There are hundreds of pro-liberty scholars spread across the country who are available to speak on campus. You might have an expert living down the street from you and not know it. On top of university professors there is a state-based free market think tank in very state employing policy experts in fields ranging from taxation and regulation to law and free trade.
This list of local experts and organizations is sorted by state. Each state has at least one free market think tank, and many states are home to a vast array of available speakers from college professors to grassroots activists.
If you would like Students For Liberty’s help in finding a local speaker for your campus, email Program Manager Clark Ruper at cruper@studentsforliberty.org with your name, school, group name, and speaker(s)/topics you are interested in.
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
The Goldwater Institute is an independent government watchdog supported by people who are committed to expanding free enterprise and liberty. The Institute develops innovative, principled solutions to pressing issues facing the states and enforces constitutionally limited government through litigation. The Institute focuses its work on expanding economic freedom and educational opportunity, bringing transparency to government, and protecting the rights guaranteed to Americans by the U.S. and state constitutions. The Goldwater Institute was founded in 1988 with Barry Goldwater’s blessing.
Arkansas
California
Alex Kreit – Professor of Law, The Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Topics: 1. – Drug Policy and related topics. 2. – Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure topics
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Contact: To contact Professor Kreit please email SFL Program Manager Clark Ruper at cruper@studentsforliberty.org.
After graduating from law school, Professor Kreit clerked for the Honorable M. Blane Michael on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He then worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco where his practice focused on securities and appellate litigation. While at Morrison, he co-authored the amicus curiae brief of Students for Sensible Drug Policy in the U.S. Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick (better known as the “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” student free speech case). Professor Kreit’s articles have been published in the American University Law Review, the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, the West Virginia Law Review, and the William Mitchell Law Review (with co-author Aaron Marcus). He is actively involved in the community, serving as a board member of the San Diego Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society. His current research interests include group criminality, constitutional constraints on substantive criminal law, and the relationship between structural rules of constitutional adjudication and constitutional law.
Jarret Wollstein – International Society for Individual Liberty
- Topics: 1. – Liberty 101 — why we need a liberty revolution now and what’s in it for you 2. – Government Run Health Care: Lethal Compassion 3. – Surviving Financial Crisis — what caused the meltdown and how to protect yourself 4. – 2010: A Libertarian Odyssey — what libertarians are doing right and wrong 5. – Shadow Over the Land: The government’s war on your liberty . . . how to protect yourself and fight back
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Contact: Pacificgroup@aol.com
Mr. Wollstein co-founded the International Society for Individual Liberty in 1969. He has published over 2,000 published articles and 45 books/special reports on libertarianism, privacy protection, and financial topics, including Surviving Terrorism, Shadow Over the Land: The government war on your liberty . . . how to protect yourself and fight back, and Lethal Compassion: why government medicine is the cure that kills. Over 5 million people have read his ISIL issue papers, books and articles. He is also a direct marketing specialist.
The mission of The Independent Institute is to transcend the all-too-common politicization and superficiality of public policy research and debate, redefine the debate over public issues, and foster new and effective directions for government reform. The Institute is located in Oakland, California, and Washington, D.C.
Established in 1973, the Pacific Legal Foundation is the oldest and most successful public interest legal organization that fights for limited government, property rights, individual rights and a balanced approach to environmental protection. The Foundation has its National Litigation Center in Sacramento, but also has regional Centers in Bellevue, Washington, Stuart, Florida, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Colorado
The Institute is located in Golden, Colorado, and was established upon the eternal truths of the Declaration of Independence. Founded in 1985, the Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research organization dedicated to providing timely information to concerned citizens, government officials, and public opinion leaders.
Connecticut
Yankee Institute for Public Policy
Located in Hartford, the Yankee Institute for Public Policy is a nonpartisan educational and research organization that exists to promote economic opportunity through lower taxes and new ideas for better government in Connecticut.
Delaware
The Caesar Rodney Institute seeks to become Delaware’s preeminent nonpartisan, free-market oriented think tank. The Caesar Rodney Institute’s vision is to be the catalyst for improved performance, accountability, and efficiency in Delaware government. The Institute is located in Dover.
Florida
Speakers Bureau information: Contact Keri Gordon keri@jamesmadison.org.
The James Madison Institute’s mission is to keep the citizens of Florida informed about their government and to shape Florida’s future through the advancement of practical free-market ideas on public policy issues. The Institute achieves its mission through research, conferences and seminars, and a variety of publications. The Institute is located in Tallahassee.
Georgia
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Since 1991, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, located in Atlanta, has conducted scholarly research and analysis of state public policy issues and worked to educate citizens, policy-makers and the media. The Foundation is state-focused, independent, nonpartisan, and market-oriented in its approach. Its philosophy is that good public policy is based upon fact, an understanding of sound economic principles, and the core principles of our free enterprise system — economic freedom, limited government, personal responsibility, individual initiative, respect for private property, and the rule of law.
