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Cardinal Institute
| Cardinal Institute | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Charleston, West Virginia |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Garrett Ballengee, President and CEO |
| Founder(s): | Keith Pauley |
| Year founded: | 2014 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Cardinal Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Charleston, West Virginia that, according to its website, is “dedicated to researching, developing, and communicating effective free-market public policies for West Virginia.”[1] The company was founded in 2014.[1]
Background
The Cardinal Institute was founded in 2014 by Keith Pauley.[1] According to the institute’s website, Pauley and others founded it because they “thought it important to have a free-market, limited-government voice actively and consistently engaged in the marketplace of ideas in West Virginia.”[2]
As of September 2025, the Cardinal Institute’s website said it “envisions an economic turnaround that will transform West Virginia into a beacon of prosperity and hope.”[1] The intitute's website said its work focuses on the following four pillars:[1]
- Economic freedom
- Education freedom
- Worker freedom
- Culture of freedom
Leadership
As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Cardinal Institute:[3]
- Garrett Ballengee, President & CEO
- Jessica Dobrinsky, Chief of Staff
- Kyle Hanlin, Director of Development
- Lyndsey Quinlan, Director of Communications
- Tiffany Hoben, Director of Education Partnerships and Strategy
- Jessi Troyan, Director of Policy and Research
- Adam Kissel, Senior Fellow
As of September 2025, the Cardinal Institute’s Board of Directors included the following individuals:[3]
- Karen Bailey-Chapman, Chair
- Bill Cole, Board Member
- Ed Gaunch, Board Member
- Melanie Hildreth, Board Member
- Jeff Kimble, Board Member
- Jim Shaffer, Board Member
Work and activities
Right-to-work law
According to the Cardinal Institute's website, it "played a pivotal role in championing the Right to Work in West Virginia."[4] In 2016, West Virginia became the 26th state to enact a right-to-work law. The Cardinal Institute's website states that "by emphasizing the benefits of ‘Right to Work,’ such as increased job market flexibility and the empowerment of workers to make their own decisions regarding union participation, we not only shed light on Cardinal’s historical advocacy for worker rights but also reaffirm our dedication to creating a workplace that respects and upholds the freedom of choice."[4]
Notable endorsements
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Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Cardinal Institute's revenues and expenses from 2019 to 2023. The information comes from ProPublica
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $923,030 | $832,327 |
| 2022 | $971,241 | $755,565 |
| 2021 | $786,400 | $474,981 |
| 2020 | $325,190 | $320,692 |
| 2019 | $432,999 | $325,198 |
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Cardinal Institute official website
- Cardinal Institute Facebook
- Cardinal Institute X
- Cardinal Institute Instagram
- YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Cardinal Institute, "About," accessed September 4, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "About" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "About" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Cardinal Institute, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed September 4, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Cardinal Institute, "Our Team," accessed September 4, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cardinal Institute, "Worker Freedom," accessed September 4, 2025
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