Sutherland Institute in Utah is a think tank that is concerned with issues on a state level. This nonpartisan organization has identified the importance of recognizing and researching local concerns and providing the community with facts and alternative solutions to make a change. The idea that smaller scale changes can potentially lead to larger ones is an ideal that Sutherland Institute embodies. The president of this reputable think tank, Paul T. Mero, believes that think tanks geared toward the state level are a special breed to behold.
Since 2000 Mero has been promoting the research of Sutherland Institute along with providing possible solutions to some of the issues that are most prominent in Utah. One of these hot button topics that Sutherland Institute has tackled under the leadership of Mero was the issue of illegal immigrants in the state. While some political Utah leaders have come out in support of neighboring Arizona’s aggressive policies on the topic, many other public policy leaders and organizations, including Mero and the institute, have successfully spoken out against such tough reforms being enacted in Utah.
Preceding Mero’s acceptance of his current position with Sutherland Institute, this dynamic man of action was employed as executive vice president of the Howard Center for Families, Religion, and Society; located in Rockford, Illinois. In his time spent there he worked on many of the same issues that Sutherland Institute confronts and created a great working relationship with the president of the Howard Center, Allan C. Carlson. The symbiotic rapport between these two men led to the creation of the book The Natural Family: A Manifesto, which both Mero and Carlson helped co-author.
Mero gained many of his public speaking and political skills not only from his time at Brigham Young University studying public policy but also from his stint on Capitol Hill. From 1987 through 1997 Mero committed ten years to working for the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. His time serving Congressman William E. Dannemeyer as press secretary and Congressman Robert K. Dornan as chief of staff garnered him the immense experience that has led him to his current position as head of the Sutherland Institute.
As an engaging public speaker Mero also continues to attend events in his spare time to give thought provoking speeches that encourage people to make a positive change in their local communities and government. When at home in Sandy, Utah, Mero enjoys spending time with his wife, six children and seven grandchildren.




