The Heritage Foundation's internal upheaval is accelerating, with two fresh resignations from its board of trustees adding to a growing sense of instability at the once-respected conservative institution.
The two most recent departures from Heritage's board are Darryle Owens and Price Harding, bringing the total number of trustee resignations to five amid mounting controversy, donor unease, and staff defections, National Review reported.
Harding is chairman of one of the nation's leading executive search firms, and Owens is a former healthcare executive who has been active in conservative philanthropy.
The departure of two prominent businessmen further erodes confidence in Heritage as it reels from other recent departures.
Asked for comment about his resignation, Owens declined to comment. Harding has not responded to requests for comment.
Late last year Heritage found itself embroiled in controversy after its president, Kevin Roberts, refused to condemn and criticize commentator Tucker Carlson for platforming white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
Roberts also refused to criticize Carlson for his antisemitic tirades.
Three trustees quit last year in the wake of the scandal, including prominent conservative thinker Robert P. George, philanthropist Abby Moffat, and businessman Shane McCullar.
Top scholars have also defected from Heritage, including economist Stephen Moore and legal scholar Chris DeMuth.
Asked about the most recent departures of Owens and Harding, a Heritage spokesperson said the changes were part of a broader institutional overhaul.
"For some time, Heritage has been in the process of realigning the people within the institution to better orient ourselves to our mission and increase our impact," the spokesperson told National Review. "Changes in positions, from the board to staff, are a necessary part of this process."
Roberts' support for his friend Carlson has led to a meltdown within the organization, as the current trustees appear to be placing Heritage on an orientation away from Reagan conservatism and toward a more conspiratorial right led by podcasters such as Carlson and Candace Owens.
Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein has criticized the organization and has urged donors to boycott Heritage until Roberts resigns.
Klein had served on Heritage's National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, or NTFCA, but quit the group in the wake of the Roberts scandal.
After a dozen Jewish and Christian leaders associated with the group also resigned, NTFCA decided to sever ties with Heritage altogether.
In December numerous high-ranking staffers announced their departure from Heritage to to join former Vice President Mike Pence's new think tank, Advancing American Freedom (AAF).
Edwin Meese III, who served as attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, endorsed the new legal center at Pence's foundation, the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law, marking a major blow to Heritage.
The announcement comes just days after AAF revealed it had hired three senior Heritage leaders — John Malcolm, Richard Stern, and Kevin Dayaratna — along with members of their teams.
Malcolm, who previously served as vice president of Heritage's Institute for Constitutional Government and director of the Meese Center, will establish the Edwin Meese III Institute at AAF.
Stern, Heritage's former economic policy chief, will lead the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, while Dayaratna will build a new Center for Statistical Modeling & Scientific Analysis.
Meese praised the move, saying AAF "has already established itself as a leader in the conservative movement."
Editor’s Note: Since publication, Darryle Owens and Price Harding sent a statement to Newsmax making clear that “neither Price Harding nor I was asked to leave the Board” adding, “We each chose to resign.” Their statement contradicts claims made by the Heritage spokesman that the board members were part of a reorganization the Heritage leadership sought to undertake.
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