America’s Future Welcomes Three New Board Members

America’s Future is proud to welcome three exceptional leaders to our Board of Directors this year. Each brings a distinct perspective, deep expertise, and a shared commitment to advancing liberty, civil society, and opportunity for the next generation.

Please join us in welcoming Timothy P. Carney, Justin Owen, and Heather Pfitzenmaier.

Timothy P. Carney

Timothy P. Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on civil society, family, localism, religion in America, economic competition, and electoral politics. He is concurrently a senior columnist at the Washington Examiner. 

Mr. Carney’s forthcoming book, Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be, will be published by HarperCollins in March 2024. He is also the author of Alienated  America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse (HarperCollins, 2019), which was a Washington Post bestseller; Obamanomics (Regnery Publishing, 2009); and The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal Your Money (John Wiley & Sons,  2006), which was awarded the 2008 Culture of Enterprise award by the  Intercollegiate Studies Institute. 

In addition to his Washington Examiner columns, Mr. Carney has been published widely, including in the Atlantic, National Review, the New York Times, the Wall Street  Journal, and the Washington Post. His television appearances include CNN, Fox News,  MSNBC, and PBS NewsHour. 

Mr. Carney has a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s College in Annapolis. Tim brings to America’s Future a thoughtful, research-driven approach to understanding the social fabric that sustains a free society.

Justin Owen

Justin Owen is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Beacon Center of Tennessee and Beacon Impact. He advances the strategic growth and mission of both organizations. He previously served as the Beacon Center’s director of policy and general counsel. 

Justin advances Beacon’s mission – empowering Tennesseans to reclaim and protect their freedoms – by promoting free market solutions at the state and local level. Justin has led the effort to enshrine right-to-work in the Tennessee Constitution, has helped bring about Tennessee’s private school choice program, stop an expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, usher in comprehensive tort reform, scale back government red tape, and assisted in the repeal of collective bargaining by government unions. Under his leadership, Beacon also helped repeal Tennessee’s Hall  Income Tax and death tax, saving taxpayers nearly $4 billion to date. 

Justin frequently represents Beacon on television and radio, as well as in opinion pieces for newspapers across Tennessee. His columns have appeared in the Wall Street  Journal, National Review, Forbes, the Daily Caller, the Tennessean, the Commercial Appeal,  the Knoxville News Sentinel, and the Chattanooga Times Free Press. 

Prior to joining Beacon, Justin served as a law clerk to the U.S. Attorney in Memphis and as a legal intern at the Pentagon to the General Counsel of the United States Navy. He recently participated in the Presidential Leadership Scholars, a national program of the George W.  Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson presidential libraries. Justin previously served on the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil  Rights. Since 2020, he has been named to the annual Nashville Post “In Charge” list of the top influential government and policy leaders across Middle Tennessee. And in 2021, the State  Policy Network presented him with its most prestigious annual award, the Thomas A. Roe  Award, which recognizes leadership, innovation, and accomplishments in public policy. 

Justin received his J.D. from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of  Memphis and obtained his undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University.  He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and in Tennessee state courts,  although he despises the idea of actually practicing. Justin lives in Nashville with his wife, Kara, and his dog, Henry.

Heather Pfitzenmaier

Heather Pfitzenmaier serves as the Director of the Executive Leader Program at the State Policy Network. In this role, she helps deliver SPN’s Executive Leader Program, which serves the Network’s CEOs, executive vice presidents, and board members. 

Before joining SPN, she worked at America’s Future Foundation as Executive Vice President and at the Heritage Foundation as Director of the Young Leaders Program, among other roles. She is the recipient of  

Forbes magazine “30 Under 30” in law and policy, the Young Conservatives Coalition Buckley Award, and “30 Under 30” recognition by Red  Alert Politics. Currently, Pfitzenmaier serves on the Advisory Board of the Forge  Leadership Network, on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Prosperity Center, and as a school board member at Canton Charter Academy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from the University of Michigan and currently resides in the great state of Michigan with her husband and their three boys.

Looking Ahead

Tim, Justin, and Heather each embody the spirit of America’s Future: principled, innovative, and deeply committed to empowering young leaders to advance freedom in their communities.

We are honored to welcome them to our board and excited for the ideas, energy, and vision they will bring as we continue building the premier network of liberty-minded young professionals across the nation.

Thank You to Richard Lorenc and Jeff Berkowitz for Their Service to America’s Future

As we welcome new leaders to the America’s Future Board of Directors, we also want to pause and express our sincere gratitude to two outstanding board members who are rolling off this year: Richard Lorenc and Jeff Berkowitz.

Richard and Jeff have each played a critical role in shaping America’s Future during a period of growth, transition, and opportunity. Their guidance, insight, and unwavering belief in the power of young leaders have helped strengthen our organization at every level.

From strategic planning and governance to mentorship and fundraising, both Richard and Jeff consistently went above and beyond in service to our mission. Their leadership helped ensure that America’s Future remains a premier network for liberty-minded young professionals nationwide.

On behalf of our staff, board, alumni, and the thousands of young leaders we serve, thank you, Richard and Jeff, for your dedication, generosity, and years of service. Your impact on America’s Future will be felt for many years to come.

We wish you both continued success and look forward to staying connected as members of the America’s Future family.