WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Honorable John N. Hostettler, who served in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2007 representing Indiana’s Eighth District, has signed on as Vice President for Federal Affairs for States Trust, a new initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
States Trust focuses on addressing the nation’s toughest challenges through state-based solutions and restoring the principle of federalism to empower states to be the innovators of effective public policy. Through outreach, communications, organizing, and research, States Trust impacts the national debate from the states’ perspective to ensure greater security, prosperity, and human flourishing for America.
“Throughout his tenure in Congress and in his career afterwards, John has distinguished himself as a defender of the U.S. Constitution,” says TPPF Executive Director Kevin Roberts. “The Framers of that document clearly intended for the power of the federal government to be limited. John’s understanding of this issue, most recently outlined in his book, ‘Ordained and Established,’ makes him the right person to lead this new effort.”
In the Federalist Papers, James Madison explained that the powers of the federal government should be “few and defined.”
“I’m delighted to be joining the States Trust initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation—an organization that has long advocated a return to James Madison’s simple yet profound understanding of the states’ authority relative to that of the federal government,” said Hostettler. “And with a recently announced federal debt of $22 trillion, the work of States Trust has never been more timely.”
Since leaving Congress, Hostettler has launched a publishing company, Publius House, and authored two books. He also helped found the Constitution Institute, which held seminars throughout Indiana teaching about the U.S. Constitution.
An engineer by training, Hostettler graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana with a degree in mechanical engineering. With his high school sweetheart, Beth, he has four children and has recently celebrated the births of his first few grandchildren.
In addition, Zoë O’Herin joins States Trust and TPPF as Director of Federal Affairs.
While working on Capitol Hill on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and in the U.S. House of Representatives, Zoë handled executive and judicial nominations, criminal justice reform and constitutional matters, managed tax policy during the 2017 historic tax reform effort, and developed expertise on a range of issues from health care to immigration. She also served as the Executive Director of the Congressional Constitution Caucus.
O’Herin graduated with honors from The University of Arizona with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science. She received her JD from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
TPPF’s Elliott Raia, a 2018 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin in economics and government will also join the team in Washington, D.C. Raia will serve as a federal policy analyst.