January 29, 2021 10:45 a.m.

Roseburg’s Alek Skarlatos has joined the staff of the Freedom Foundation.

The national conservative political think tank has around 50 employees with offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Washington and Oregon.

National director Aaron Withe said, “The Freedom Foundation is honored to have an international hero like Alek join the team”.

Skarlatos will be the organizations national director of development. The 2011 graduate of Roseburg High is best known as being part of a group that thwarted a terrorist on a train bound for Paris, France in 2015. He went on to be honored by the United States and French governments, was on Dancing with the Stars, and later portrayed himself in the 2018 Clint Eastwood film, “The 15:17 to Paris”.

Skarlatos ran unsuccessfully for Congress against incumbent Peter DeFazio in 2020. Skarlatos said he became familiar with the Freedom Foundation during his Congressional race and was “eager to join the team” when the job offer was extended.

The organization began in 1991 and said its mission is “…to advance individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited, accountable government”.

Withe said “We have big plans moving forward as an organization and Alek is going to be a major part of all that”.

Skarlatos told News Radio 1240 KQEN that he will continue to live in Roseburg.