Hawaii
The mission of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is to promote individual liberty, the free market, and limited accountable government. Through research papers, policy briefings, commentaries and conferences, the Institute seeks to educate and inform Hawaii’s policymakers, news media and the general public. The Institute is located in Honolulu.
Idaho
The Idaho Freedom Foundation, located in Boise, is nonprofit educational and research organization that develops and advocates the principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility, private property rights, economic freedom, and limited government. The Foundation’s mission is to keep Idaho free by generating research and data on key issues, and recommending the findings to opinion leaders, policymakers, media, and the citizens of Idaho.
Illinois
William Kline – University of Illinois at Springfield
- Topics: 1. – Philosophy of Liberty. 2. – Business Ethics. 3. – Philosophy of Business.
- Location: Springfield, IL
- Contact: wkline@libertystudies.org
Recent publications include “Collapsing Good and the Milieu of Innovation: An Examination of Mill’s principles of Liberty and Free Trade” in the Journal of Value Inquiry and “Business Ethics from the Internal Point of View” published in the Journal of Business Ethics. He also has recently had published a book chapter on flourishing and trade. An article on David Hume’s theory of justice is now under review.
Located in Chicago, the Heartland Institute’s mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. Such solutions include parental choice in education, choice and personal responsibility in health care, market-based approaches to environmental protection, privatization of public services, and deregulation in areas where property rights and markets do a better job than government bureaucracies.
The Illinois Policy Institute is a nonpartisan research organization dedicated to supporting free market principles and liberty-based public policy initiatives for a better Illinois. As a leading voice for economic liberty and government accountability, IPI engages policy makers, opinion leaders, and citizens on the state and local level. IPI has offices and internship opportunities in Chicago and Springfield.
Indiana
- Topics: 1.) Health Care and Liberty 2.) True Community vs. Government Control
- Location: Bloomington, IN – Available to speak in all Midwestern states.
- Contact: kentbeams@hotmail.com
Kent Beams, MD is a graduate from Loma Linda University (1985) with a completed residency in pathology. He is Board Certified in Anti-Aging/Regenerative Medicine and Phlebology. He is a the physician/partner at Decatur Vein Clinic and owner of Beams Health & Wellness Spa in Bloomington, Indiana. Dr. Beams enjoys helping clients with optimizing their total health and reversing chronic disease with bio-identical hormone balancing, neurotransmitters adjustments, nutritional assessment for correcting digestive health, and providing practical education for daily living. He is a Delegate to the Indiana State Medical Association from Monroe-Owen Medical Society and is an active board member. His medical career has focused on being proactive with optimizing the health of his patients as well as his personal health. www.beamshealth.com.
Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
Located in Indianapolis, the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice seeks to educate parents, public policymakers, and organizations about the desperate need to return power to the parents of America who have minimal choices and limited voices in the education of their children. It serves as an important resource and partner for the many parents and community groups who want greater choice in education and who are ready to fight for it.
Sagamore Institute for Policy Research
Located in Indianapolis, the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research exists to provide high-quality, independent research and analysis, developing innovative and collaborative approaches to issues of public significance.
Iowa
- Topics: 1. – Philosophy of Liberty. 2. – Existentialism, Libertarianism and Judicial Realism. 3. – Mass Media Law. 4. – Business Law and Liberty. 5. – The Commerce Clause
- Location: Coralville, IA
- Contact: campodal@avalon.net
Richard V. Campagna was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. He graduated from Brown University in 1972 with a BA in political science and minors in Spanish and Portuguese. In 1975 he concurrently obtained a J.D.degree from St. John’s School of Law and an M.A. in Ibero-American Social Thought from New York University. Campagna went on to obtain a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University Teachers College and a “controversial” Ph.D. from the American College of Metaphysical Theology after pursuing additional graduate study at C.C.N.Y., Columbia University, the University of Iowa and the University of Chicago (Returning Scholar Program). He is a multi-disciplinary professional with a long and distinguished record in public and community service. He is also an international attorney and businessman, university instructor, and counselor. His non-traditional approach to personal, professional and political discourse and achievement is best described as “optimistic existentialism” with a libertarian twist.
Located in Des Moines, the Iowa Taxpayers Association exists to educate and inform Iowans about sound fiscal policy; provide state policymakers with objective, nonpartisan research about the impact of specific tax and spending policies; and advocate for the adoption of rational public fiscal policy as it relates to business and corporate taxes. The Association was founded in 1935.
Kansas
Professor Stephen Ware – University of Kansas School of Law
- Topics: 1. – A Libertarian View of the Court System. 2. – A Libertarian View of the Financial Crisis and Regulatory Responses. 3. – A Libertarian View of Debt, Foreclosure, Bankruptcy and Consumer “Protection” Law. 4. – “The Legal Foundations of Capitalism”.
