Friday Keynote Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel first gained attention for innovations in banking and startup finance. Today he is known as the mentor of the PayPal group of entrepreneurs, as well as for his warnings of a coming technology deficit with severe economic consequences. He works to accelerate innovation to prevent such a crisis by identifying and funding promising technology ideas and by guiding successful companies to scale and dominate their industries.
In 1998, Mr. Thiel co-founded and lead PayPal. In 2002, he sold PayPal to eBay and founded a global macro fund, Clarium. In 2004, he co-founded Palantir Technologies, which offers platforms for finance companies and intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities to integrate, visualize, and analyze the world’s information. In the same year, he made the first outside investment in Facebook. He serves on its board. Mr. Thiel co-founded and manages the Founders Fund, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital fund that has pioneered new methods of venture financing that benefit founders. Through Founders Fund, as well as through his private investing, he has helped the next generation of tech companies, such as SpaceX, LinkedIn,Causes, Quantcast, RoboteX, and Spotify. In 2010, Mr. Thiel created the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship, which nurtures the tech visionaries of tomorrow. Mr. Thiel earned a B.A. in philosophy from Stanford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Mr. Thiel established and funds the Thiel Foundation.
Saturday Taping of the STOSSEL Show
John Stossel is host of “Stossel” on the Fox Business Network. He’s the author of “Give Me a Break” and of “Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity.” To find out more about John Stossel, visit his site at johnstossel.com.
John Stossel’s prime-time specials on myths, parenting issues, sex and trends in pop culture rate among the top news programs and have earned him uncommon praise: “The most consistently thought-provoking TV reporter of our time,” said The Dallas Morning News. The Orlando Sentinel said John Stossel “has the gift for entertaining while saying something profound.”
John Stossel takes this reporting expertise and applies it to his weekly newspaper column for Creators Syndicate. Ready to cover topics newspaper readers care about, John Stossel pokes fun at the ridiculous and lauds the excellent.
Newspaper editors may wonder whether Stossel’s incredible TV ratings will translate from TV to print. The answer to that question is a resounding yes: HarperCollins published Stossel’s book “Give Me a Break,” and readers (the same ones who read newspapers) made it a New York Times bestseller for 11 weeks.
John Stossel’s most recent special, “Lies, Myths, and Downright Stupidity,” exposed myths about gun control, leisure time and the garbage “crisis.” “John Stossel Goes to Washington” looked at how, under Democrats and Republicans, government keeps growing, while “Tampering with Nature” suggested that some environmentalists go overboard and most tampering is a good thing.
John Stossel’s first special — “Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?” — examined exaggerated fears of things like chemicals and crime. It was followed by “The Blame Game,” which looked at Americans’ tendency to blame their misfortunes on others. In “You Can’t Say That!” John Stossel looked at the battle between free speech and censorship. John Stossel focused on bogus lawsuits in “The Trouble With Lawyers” and bogus scientific claims in “Junk Science: What You Know That May Not Be So.”
John Stossel has received 19 Emmy Awards and has been honored five times for excellence in consumer reporting by the National Press Club. Among John Stossel’s other awards are the George Polk Award for Outstanding Local Reporting and the George Foster Peabody Award.
John Stossel is a graduate of Princeton University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.
As with last year the STOSSEL taping is open to the public.
Zach Wahls
Zach Wahls, a 20-year-old engineering student at the University of Iowa, is the son of a lesbian couple. An Eagle Scout and Iowa Champion debater, he is the recipient of the Paul Mann Youth Activist Award and the “Ally for Equality Award” from the Human Rights Campaign. His January 2011 testimony before the Iowa House of Representatives—in which he proclaimed, “The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on my character”—has become an internet sensation, with his videos being watched millions of times. He has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell, and other media outlets. Zach is the author of My Two Moms, to be published in spring 2012 by Gotham Books, an imprint of Penguin Group, USA. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
Nigel Ashford – Institute for Humane Studies
Nigel Ashford is senior program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies. He joined IHS from the United Kingdom where he was professor of politics and Jean Monnet Scholar in European Integration at Staffordshire University, England. Dr. Ashford works on many of the Institute’s educational programs, teaches at summer seminars, liaises with the IHS faculty network, produces regular academic newsletters for faculty and graduate students, and provides academic career advice to graduate students.
