 L-R: Matt (15), Ellen (17), Michael (19), Leigh (22), Tracy and Len, Will (23), Anne (21), Laura (18), Kaye (16) Len Munsil A principled conservative leader for more than 25 years, Len Munsil has an accomplished record as a public policy expert, an organizational entrepreneur, a licensed attorney, a journalist, and a homeschool dad. His personal interests include sports, politics, books and movies. He has been an award-winning Sunday School teacher for children and adults, has served as chairman of the board of elders at a conservative Baptist church, and has taught political science classes and developed curriculum at Southwestern College. In September 2010, the board of trustees at Arizona Christian University (formerly Southwestern College) appointed him as the 6th President in the 50-year history of Arizona’s only fully-accredited, non-profit Christian liberal arts college. “This is an exciting time in our history. I believe we are poised to explode into a new era of growth and influence as a top-notch liberal arts college in the Southwest, while maintaining our ‘intentionally Christian’ heritage,” Munsil said. “My desire is to inspire young followers of Christ to engage in the community. We want our students to know their lives have meaning, they have a purpose.” In addition to changing the name, ACU is expanding their degree programs to include biology, political science and communications. The college currently offers majors in business, family studies, education, pre-law, pre-med, ministry and music. ACU also requires every student to take a minor in Biblical studies. Len Munsil, a third-generation Arizona native, was born in Phoenix on November 29, 1963. Munsil received a B.S. in Journalism in 1985 from Arizona State University, followed by a J.D. law degree in 1988. At ASU, he served as editor-in-chief of the university's daily newspaper where he wrote editorials in support of President Ronald Reagan and a strong national defense, and was named Outstanding Journalism Graduate of the Walter Cronkite School. From 1981 to 1985, he also worked as a professional sportswriter for the Scottsdale Daily Progress newspaper. As a law student and young lawyer, Munsil founded the first ASU and Phoenix chapters of The Federalist Society, a libertarian organization for law students and lawyers. Munsil has experience in all three branches of government. He is admitted to practice in Arizona and federal courts, including eight U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has authored numerous amicus curiae briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court. He served a prestigious judicial clerkship for Judge Daniel A. Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and was appointed by Gov. Fife Symington to the Arizona Juvenile Justice Advisory Council. Munsil led a national organization dedicated to fighting illegal child pornography and obscenity, and authored “Protecting Communities from Sexually Oriented Businesses,” a legal manual used by city attorneys nationwide. He also founded a group called “No Bad Judges,” dedicated to opposing judicial activism. Munsil devoted over a decade to influencing public policy on behalf of children and families as founding President and General Counsel for The Center for Arizona Policy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization associated with Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. Although starting later than many other family policy councils, CAP quickly grew under Munsil’s direction to become one of the largest and most powerful state public policy organizations in the United States. During his tenure at CAP, he drafted seven new state laws protecting children and strengthening families, while helping lobby for another 40 laws. Munsil made hundreds of media appearances and communicated with thousands of Arizonans through public speaking events, daily radio commentaries, and e-mail updates. For his work on behalf of families and children, Munsil has received national awards and recognition from the American Family Association, National Family Legal Foundation, and Focus on the Family. In 2005, he was interviewed by The Arizona Republic as one of 22 “integral” leaders in Arizona. After ten years serving as President of CAP, Len Munsil left CAP to become a gubernatorial candidate. In 2006 Munsil won the Republican primary for Governor of Arizona, entering the race late and coming from far behind to upset the most famous name in Arizona political history - Goldwater - while receiving more than 51 percent of the vote in a four-way primary. In the general election he received more than half a million votes but lost to incumbent Janet Napolitano. In 2007, Munsil founded The Institute for Cultural Influence, a non-profit organization dedicated to equipping youth to defend the values of Western Civilization and to remind Americans of the exceptional heritage and values provided by Western Civilization and their relevance to our future health, prosperity and security. From 2007-2008, Munsil formed and ran a political action committee that advanced Reagan conservative principles through a website, speeches and support for Republican legislative candidates. Munsil serves as counsel to the Scottsdale law firm Mueller, Drury & Lawrence, and runs a small business providing consulting services to non-profit organizations. He says, “All told, I’m managing to keep pretty busy. I’ve also continued to be an active husband and father…I have enjoyed parenting through the teen years – coaching baseball and softball, teaching driving lessons, and watching our kids grow through their studies, athletics, proms, and graduations…. But I do remain deeply concerned about the direction of the country and the state, not only because many of the policies being proposed will hurt real people, but because of the lack of ethics and self-centeredness of so many elected leaders.” Len and his wife Tracy are “huge fans and advocates” of home education. In a keynote address at the 2003 Arizona Families for Home Education convention, Munsil declared, “Homeschool families are the last best hope for America.” The Munsils homeschooled their eight children from 1991 through 2005. The Munsils’ oldest son Will, 23, is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, where he played NCAA collegiate baseball. He is the head football and baseball coach at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy High School, and a law student at ASU. Leigh, 22, is a graduate of ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and is now a reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Anne, 21, is a Biblical Studies major and a member of the women’s basketball team at Arizona Christian University. Michael, 19, is an Education major at Arizona Christian University where he sings in the choir, and he is the junior high football coach at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy. Laura, 18, is majoring in English Literature and Film Studies at one of the “little Ivy’s” – Wesleyan University. Ellen, 17, is a junior at Scottsdale Prep and a member of the Governor’s Youth Commission and Valley Teen Leadership. Kaye, 16, plays on the volleyball, basketball and softball teams at Scottsdale Prep. Matt, 15, competes in football, basketball and baseball at Scottsdale Prep. He was honored in 2010 by the Arizona Cardinals as high school Player of the Week following a record-setting performance as a varsity wide receiver. Len’s wife, Tracy, is a summa cum laude graduate of ASU with a B.S. in Journalism, an M.A. in Political Science, and a Ph.D. in Political Science for which she prepared a 200-page dissertation on Mercy Otis Warren and civic virtue at the American founding. She has served as a journalist in Washington D.C. and as a political media consultant to legislative candidates. She also served as Director of Research and Publications for The Center for Arizona Policy, and was editor of the Arizona Citizen from 1993 to 2002. Professor Munsil is now a full-time lecturer in the School of Politics and Global Studies at ASU. Her husband says, “Somehow she still manages to prepare meals, run a household and snap photos at kids’ sporting events.” http://www.lenmunsil.com - Len Munsil's blog. http://www.acubushdinner.com/bio/munsil - Len Munsil biography. http://arizonachristian.edu - Arizona Christian University. http://www.azpolicy.org/about-us - The Center for Arizona Policy. http://www.instituteforculturalinfluence.com - The Institute for Cultural Influence.
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