- Locatioin: Lawrence, KS
- Contact: ware@ku.edu
Stephen Ware is the author of two books, more than 20 law review articles and many other publications. A versatile teacher, Ware has taught at six law schools, including Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, where he was a faculty member for 10 years. In addition to teaching a wide variety of law school courses, Ware is a frequent speaker at academic conferences, continuing legal education programs and other events.
Flint Hills Center for Public Policy
Located in Wichita, the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy is an independent Kansas-based think tank that provides research and initiates reform in education, fiscal policy, and health care. The Center is dedicated to the constitutional principles of limited government, open markets, and personal responsibility, which are essential for individual freedom and prosperity to flourish.
Kentucky
Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions
Located in Bowling Green and Lexington, the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions provides research, analysis, and commentary that address key Kentucky practices impacting economic freedoms, public education effectiveness, government transparency and limited government. Its objective is to build a compelling case to “force” lawmakers, policymakers and policy implementers to confront performance-limiting policy and Kentucky’s performance gaps.
Louisiana
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Located in New Orleans, the Pelican Institute for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and education institution that conducts scholarly research and analysis of Louisianan public policy. The Institute’s mission is to advance sound policies based on the principles of free enterprise, individual liberty, and limited government. The Institute’s staff pursue this mission by conducting timely research on important issues and then marketing the findings to elected leaders, the media, business leaders, community organizations, and individual citizens.
Maine
Located in Portland, Maine, the Maine Heritage Policy Center is a research and educational organization that exists to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise; limited, constitutional government; individual freedom; and traditional American values — all for the purpose of providing public policy solutions that benefit the people of Maine.
Maryland
Calvert Institute for Policy Research
Located in Baltimore, the Calvert Institute for Policy Research is an independent, nonpartisan public policy research institution committed to generating new ideas based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government and personal responsibility. The Institute seeks to make Maryland worthy of its nickname – “The Free State.”
Located in Potomac, the Free State Foundation is a nonprofit Maryland-based think tank. Its purpose is to promote, through research and educational activities, understanding of free market, limited government, and rule of law principles at the federal level and in Maryland. The Foundation focuses on eliminating unnecessary and counterproductive regulatory mandates, especially those applicable to the communications and other high-tech industries, and on reducing overly burdensome taxes, protecting individual and economic liberty, reforming civil liability laws, and making government more effective, efficient, and accountable.
Maryland Public Policy Institute
Located in Rockville, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. Its goal is to provide accurate and timely research analysis of Maryland policy issues and market these findings to key primary audiences. The mission of the Maryland Public Policy Institute is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society.
Massachusetts
Professor Jeffrey Miron – Harvard University & The Cato Institute
- Topics: 1. – Fiscal Stimulus 2. – Bailouts 3. – Health Care 4. – Drug Legalization 5. – Global Warming
- Location: Cambridge, MA – Available to speak in the Northeast Mid-Atlantic regions.
- Contact: miron@fas.harvard.edu
Jeffrey A. Miron is Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Dr. Miron has previously served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and Boston University; at the latter, he was Department chairman for six years. He has been the recipient of an Olin Fellowship from the National Bureau of Economic Research, an Earhart Foundation Fellowship, and a Sloan Foundation Faculty Research Fellowship. Dr. Miron holds a B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in economics from M.I.T. Dr. Miron has published more than 25 articles in refereed journals and 50 op-eds in the Boston Herald, Boston Business Journal, Boston Globe, CNN.com, nytimes.com, and other outlets. Dr. Miron’s commentary on economic policy has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox television, BBC radio, and in dozens of other television, radio, and print media around the world. Dr. Miron’s area of expertise is the economics of libertarianism. He has written extensively on the economic case against drug prohibition, and he has been a vocal critic of the Treasury bailout and the Obama administration’s fiscal stimulus. Dr. Miron is also a star teacher. In four of the past five years, the Senior Class at Harvard has chosen him as one of their favorite teachers. His most popular offering is a course titled “A Libertarian Perspective on Economic and Social Policy,” which has attracted more than eight hundred students in just four years.
Located in Boston, the Beacon Hill Institute is a world-renowned learning and research center that develops and performs innovative economic and statistical analyses of current and emerging public policy issues. It aims to strengthen that function by: providing local, state, national and international research entities with state-of-the-art tools and economic analyses, partnering with a PhD granting department of economics, and expanding its reputation for providing objective analysis to examine and influence public policy.
Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research
Located in Boston, the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research produces research and analysis almost exclusively through outside experts. By doing so, Pioneer ensures credibility, and remains focused on what it does best — developing a strategic research and programs agenda, and serving as a marketing and public education firm for issues that impact Massachusetts. As a result, the Institute maintains a strong presence on Beacon Hill and in the State’s executive offices; it attracts more press than any other research institute in Massachusetts.