Radley Balko – Huffington Post
Radley Balko is a senior writer for Huffington Post, where he does investigative reporting on civil liberties and the criminal justice system. Previously he was senior editor for Reason magazine, where he wrote award-winning investigative journalism features and weekly columns on civil liberties. Prior to that, he was a policy analyst for the Cato Institute, where he covered civil liberties and the drug war. From 2002 until 2009, he was also a biweekly columnist with FoxNews.com. He is originally from Greenfield, IN and graduated from Indiana University in 1997 with a BA in journalism and political science.
Evan Banks – Alumni For Liberty
Evan Banks works at the Cato Institute as the Multimedia Editor for Libertarianism.org. As Libertarianism.org’s multimedia editor he handles everything from scripting, lighting, and shooting to editing, motion graphics, and the post-production of videos and keeps the site stocked with fresh audio-visual content, including archival lectures from some of liberty’s greatest thinkers.
Christopher R. Barron – GOProud
Christopher R. Barron is a co-founder of GOProud and its Chief Strategist. Chris is also the President of CapSouth Consulting, LLC, a full service political consulting firm. Chris has penned opinion pieces that have appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Roll Call, The Hill, Politico, and other media outlets.
Blayne Bennett – Alumni For Liberty
After graduating from Arizona State University in 2010 with a degree in Finance, Blayne Bennett moved to Washington, DC to work as the Communications Manager for Students For Liberty. This past July, Blayne teamed up with her father to launch a company providing software solutions for community banks and credit unions. A member of the Alumni For Liberty board, Blayne remains personally and professionally involved in the fight for a freer society.
Miranda Bond–National Rifle Association
Miranda Bond is a Grassroots Coordinator for The National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action. Miranda coordinates the grassroots electoral efforts and legislative outreach activities for NRA-ILA in thirteen states. In addition, she conducts the Association’s legislative and election workshops, and represents the Association in public speaking engagements nationwide.
Peter Bonilla – Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Peter Bonilla, Assistant Director, Individual Rights Defense Program Peter is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied theater arts and economics. At FIRE, Peter works directly with hundreds of students and faculty facing violations of their free speech and other fundamental rights on campus per year. Peter also writes on higher education for the political commentary website PolicyMic.
Trevor Burrus – Alumni For Liberty
Trevor Burrus is a Legal Associate at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C where he specializes in current Supreme Court litigation, legal history, philosophy of law, and political philosophy. He is also a contributor to Libertarianism.org and a faculty member at the Institute for Humane Studies.
Michael F. Cannon – Cato Institute
Michael F. Cannon is the Cato Institute’s director of health policy studies. Previously, he served as a domestic policy analyst for the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee under Chairman Larry E. Craig, where he advised the Senate leadership on health, education, labor, welfare, and the Second Amendment. Cannon is coauthor of Healthy Competition: What’s Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It. He holds a bachelor’s degree in American government (B.A.) from the University of Virginia, and master’s degrees in economics (M.A.) and law & economics (J.M.) from George Mason University.
Kelly William Cobb – Americans for Tax Reform
Kelly William Cobb is Government Affairs Manager for Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), an organization founded in 1985 by Grover Norquist to oppose all tax increases as a matter of principle. He is also Executive Director of ATR’s Digital Liberty Project, an organization dedicated to promoting free-market tech and telecommunications policy. Kelly also manages www.StopETaxes.com, a campaign to fight Internet taxation. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Philip W. Cook – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
Mr. Cook is an author and investigative reporter with several years of experience reporting on domestic violence and family related issues. His latest book Abused Men – The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence examines abuse from male perspective. Mr. Cook as appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX news. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for SAVE.
Chris Coyne – Foundation for Economic Education
Christopher Coyne is the F.A. Harper Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He is also the North American Editor of The Review of Austrian Economics and the Book Review Editor of Public Choice. In 2008, he was named the Hayek Fellow at the London School of Economics, and in 2010 he was a Visiting Scholar at the Social Philosophy & Policy Center at Bowling Green State University. Professor Coyne’s personal web page is www.ccoyne.com.
