Republican Party Chairman Ralph Reed will speak to the College Republicans tonight about the powerful position of conservative leadership in the government.

As the former executive director of the Christian Coalition — the largest conservative grassroots organization in the county — Reed advocates traditional Christian values.

During his tenure as director, the Christian Coalition’s budget grew from $200,000 to $27 million, according to the Georgia Republican Party’s Web site (www.gagop.org).

Kelley Binion, president of the College Republicans, said she is looking forward to Reed’s speech.

“Dr. Reed is a motivating speaker that can really encourage a crowd to leave a room looking for ways in which they can begin working for upcoming elections,” she said.

Tonight’s speech will be a return to familiar territory for the political leader — Reed received a B.A. in History from the University before completing his doctoral work in American History at Emory.

Named one of the top political newsmakers in the nation by Newsweek, Reed has utilized his work with the Republican Party to encourage grassroots efforts.

Reed took over as chairman of the Georgia Republican Party in spring of 2001 and launched the Georgia Volunteer Leadership program.

The program, which has trained more than 2,000 people, teaches citizens how to launch successful grassroots campaigns.

Linda Ingram, assistant to Reed, confirmed that he will step down from his post as Republican Party chairman in May to assist President Bush’s re-election efforts.

Ingram said the capacity in which Reed would assist the president has yet to be determined, but he said that in 2000 Reed was a consultant for Bush’s campaign.

Reed will speak at 7:30 tonight in Room 137 of the Tate Student Center.

The event is free and open to the public and is expected to last about an hour.

It will be followed by a question and answer session.