Maria Ortiz Perez – Pioneer Institute
- Topics: 1. – Transparency and Accountability in Government 2. – Data-driven public policy 3. – Benchmarking and performance measurement in government
- Location: Boston, MA
- Contact: mortizperez@pioneerinstitute.org
Maria Ortiz Perez is Pioneer’s Project Manager for the Middle Cities and Transparency initiatives. Maria has worked in the public sector for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, ACCION USA, and the City of Somerville, MA. As the Business Development Specialist in Somerville, she led an effort to expand the delivery and efficiency of city programs for businesses and organized local businesses and residents to form a highly successful non-profit which significantly increased community participation in economic development initiatives. In the private sector, Maria participated in the launching of the Mexican subsidiary of a French multinational, and acted as a consultant for the municipal permitting of Westwood Station, an urban development project in Massachusetts. Maria holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University.
Michigan
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
Located in Grand Rapids, the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty exists to promote a free, virtuous, and humane society. This direction recognizes the benefits of a limited government, but also the beneficent consequences of a free market. It embraces an objective framework of moral values, but also recognizes and appreciates the subjective nature of economic value. It views justice as a duty of all to give the one his due but, more importantly, as an individual obligation to serve the common good and not just his own needs and wants. In order to promote a more profound understanding of the coming together of faith and liberty, the Institute involves members of religious, business, and academic spheres in its various seminars, publications, and academic activities. Those at the Institute believe that by demonstrating the compatibility of faith, liberty, and free economic activity, religious leaders and entrepreneurs can contribute by helping to shape a society that is secure, free, and virtuous.
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Located in Midland, Michigan, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy exists as a nonpartisan research and educational institute devoted to improving the quality of life for all Michigan citizens by promoting sound solutions to state and local policy questions. The Mackinac Center assists policy makers, scholars, business people, the media, and the public by providing objective analysis of Michigan issues. The goal of all Center reports, commentaries and educational programs is to equip Michigan citizens and other decision makers to better evaluate policy options.
Minnesota
Center of the American Experiment
Located in Minneapolis, the Center of the American Experiment is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt, public policy and educational institution that brings conservative and free market ideas to bear on the hardest problems facing Minnesota and the United States. The Center publishes original research, writes commentaries, commissions studies, presents public programs that feature both local and national experts, hosts legislative roundtables, and delivers presentations to students and civic organizations.
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Located in Minneapolis, the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota is an independent, nonprofit educational and research organization that actively advocates the principles of individual freedom, personal responsibility, economic freedom, and limited government.
Minnesota Free Market Institute
Located in St. Paul, the Minnesota Free Market Institute is dedicated to preservation of and education about free markets.
Mississippi
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Located in Jackson, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy exists to promote limited government, free markets, and strong, traditional families.
Missouri
With locations in St. Louis and Columbia, the Show-Me Institute seeks to advance liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri’s public policy.
Montana
The Property & Environment Research Center
Fellows & Educational Materials
PERC is the nation’s oldest and largest institute dedicated to improving environmental quality through markets and property rights. Research is at the heart of PERC’s work, followed by outreach and education. Formed more than 25 years ago, PERC applies economic thinking to environmental problems. Located in Bozeman Montana, PERC pioneered the approach known as free market environmentalism (FME).
The Montana Policy Institute is Montana’s free market think tank. The Montana Policy Institute exists to equip Montana’s citizens and decision-makers to better evaluate state public policy options, and to do so from the perspective that policies based upon free markets, limited government, and individual responsibility will result in the greatest common good.
Nebraska
Platte Institute for Public Policy
The Platte Institute for Economic Research is a nonpartisan research and education organization that exists to advance alternatives that foster limited government, personal responsibility, and free enterprise for Nebraska.
Nevada
Nevada Policy Research Institute
The Nevada Policy Research Institute is a free-market think tank that seeks private solutions to public challenges facing Nevada, the West and the nation. The Institute’s primary areas of focus are education and fiscal policy, with the goal of advancing free-market principles in both. NPRI has offices in Las Vegas, but scholars and writers from all over Nevada and the nation contribute to the Institute’s mission.
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent think tank focused on state and local public policy issues that affect the quality of life for New Hampshire’s citizens. The Center has as its core beliefs individual freedom and responsibility, limited and accountable government, and an appreciation of the role of the free enterprise system. The Center seeks to promote policy that supports these beliefs by providing information, research, and analysis.
New Jersey
Foundation for Free Enterprise
The mission of the Foundation for Free Enterprise is to provide leadership in furthering the understanding and appreciation of the free market system, by educating young people, and others who will influence the future concerning free market economics, limited government, individual self reliance, and preservation of the entrepreneurial spirit. The Foundation is located in Paramus.
New Mexico
The Rio Grande Foundation is a research institute dedicated to increasing liberty and prosperity for all of New Mexico’s citizens. The Foundation accomplishes this by informing New Mexicans of the importance of individual freedom, limited government, and economic opportunity. It is located in Albuquerque.
New York
CJ Maloney – Frequent contributor to Mises.Org, Liberty magazine, LewRockwell.com, and HNN network.
