Business
A small Jesuit school in Denver has quietly become a pipeline for powerful Republicans surrounding Trump
A Catholic university nestled in the Rocky Mountains has quietly produced a surprising number of figures who now occupy influential positions within President Donald Trump’s political sphere and the broader conservative movement.
Regis University, a 148-year-old Jesuit institution in Denver, has become an unexpected common denominator among conservative leaders who have shaped American politics for decades.
The connection includes two women in Trump’s orbit currently making headlines. Erika Kirk, the new CEO of Turning Point USA following her husband Charlie Kirk’s assassination, and Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, both earned degrees from Regis.
But their alma mater has produced a much broader network of conservative powerbrokers who have shaped American politics for generations.
Regis University, which serves about 2,700 students, was able to confirm to Fortune that Erika Kirk was a student there from fall 2007 through the end of fall 2009, and Lindsey Halligan did graduate from the school in 2011, but offered no further comment..
A conservative pipeline from the Rockies
Among the most influential alumni is Edwin Feulner, who co-founded The Heritage Foundation in 1973 and served as its president for over three decades. Feulner, who died in July, transformed the conservative think tank from a small policy shop into what the New York Times called “the Parthenon of the conservative metropolis.”
Feulner’s Heritage Foundation became instrumental in suggesting policies to Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Trump, with the Trump administration embracing many of Heritage’s recommendations in its first year.
The university’s political influence extends deep into state-level Republican leadership as well. Jane Norton, who earned her degree from Regis, served as Colorado’s lieutenant governor from 2003 to 2007 and was notable for leading efforts to outlaw gay marriage in the state. Norton later joined the Trump administration in 2025 as director of intergovernmental and external affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Another significant alumnus is Jim Daly, who completed his MBA in international business at Regis University in 1997 and has led Focus on the Family, the influential evangelical organization based in Colorado Springs, since 2005.
While not directly part of Trump’s administration, Focus on the Family says it reaches more than 6 million listeners weekly through its radio program and represents a key constituency within the conservative coalition that has supported Trump’s political movements.
The conservative pipeline also includes Tim Neville, a Regis graduate who served in Colorado’s Senate from 2011 to 2019 as a hardline conservative known for his stances on social issues, education, and gun legislation. Neville, who earned his degree in business administration from Regis, was a frequent recipient of perfect ratings from the American Conservative Union and Americans for Prosperity. His son Patrick also serves as a Republican leader in the Colorado House of Representatives.
Democratic graduates
The school has also produced some Democratic leaders. Stephen McNichols, who graduated from Regis in 1936, served as Colorado’s governor from 1957 to 1963. He championed progressive causes, including improved school funding, university faculty salary increases, and institutional reforms for state hospitals and prisons.
The university also produced John Morse, a former Colorado Senate president who earned national attention for his leadership in passing gun control legislation following the Aurora theater shooting and Sandy Hook massacre. Morse was ultimately recalled from office in 2013 due to his gun-control advocacy.
Yadira Caraveo, who graduated from Regis in 2003, became Colorado’s first Latina U.S. congresswoman, representing the state’s 8th Congressional District as a Democrat.
Beyond politics, Regis has produced figures across various fields, such as actor-comedian Bill Murray (who notably dropped out after one year after getting caught with marijuana) as well as athletes and business leaders.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
