Stephanie Smith addresses Young Republicans
On Wednesday, Stephanie Smith addressed a joint meeting of the Shelby, Jefferson, and St. Clair County Young Republican Clubs. The three groups of YRs were gathered at Hoover Tactical Firearms to watch Wednesday night’s Republican Party Presidential Debate. Smith is the third president of the Alabama Policy Institute (API). Smith said API was founded in 1989 by Gary Palmer and Tom Parker. Palmer served as President until he ran for Congress in Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District – a position he still holds. Caleb Crosby led the group for about eight years until being replaced by Smith in January. “The Alabama Policy Institute has gone through some transition over the last nine years,” said Smith. “We try to strike a balance between the social conservative side and fiscal conservative side,” Smith said. “We try to set a conservative agenda for the state,” Smith explained. “To hold elected officials accountable for their vote.” “We opine on national issues with our congressional delegation, but we are more focused on state issues,” Smith continued. She went on to explain to the YRs how to watch the debate. “Try to focus on the issues rather than the personality,” Smith said. “With Trump not being here, they are going to try to jockey for that second spot.” She handed out sheets and asked the group to rank the candidates on the issues and how close they came to their views without the bias of how they felt about the candidates before the debate. “It has been interesting to me since I took over API in January,” Smith said. “I have had national officials come up to me and ask, why are you here? Alabama is great. You have a supermajority. You can pass whatever you want.” “Many of the men and women in leadership are more moderate,” Smith explained of state government. “They are not as conservative on the Alabama side.” “There are plenty of things we can do to be more conservative as a state,” Smith said. “We are nonpartisan, but we are conservative-led.” She said that one thing that API does is “push out as much information as we can.” State Representative Susan Dubose (R-Greystone) said, “I cannot tell you how beneficial Stephanie and her group have been to me.” Dubose said that the information that she gets from API is trustworthy. “It is actual fact. It is not something that they made up,” Dubose said. The YRs then watched the over two-hour debate. Former President Donald Trump elected not to participate in the debate. Also at Wednesday night’s event was former State Senator Bryan Taylor, who is running for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Judge Matt Fridy. Before Smith’s presentation, the Shelby County Young Republicans elected their officers. Shane Plyler was elected the group’s chairman. River Morris was elected Vice Chair. St. Clair County Republican Party Chairman Logan Glass announced that the club is raffling off a customized AR-15 built by one of the club’s members. Tickets are $5 each. The Alabama presidential primary is on Tuesday, March 5. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Personnel Update: Stephanie Smith is the new President and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute
The Alabama Policy Institute (API) announced in a statement that it has named Stephanie Smith as API’s third president and CEO. She will succeed Caleb Crosby, who is stepping down as President and CEO. Smith has been a consistent conservative political voice in Alabama since 1998. Her professional experience includes serving as Director of Governmental Affairs for Regions Financial, President of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, Assistant Director of Finance for the State of Alabama, Deputy Director of Finance for the State of Alabama, and Principal of the Thatcher Coalition. “I am honored by the confidence of API’s leadership and look forward to building upon the successes of the organization by actively engaging elected officials and other Alabamians in substantive public policy conversations,” Smith said. The mission and vision of API are sound, and it is my privilege to have the opportunity to champion conservative principles statewide.” “Stephanie has been working alongside the API team since 2021,” said API Board Chairman Richard Stimpson. She brings a wealth of political knowledge and decades of practical policy experience to the team. Stephanie is a stalwart for the principles upon which API was founded: free markets, limited government, and strong families.” Tom Bradford is the founding board chairman and former API Interim President and CEO. “It’s clear that Stephanie is the right person to serve as the next President and CEO of API,” Bradford said. “She is grounded in her faith and articulates the positions of the conservative movement with precision and passion.” Smith is married to Dalton Smith and is the mother of seven. Stephanie is a cum laude graduate of Auburn University and a cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. While attending graduate school at UAB, Stephanie created and managed Region’s grassroots platform. She also has lobbied in nine states and DC. Smith was an advisor and legislative manager for the Governor regarding budgetary issues and was the lead economic development and public finance coordinator for the State. She is the 6th Congressional District Chairman for the Alabama Republican Party, is a Board Member of Eagle Forum of Alabama, and is a member of the Republican Women of North Shelby County and the Shelby County Republican Party. She is also a contributor at the 1819 News. As a former lobbyist, Smith brings a great understanding of legislative affairs and how both Montgomery and Washington actually work. This experience could be helpful going forward as API works towards promoting its ideas into actual legislation. The Alabama Policy Institute was founded 34 years ago as a conservative think tank associated with Focus on the Family by Tom Parker and Gary Palmer. Since then, it has advocated for smaller government and free market principles. Palmer led API as President and CEO for many years, establishing a nationwide following with allied think tanks in almost every state. Palmer left API in 2014 to run for Congress. Today he is serving in his fifth term representing Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District. Crosby succeeded Palmer in August 2014. While Crosby was President and CEO, API became more involved in communications – spinning off 1819 News and Rightside Radio – in an attempt to more actively communicate the values and principles of conservatism through a statewide multi-media strategy. API also created the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty (ACLL) to play a more active role in the judicial system. “It has been an honor to lead API in its ongoing pursuit to be the premier resource for conservative policy ideas in the state,” Crosby said. “Building upon the accomplishments of the past, API and its subsidiaries have asserted themselves as the authority and voice of conservative principles for the State of Alabama.” “Caleb has been an incredibly innovative leader for API. His years of service have benefitted API, and the legacy of his work will benefit the entire state,” Stimpson said. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
