Thousands of conservatives will travel to the Washington, D.C., area this week for the 43rd annual Conservative Political Action Conference. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence headline this year's event. 

The Heritage Foundation, a presenting sponsor, will have a strong presence at CPAC. 

Jim DeMint, president of The Heritage Foundation, will speak at the conference on Thursday at 10:45 a.m. from the event’s main stage.

Heritage will have nine other speakers address CPAC over the course of three days. 

• Rob Bluey, vice president of publishing at Heritage and editor-in-chief of The Daily Signal, will join Kyle Bonnell, recruitment and Job Bank manager, on the Leadership Institute’s “Ask Me Anything” recruiter panel.
   
• Lindsey Burke, director of education policy studies and Will Skillman fellow, speaks on a panel, “How Did the Left Capture Education and How Can We Get It Back.”
   
• Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow in the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, speaks on a panel, “If Heaven Has A Gate, Wall, and Extreme Vetting, Why Can’t America?”
   
• Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow on Northeast Asia, speaks at a breakout session, “North Korea and Missile Defense: Defending the U.S. and Its Allies.”
   
• Ana Quintana, policy analyst in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign and National Security Policy, speaks on a panel, “Free Stuff vs. FREE-dom: Millennials’ Love Affair with Bernie Sanders.”
   
• Bryan Riley, Jay Van Andel senior policy analyst in trade policy, speaks on a panel, “How Do You Rate? Using Data and Ideas to Pursue Change.”
   
• Grant Strobl, an intern with Heritage’s Young Leaders Program and national chairman of Young Americans for Freedom, speaks on a panel, “Ideas From the Rising Generation.”
   
• Bridget Wagner, Vice President for external relations, moderates a discussion, “What is the Trump Doctrine? The Forgotten Man Panel.”
  
  

Heritage is also sponsoring Friday’s Reagan Dinner with keynote speaker Michael Reagan and co-sponsoring CPAC’s Job and Internship Fair with the Leadership Institute. 

This year’s CPAC will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at Maryland’s National Harbor. The conference runs from Wednesday, Feb. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 25.