The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Zachary W. during the 2007-2008 League.
Interview With a Local Leader #5 - Brad Snavely, Executive Director of Michigan Family Forum
Brad Snavely is currently the executive director of Michigan Family Forum. Born in Big Rapids, Michigan, he went to Hope College with a
double major in political science and business. During his time at Hope, he was involved in the Washington Honors program, and interned
at the American Bar Association's dispute resolution committee. In January 1987 he began another internship in Washington, this time
with Congressman Fred Upton. He was accepted into law school, but chose instead to work on upton's re-election campaign.
Brad married his wife Kelle during his senior year. He moved back to Michigan and began in the Michigan Senate with Sen. Doug Carl's office.
Brad spent three years there as Carl's chief of staff. He then took a lobbying position with the Michigan Funeral Directors' Assocation.
While there Brad met Randy Heckman, who had founded michigan Family Forum in 1990. Brad began working for the Forum soon thereafter, and
stayed for a year and a half through the mid-1990s. He left after this to become the vice-president of legislative affairs for the
Healthcare Association of Michigan. Brad was still on the board of Michigan Family Forum and after four years he felt called to become
the executive director of the organization. He started in this new role in September 2001 and remains there to this day.
Mr. Snavely lives in Lansing and has five children: Jonathan, Christine, Matthew, Sophia and Josiah.
Q: What motivated you to seek your current position?
A: I was in my car seven years ago and I had a profound moment. I was listening to Dr. (James) Dobson on the radio, and he was reading
some of the 2000 census data. At that point, one third of all babies were born out of wedlock, and there was a general decline in the
state of the family. I had wrestled with the decision to become director at Michigan Family Forum; I thought that there must be others
who were more qualified. What clinched it for me was that I didn't want to hear in 2010 that half of all babies were born out of wedlock.
That moment convicted me.
Q: What training do you think is important to prepare you for your position?
A: If God truly calls someone to something, He will prepare him or her for that eventual role. For me, the direct legislative
experience, the familiarity with how laws are made, the professional relationships, and campaign experience were all very valuable.
Along with being on the inside however, it was good being on the outside of the process. It isn't as easy to obtain information from
the outside. Working for an outside organization requires you to write more, persuade people, utilize grassroot efforts, and pursue
bipartisan relations, often trying to reach a key person.
Another thing is to be comfortable with the media - be able to relate to them, because what you say is often subject to their interpretation.
Q: What are some of the greatest rewards of your work?
A: First, it is good to know that I've made a difference. I really love the quote I heard from the father of a young man named Paul
Stewart, who interned last year in the Michigan Senate. Mr. Stewart said: "The things you do for yourself die when you die, but things
you do for others live on." I really enjoy impacting people for the better. For example with our sex ed law, we helped the parents
get involved in good ways, and it has a big impact on the kids. The byproducts are developing relationships and friendships that are
rewarding and last a lifetime.
Doing everything with civility builds trust, and over time allows you to build beneficial relationships with people. An example is an
individual who works for many liberal organizations that I know, and while we are often opposed on issues, we are talking about an issue
of shared interest. It is like a Venn diagram where our interests are represented by two circles. The overlap may be small, but we have
the relationship that we can work together on this issue. I think this brings glory to God, because sometimes how we do things is as
important as what we do. It is important to work together even if we disagree.
Q: What are the greatest challenges of your work?
A: People are often hostile to our beliefs, or apathetic. Some people don't believe that we can change anything. It is hard to get our
message out in a sound bite world.
One example is when we released a report detailing the financial cost of broken families. The cost to Michigan taxpayers is $1.5 billion.
There is a debate over how best to address the problem. In my view, apathy really increases the problem, because they are offering a
future filled with despair. We can't afford to do nothing, and so we are offering people a chance for a hopeful future for the next
generation.
It is discouraging that so many people are in one of two camps: either they think that we shouldn't interfere in other people's affairs,
or they think that getting better is unrealistic. When people are cynical, it is challenging to convey that hope. Doing nothing or
continuing on this course will just lead to more despair.
Q: What role, if any, does faith play in your work?
A: Faith plays a big role. If I had no calling or insight from God it would be difficult to do what I do. Because of culture, we need
to involve people from all streams of religion. To win on these issues, we need to attract people who have a moral compass who don't
necessarily share our faith.
For example, on some of our literature like our sex ed brochure or our internet safety guide, we don't mention Scripture so as not to
offend people. At the same time we don't deny our faith, we are very overt about it. It is wonderful also to be a part of an
organization that can pray as a staff together, it is a great blessing.
Q: What do you recommend students do now to prepare themselves for a position such as yours?
A: It is really smart to prepare academically and in work experience for the work you want to do in 10-15 years. The relationships
you develop and the experience you acquire will put you in a good position for that eventual job. You can't go from college to a
position like this; you need a variety of experiences. Although it is sometimes hard to get that first job, I encourage students to get
internships. I learned so much working on Fred Upton's campaign. It was hard and difficult work, but it taught me a lot, and it was
something that I could put on a resume.
Whether it's in a volunteer capacity or an entry-level job, rounding out experience is key - that will help you cement your reputation
and be prepared for an eventual leadership role.