- Topics: 1. – Philosophy of liberty, or why slavery sucks 2. – War, or the lack of it 3. – Drugs and booze, benefits of 4. – Economics, it’s not a boring subject, really 5. – Arthurdale, WV – my own personal obsession
- Location: New York City – Available to speak anywhere
- Contact: peloponny1@aol.com
C.J. Maloney lives and works in New York City. He blogs for Liberty & Power on the History News Network website. His first book (on Arthurdale, West Virginia during the New Deal) is slated will be released by John Wiley and Sons in February 2011. He is a frequent contributor to Mises.Org, LewRockwell.com, and Liberty magazine – among other places.
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
The Manhattan Institute exists to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.
Foundation for Economic Education
FEE’s mission is to offer the most consistent case for the “first principles” of freedom: the sanctity of private property, individual liberty, the rule of law, the free market, and the moral superiority of individual choice and responsibility over coercion. It is located in Irvington-on-Hudson.
Empire Center for New York State Policy
The Empire Center for New York State Policy is a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and dedicated to promoting freedom, opportunity, and enterprise in the Empire State. Through research papers, policy briefings, commentaries and conferences, the Empire Center seeks to educate and inform New York State policymakers, news media, and the general public.
North Carolina
Paul F. Cwik, Ph.D. – Mount Olive College and The Foundation for Economic Education
- Topics: 1. – Business Cycles, Macroeconomics. 2. – Austrian Economics. 3. – Monetary Economics. 4. – Philosophy of Liberty. 5. – Free Market Environmental Economics.
- Location: Garner, NC
- Contact: PCwik@moc.edu
Dr. Cwik is currently an Associate Professor of Economics in the Department of Management and Human resources at Mount Olive College. He has earned a B.A. from Hillsdale College, Michigan, an M.A. from Tulane University in Louisiana, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University in Alabama. He has taught classes at several colleges and universities such as Auburn University, Campbell University and Walsh College. He has presented academic papers to the Southern Economic Association, the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, the Prague Conference on Political Economy and at the Austrian Scholars Conferences. He has been published in academic journals that include: The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, New Perspectives on Political Economy: A Bilingual Interdisciplinary Journal, and Business Ethics: A European Review. He is also a reviewer of Essays in Economic and Business History and The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. He has also published in The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, as recently as September 2007. Additionally his dissertation has been cited by The Wall Street Journal, in February 2006.
The John Locke Foundation employs research, journalism, and outreach programs to transform government through competition, innovation, personal freedom, and personal responsibility. JLF seeks a better balance between the public sector and private institutions of family, faith, community, and enterprise. It is located in Raleigh.
John W. Pope Civitas Institute
The mission of the Civitas Institute is to facilitate the implementation of conservative policy solutions to improve the lives of all North Carolinians. Toward that end, Civitas provides research, information, and training to: empower citizens to become better civic leaders and more informed voters; educate emerging public leaders, enabling them to be more effective in the democratic process; and inform elected officials about citizen-based, free-market solutions to problems facing North Carolinians. It is located in Raleigh.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Policy Council (NDPC) is a liberty-based think tank focused on North Dakota solutions to North Dakota’s problems. It provides credible, nonpartisan expertise and research to help North Dakotans advocate policies that are based on individual liberty, individual responsibility, and limited government. It is located in Bismarck.
Ohio
Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions
The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is a nonpartisan research and educational institute devoted to individual liberty, economic freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government in Ohio. It is located in Columbus.
Lynn Walsh – Buckeye Institute and www.OhioWatchDog.org
- Topics: 1. – Government Accountability 2. – Investigative Reporting 3. – Government Transparency 4. – FOIA, Public Request for Information 5. – Citizen Journalism
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Contact: LWalsh@buckeyeinstitute.org
Lynn Walsh is an Investigative Reporter for The Buckeye Institute in Columbus, Ohio. She is also a Freelance writer, photographer, reporter, editor, and designer. She is Currently the host of “Reality Bites,” an online radio show and volunteer for several organizations within the city of Columbus and Ohio University. She graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, Media Sales, and Political Communication in June of 2008.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
OCPA’s mission is to accumulate, evaluate, and disseminate public policy ideas and information for Oklahoma consistent with the principles of free enterprise, limited government, and individual initiative. It is located in Oklahoma City.
Oregon
Founded in 1991, Cascade Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research and educational organization that focuses on state and local issues in Oregon. Cascade’s mission is to develop and promote public policy alternatives that foster individual liberty, personal responsibility, and economic opportunity. Cascade promotes property rights, incentives, markets, and decentralized decision-making. Cascade advances these values by sharing its research with the public, the media, and state and local lawmakers through publications, educational programs, community forums, and special events. It is located in Portland.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth Foundation is an independent, nonprofit research and educational institute that develops and advances public policies based on the nation’s founding principles of limited constitutional government, economic freedom, and personal responsibility for one’s actions. It is located in Harrisburg.
