includes self-governance,” the former congresswoman told The Center Square. “Each one of us doing our part to build strong families, strong communities, and that’s informed by faith as well as the values of freedom and opportunity and equality and justice.”
The Institute is based in Spokane and plans to partner with local schools to teach about civics and celebrate Constitution Day in September. McMorris Rodgers also intends to deploy fellows to every university and college in Washington to establish “chapters for national organizations that align with our mission to inspire a rebirth of faith and freedom in this next generation of leaders.”
McMorris Rodgers said she doesn’t see the separation of church and state as an issue. Constitution Day is about the nation’s governing document and framework, not religion, and she was already known for visiting high schools to speak with students while serving in Congress.
She hopes the institute will help settle destructive political divisions that stand in the way of helping people in crisis, not just in Spokane but across the state and nationwide.
“The whole mission of the institute is to inspire a rebirth of freedom and faith, but freedom, a rebirth of freedom, is to inspire Americans to believe in America and that American leadership matters,” McMorris Rodgers said.
