Cathi Herrod, president, Center for Arizona Policy 

Cathi Herrod, who is president of the Center for Arizona Policy, says her biggest challenge is communicating how issues affect the daily lives of families.
“What goes on at the Arizona Capitol and in Washington D.C. impacts our lives each and every day,” says Herrod, an attorney.
“For example, at the closing of the election season it’s important for people to understand how critical it is for each individual to participate in the process, especially when we see low voter turnout and confusion over how to register to vote,” she says.
Herrod became involved in public policy because of her children, ages 21 and 17. “Social issues such as abortion and marriage affect the world our children are going to be in,” she says.
She served as spokeswoman for Prop. 107, the 2006 ballot measure that would have changed the Constitution to define marriage. While similar measures passed in six other states, the Arizona proposition was defeated Nov. 7, 51.8 percent to 48.2 percent.
In addition, she has worked with the Legislature to pass a law requiring parental consent before a minor could have an abortion.
“It’s a very critical medical decision in our daughters’ lives — especially in such a life-changing decision as to whether to have an abortion,” she says.
Her deepest concern for Arizona is the reluctance of the state to regulate abortion.
“We need to protect women from the harms of abortion and to protect the lives of their unborn children. How we regard the sanctity of human life is my No. 1 concern. If we have no regard for this we won’t survive as a society for long,” Herrod says.
She has been in the field of public policy for 20 years and counts three national-level authors, commentators and talk show hosts as her mentors.
They are: Beverly LaHaye (founder of Concerned Women for America) and Janet Parshall and Jane Chastain, both radio talk show hosts.
“They are women who have greatly shaped my thoughts and they are making a difference by speaking out on issues,” Herrod says.