To request a speaker, contact Elizabeth T. Bryan at etb@commonwealthfoundation.org
Speakers Bureau:
- Matthew Brouillette – President and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. Speaking topics: Pennsylvania public policy issues ranging from Education (K-12 reform, choice and competition), Transportation, Taxation, Economic Development, Health Care, Government Reform, Budget, and Labor/Unions.
- Nathan Benefield – Director of Policy Research at the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. Pennsylvania public policy issues including government reform, campaign finance restrictions and free speech, school choice, education spending and performance, health care reform, economic policy, budget and tax policy, minimum wage laws, and government waste.
- Joe Sterns- Director of Communications & Special Projects at the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. Speaking Topics: Pennsylvania public policy issues ranging from taxation and government reform to health care and education all with an emphasis on limited government, freedom, and personal responsibility.
Dr. Daniel McIntosh – Slippery Rock University Associate professor, Department of Political Science
- Topics: 1. – Foreign policy and the price of empire 2. – _Whose_ “national interest”? 3. – The relationship between liberty and security 4. – Terrorism and counterterrorism 5. – Secrecy, conspiracies, and conspiracy theories
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Contact: daniel.mcintosh@sru.edu
Teacher, author, speaker and researcher. An analyst and advocate of what may be called–for want of a better term–liberal security studies: the protection of lives and property without sacrificing the values and principles that give those lives meaning. I teach classes on international relations, foreign policy, terrorism, international law, international organization, and national and international security. Daniel McIntosh’s Specialties: Security studies: international, global, economic, social, environmental, human, national Higher education: games, simulations, active learning, case studies Author: American Political Science Review, Choice, International Studies Perspectives, Journal of Human Securty, Political Science, Political Science Quarterly (among others)
The Allegheny Institute is a nonprofit research and education organization. Its mission is to defend the interests of taxpayers, citizens, and businesses against an increasingly burdensome and intrusive government. To that end, it formulates and advocates public policies that roll back the size and scope of local government as well as create a more accountable government. Its efforts are guided by the principles of free enterprise, property rights, civil society, and individual freedom that are the bedrock upon which the United States was founded. It is located in Pittsburgh.
Road to Educational Achievement through Choice
Andrew T. LeFevre, REACH Foundation Executive Director
The REACH (Road to Educational Achievement through CHoice) Foundation and its sister organization, the REACH Alliance, are Pennsylvania’s grassroots coalitions dedicated to ensuring parental choice in education. REACH is located in Harrisburg.
Rhode Island
Ocean State Policy Research Institute
Located in Providence, the Ocean State Policy Research Institute exists to advance sound policies based on the principles of free enterprise, individual liberty, limited government, and traditional American values.
South Carolina
The Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism
Located in Clemson, the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism seeks to examine and to increase public awareness of the moral foundations of capitalism. Through teaching, scholarship, and community outreach programs, the Clemson Institute provides a public forum for investigating the underlying principles and institutions of capitalism (e.g., individual rights, private property, contracts, voluntary associations, entrepreneurship, the rule of law, limited government, and free trade).
Located in Columbia, since 1986 the South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation has brought together civic, community, and business leaders from all over the state to discuss innovative policy ideas that advance the principles of limited government and free enterprise.
South Dakota
Great Plains Public Policy Institute
Located in Sioux Falls, the Great Plains Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy and educational institution that brings free enterprise and alternative ideas to bear on the most difficult issues facing South Dakota and the United States.
Tennessee
Tennessee Center for Policy Research
Located in Nashville, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan research organization. The Center is dedicated to providing concerned citizens, the media, and public leaders with expert empirical research and timely free market policy solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee. The Center generates and encourages public policy remedies grounded in the innovations of private enterprise, the ingenuity of individuals, and the ability of active communities to achieve a freer and more prosperous Tennessee.
Texas
Institute for Policy Innovation
Located in Lewisville, the Institute for Policy Innovation exists to research, develop, and promote innovative and nonpartisan solutions to today’s public policy problems. The Institute focuses on approaches to governing that harness the strengths of individual liberty, limited government, and free markets. The Institute emphasizes placing its studies into the hands of the media and policy makers so that the ideas those studies contain can be applied to the challenges that Americans face.
Located in San Antonio, the Justice Foundation (formerly the Texas Justice Foundation) was founded in 1993 to protect the fundamental freedoms and rights essential to the preservation of American society. The Foundation represents clients free of charge in cases in the areas of limited government, free markets, private property, parental school choice, parental rights in education, and enforcing laws to protect women’s health. The Justice Foundation is a nonprofit, public-interest litigation firm supported by tax-deductible contributions.
National Center for Policy Analysis
Located in Dallas, the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization that was established in 1983. The Center exists to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Research areas include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, criminal justice, education and environmental regulation.
