Two Members of Heritage Foundation’s Leadership Team Announce Their Resignations

Two prominent members of the leadership team at conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation have announced their resignations, saying they met the goals they set when they joined the organization three years ago and are ready to pass the torch. 

President Kay James will stay on as president for up to six months until the organization finds a replacement, after which she will become a Heritage distinguished visiting fellow and remain on the organization’s board. Executive Vice President Kim Holmes’ resignation is effective April 16.

 “When we came on board as the executive leadership team three years ago, we set several goals and told Heritage’s board of trustees that we would serve for three to five years to see them through,” said James. “We accomplished everything we set out to do. Now it’s time to let someone else take the reins.”

James has been a board member of the public policy research institute since 2005 and took the president role in 2018.

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She played a major role in influencing public policy in areas such as the economic and health recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, election integrity, immigration, China’s increasing global influence, Big Tech, improving education, tax reform and deregulation, and strengthening America’s civil society, the organization said. 

Under her leadership, Heritage created the Edwin J. Feulner Institute, a new policy group, as well as the Center for Technology Policy.

James said serving as Heritage’s president was the pinnacle of a long career.

“I am proud of the many things we have accomplished together, including reaching out to new, nontraditional audiences of women, minorities and young people and showing them how conservative solutions provide the best outcomes for all Americans,” she said. 

Holmes joined Heritage in 1985 and rose to vice president in 1991. He oversaw the think tank’s defense and foreign policy team for more than two decades and was a founding editor of the annual Index of Economic Freedom. 

In 2002, he left Heritage for the U.S. State Department to serve as assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs during President George W. Bush’s first term.

“Over the past three years, Kim and I achieved everything we set out to do, and we did it with a terrific group of dedicated people who want nothing but what’s best for America,” James said. “It has been an absolute honor and privilege to work with them.”