Hello
Thank you for visiting my page. As you look through this website, I hope you’ll see something I’ve learned over a lifetime of traveling this country: you and I are likely far more alike than we are different — just like most Americans.
My American Dream began in Penn Hills, just outside Pittsburgh, and carried me into communities across the nation. I’ve met good people in rural towns from Georgia to Colorado. I’ve broken bread on the South Side of Chicago and in South Central Los Angeles. I’ve had salmon lunches at the Capitol Hill Club and pizza at a YMCA. I’ve worked alongside millionaires and mill workers.
And what have I learned? Our differences don’t divide us — they define us. The qualities that make each region unique are the very things that make the United States special. I’ve come to love and appreciate them all.
As we approach America 250 and beyond, that’s what we must return to: finding what we share, celebrating what makes us unique, and remembering that E Pluribus Unum isn’t just a motto. It’s who we are — united, together.
My Story
Newsradio KDKA’s Larry Richert once described me as “a man who wears many hats.” He’s right — and they’re hats I’ve worn with purpose.
I’m a Pittsburgh native who has spent decades working in both state and national arenas shaping public policy and strengthening civic life. I serve as a Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation and Founding Forward, and I sit on the board of the American Consumer Institute after previously serving as CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
My forthcoming book, A Venn Diagram of One: An American Story, arrives in August 2026. Reagan biographer Dr. Paul Kengor endorsed it by writing, “In a Reaganesque style, Lenny McAllister is a winsome and persuasive conservative, giving conservatives a choice, not an echo.”
I’ve long been active in the civil rights community, including work with Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award winner Leon Ford on criminal justice reform. I’ve partnered with the NAACP and other civil rights leaders on issues involving constitutional protections and equal treatment under the law.
My media work continues to be a major part of my public service. Each week, I host a three‑hour program on the Marconi Award–winning Newsradio KDKA, offering analysis on the issues shaping our nation. Since 2008, I’ve appeared more than 500 times across television, radio, and streaming platforms — including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Sirius XM, Radio New Zealand, and others. My op‑eds have been published in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Root, The Dallas Morning News, The Chicago Defender, and RedState. I have also appeared in multiple documentaries including America in Perspective (FreedomWorks), Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia Sand (Competitive Enterprise Institute) and The Impossible Dream (Awaken Films).
As a speaker, I’ve addressed audiences at the Union League of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, CPAC, the State of the Black Union, the Heritage Foundation, and Americans for Prosperity. I’ve guest‑lectured at institutions including Bainbridge State College, the University of the District of Columbia, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of North Carolina. One of my most meaningful experiences was serving as an adjunct professor of African‑American History at LaRoche University. I’ve testified before the Pennsylvania General Assembly and even attended a hearing of the United States Supreme Court.
Through all of these roles, one theme has remained constant for me: my commitment to helping Americans rediscover and embrace our shared story — and our shared responsibility — in each moment, and doing so with joy and appreciation. Some have called me a “happy warrior”—and I wear that label proudly. In an era of outrage and grievance, I choose optimism and principle. I believe conservatism should inspire hope, not traffic in fear. I'm convinced that America's best days are ahead—and I'm committed to making that case with steadiness, gratitude, and joy
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