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Senior Fellows and Policy Experts
Located in Austin, the Texas Public Policy Foundation exists as a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute guided by the core principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility, private property rights, free markets, and limited government. The Foundation’s mission is to improve Texas by generating academically sound research and data on state issues, and by recommending the findings to opinion leaders, policymakers, the media, and the general public.
Utah
Located in Salt Lake City, the Sutherland Institute is a conservative, nonprofit, state-based public policy group. The Sutherland Institute was founded in 1995 as a way to transcend impulsive, convenient, or self-serving policies and politics by looking for truly lasting solutions — solutions that both serve the common good and that also sustain time-tested principles of freedom and prosperity.
The Utah Taxpayers Association
Founded in 1922, the Utah Taxpayers Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association working for greater efficiency and effectiveness in government. The Association is located in Salt Lake City.
Vermont
Located in Concord, the Ethan Allen Institute exists to influence public policy in Vermont by helping its people to better understand and put into practice the fundamentals of a free society: individual liberty, private property, competitive free enterprise, limited government, strong local communities, personal responsibility, and expanded opportunity for human endeavor.
Virginia
James W. Lark, III – Professor of Engineernig at the University of Virginia
- Topics: General theory of libertarianism, Risk and regulation, history of the libertarian party, Building libertarian student groups
- Location: Charlottesville, VA
- Contact: jwl3s@virginia.edu
James W. Lark, III is a professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. He is a member of the Libertarian National Committee, and served as national chairman of the Libertarian Party during the 2000-2002 term. He is the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Advocates for Self-Government and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Individual Liberty. He is the advisor to The Liberty Coalition at the University of Virginia. He serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of Students for Liberty.
Dr. Jeffry Morrison – Professor of Government at Regents University
- Topics: 1. – Liberty in the British Enlightenment. 2. – Religious liberty in early America
- Location: Virginia Beach, VA
- Contact: To contact Dr. Morrison please email SFL Program Manager Clark Ruper at cruper@studentsforliberty.org.
Jeffry Morrison is associate professor of government at Regent University and a faculty member at the federal government’s James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation in Washington, D.C. He has also held faculty positions at Princeton University, Georgetown University, and the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated with distinction from Boston College and from Georgetown, where he received his Ph.D. He is co-editor or author of four books, including The Political Philosophy of George Washington (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009). His work has also been published or is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press, Columbia University Press, Journal of American History, Journal of Church and State, Rowman and Littlefield, University of Notre Dame Press, and Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Professor Morrison has lectured to audiences at various locales, including: Claremont McKenna College; the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; George Washington’s Mount Vernon; Hertford College, Oxford; James Madison’s Montpelier; Princeton University; and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
Aaron Biterman – The Republican Liberty Caucus
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Topics: 1. – Overview talk on resources available to young libertarians. 2. – Selling liberty on your college campus. 3. – Liberty and politics: Where do we go from here? 4. – Education policy. 5. – Campaigns, elections, and ideas: What’s the connection?
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Location: Arlington, VA
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Contact: mailto: AaronJBiterman@aol.com
Since 2004, Aaron Biterman has been working actively to cultivate donors and grassroots activists to build a “Big Tent” coalition for limited government. Professionally, Mr. Biterman has held numerous fundraising positions in liberty-oriented non-profits ranging from Americans for Limited Government to the National Council on Teacher Quality. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Biterman worked as a teacher and mentor in DC-area public schools, fulfilling teaching requirements at Woodrow E. Wilson High School and Rose L. Hardy Middle School. He was a student teacher at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD and is certified to teach civics in grades 6 through 12 in MD, DC, VA, and WI. He currently raises funds for a single-issue legal defense firm in northern Virginia. Since 2005, Mr. Biterman has volunteered his time to develop state chapters of the Republican Liberty Caucus, the national caucus working to shift Republican Party leadership and policies in the direction of limited government and respect for individual rights.
Andrew Moylan – National Taxpayers Union, Director of Government Affairs
- Topics: 1. – Tax policy 2. – Government spending 3. – Health care 4. – Energy policy
- Location: Alexandria, VA
- Contact: amoylan@ntu.org
Andrew Moylan is Director of Government Affairs for the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) where he lobbies on federal and state issues, conducts policy research and analysis, assists in taxpayer education efforts, and formulates reports and opinion pieces. Andrew’s writings have appeared in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, Investor’s Business Daily, and Forbes Magazine. He has been instrumental in NTU’s efforts to create broad coalitions in support of pro-taxpayer energy policy, government transparency, and the elimination of wasteful spending. Andrew is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science. He previously served with the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute. In addition, he completed internships in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives with members from his home state of Michigan.
Joshua Culling – National Taxpayers Union, State Government Affairs Manager
- Topics: 1. – Tax Policy 2. – Government Spending 3. – Government Waste 4. – Government Transparency and Accountability 5. – Cap-and-Trade
- Location: Alexandria, VA – Available to speak everywhere
- Contact: jculling@ntu.org
Joshua Culling is State Government Affairs Manager for the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), a nationwide grassroots taxpayer organization with 362,000 members. Culling is responsible for implementing NTU’s lobbying strategy at the state and local level, by advocating for lower taxes and smaller, more transparent government throughout the country. He is also in charge of organizing and energizing NTU’s grassroots membership to fight for taxpayers in their own communities. Culling’s written work has been widely published, and includes appearances in National Review Online, Townhall Magazine, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), Human Events, and Budget & Tax News. He has submitted testimony on numerous topics to Legislatures across the U.S., including those in Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado. Culling blogs at The Hill’s Congress Blog, TheNextRight.com, and NTU’s blog, Government Bytes. He graduated with a BA in economics from Ohio University.
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Located in Springfield, just outside DC, the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy exists to provide Virginia’s political, business, academic, community, and media leadership with thoughtful, realistic, useful, and nonpartisan analysis of public policy issues confronting the Commonwealth.
Virginia Institute for Public Policy
Located in Gainesville, the Virginia Institute for Public Policy is an independent, nonpartisan, education and research organization committed to the goals of individual opportunity and economic growth. Through research, policy recommendations, and symposia, the Institute works ahead of the political process to lay the intellectual foundation for a society dedicated to individual liberty, free enterprise, private property, the rule of law, and constitutionally limited government.
Washington
Located in Olympia, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation seeks to advance individual liberty, free enterprise, and responsible government. Its efforts center around public policy research and alternative strategies in these core areas: state budget and tax policy, welfare reform, healthcare reform, education, citizenship, and governance issues.
West Virginia
Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia
Located in Morgantown, the Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia is a nonprofit research and educational organization that conducts scholarly research and analysis of state and local issues. The Foundation’s mission is to advance sound policies in West Virginia based on the principles of free enterprise, individual liberty, limited government and traditional American values.
Steven Allen Adams – Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia
- Topics: 1. – Journalism 2. – Campaign Finance 3. – Government Accountability 4. – Transparency 5. – Politics
- Location: Friendly, WV – Available to speak along the east coast.
- Contact: stevenadamswv@gmail.com
Steven Allen Adams has been a journalist – operating in the worlds of print, radio, and new media – for over 10 years. Adams is a former staff writer and City Editor for The Marietta Register from Aug. 2006 to April 2008. He served as Managing Editor of The Parkersburg Register from April 2008 until Aug 2008. Adams was also a news correspondent for Results Radio, a six-station radio network headquartered in Parkersburg, W.Va., from Sept. 2006 until April 2008. He won two West Virginia Broadcast Association awards for live coverage of elections. Adams now works as an investigative reporter for the Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia, serving as Managing Editor for West Virginia Watchdog.
Wisconsin
Yuri Maltsev -Professor of Economics at Carthage College
Speaking topics: 1. – Gone But Not Forgotten: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism. 2. – The Fall of the “Evil Empire”: Personal Recollections. 3. – The Paradox of Plenty and Global Competitiveness. 4. – Socialism, Terror and State-sponsored. 5. – Russia: Hydrocarbons, Autocracy, and Power Politics
Location: Kenosha, WI
Contact: ymaltsev@carthage.edu, 312-473-1175
DR. YURI MALTSEV, is a college professor, author and world-renowned speaker. Professor of Economics in Wisconsin held various government and research positions in Moscow, Russia. Before defecting to the U.S. in 1989, he was a member of a senior economics team that worked on President Gorbachev’s reforms package of perestroika. Before settling in the Midwest, he was a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, a federal research agency. His work involved briefing members of Congress and senior officials at the executive branch on issues of national security and foreign economic and military assessment. Dr. Maltsev may be the only person to have briefed senior leaders on both sides during the last stages of the Cold War. He also testified before the U.S. Congress and appeared on CNN, PBS NewsHour, C-Span, CBC and other American, Canadian, Spanish, and Finnish television and radio programs. He has authored five books and over a hundred articles. Dr. Maltsev has built a reputation for accurately identifying the right economic trends and political developments. His unique and broad experiences establish him as a primary source of information on the opportunities and risks created by the demise of the Soviet Union.
MacIver Institute for Public Policy
Located in New Berlin, the MacIver Institute for Public Policy seeks to use a fresh and innovative approach to advance the idea that individual freedom, limited government and personal responsibility are the best principles for the development of effective public policies in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
Located in Hartland, Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute works to engage and energize Wisconsinites and others in discussions and timely action on key public policy issues critical to the State’s future, its growth, and its prosperity. The Institute’s research and public education activities are directed to identify and promote public policies in Wisconsin which are fair, accountable, and cost effective.
Wyoming
Located in Cheyenne, the Wyoming Liberty Group exists to invite citizens to prepare for informed, active, and confident involvement in local and state government. It provides a venue for understanding public issues in light of constitutional principles and governmental accountability.
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