Krista Cupp – National Rifle Association
Krista Cupp was born and raised in southern Missouri. Krista is the Senior Grassroots Coordinator for NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action and manages 14 states including: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, Maine, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Vermont. As a Grassroots Coordinator, she is responsible for recruiting and training members on political and legislative activism. Krista coordinates NRA’s campus outreach as the NRA University Coordinator.
Dan D’Amico – Loyola University & The Institute for Humane Studies
Daniel J. D’Amico completed his economics Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2008 with field examinations in Constitutional Political Economy and Austrian Economics. His doctoral dissertation, “The Imprisoner’s Dilemma: The Political Economy of Proportionate Punishment,” was awarded the Israel M. Kirzner Award for best dissertation in Austrian Economics by the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics. Daniel is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Loyola University New Orleans and has received University awards for teaching, research and service. His current research is focused upon applying various political economy perspectives including Austrian Economics, Public Choice and New Institutional Economics.
Christopher Doss – Young Americans for Liberty
Christopher Doss is a Grassroots Coordinator at the Leadership Institute. Christopher has trained thousands of activists in communication and campaign tactics. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Norway’s University of Oslo.
Ivan Eland – Independent Institute
Ivan Eland is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at The Independent Institute. Dr. Eland is the author of Partitioning for Peace, Recarving Rushmore, The Empire Has No Clothes, and No War For Oil. He is currently working on a paper that details how the American warfare-state caused the current welfare-state.
Fiyinfoluwa Elegbede – Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Fiyinfoluwa Elegbede is a young pro-liberty Nigerian with a possibility mentality. He has addressed youths fora on sound leadership and the ideas of liberty in both academic and social functions. He also co-authored the book, “Why Peace” (an exploration of aggression, and of the evolutionary (and revolutionary) process to peace through the insights of men and women, from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. He is currently Outreach Assistant, AfricanLiberty.org where he assists the Director of Outreach in outreach activities.
Bob Ewing – The Institute for Justice
As the Institute for Justice’s Director of Communications, Bob Ewing works on IJ’s award-winning media team to make the case for economic liberty, free speech, private property rights and school choice in the court of public opinion. Bob joined the Institute for Justice in August 2005 from the Foundation for Economic Education, where he worked as the Leonard E. Read Research Fellow.
Bruce Fein — Future of Freedom Foundation
Bruce Fein graduated from Harvard Law School with honors in 1972. After a coveted federal judicial clerkship, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice where he served as assistant director of the Office of Legal Policy, legal adviser to the assistant attorney general for antitrust, and the associate deputy attorney general. Mr. Fein then was appointed general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission, followed by an appointment as research director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Covert Arms Sales to Iran. He recently served on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Presidential signing statements.
Neill Franklin – Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Neill Franklin is a 34-year law enforcement veteran of the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department. Early in his career, Neill served as a narcotics agent with the Maryland State Police, focusing on everything from high-level drug dealers in the Washington suburbs to men growing one marijuana plant on their balconies. Neill has since come to oppose the war on drugs for numerous reasons, including personal loss, its effect on racial tensions, and the violence it promotes. He now advocates legalization as executive director of LEAP.
Jeff Frazee – Young Americans for Liberty
Jeff Frazee is the founder and Executive Director of Young Americans for Liberty. Jeff served as National Youth Coordinator for Ron Paul’s 2008 Presidential Campaign Committee and worked exclusively with Congressman Paul to start the Campaign for Liberty and host the Rally for the Republic. Prior to the campaign, Jeff worked as a Deputy Campus Services Coordinator for the Leadership Institute and interned for Ron Paul’s congressional office in the summer of 2005.
Jared Fuller – Alumni For Liberty
Jared Fuller has consulted for dozens of political candidates, campaigns, and non-profits dedicated to liberty. He is the founder of Young Americans for Liberty’s Year of Youth project, and has sat as Southern Director for both YAL & SFL. Jared is currently the President of Market Aces, LLC – a comprehensive marketing firm that specializes in graphic & website design, development, and social media. In less than two years, Market Aces has attracted clientele ranging from NY Times Bestselling Authors, Presidential Campaigns, and International News Media Corporations.
Andy Gillette – Charles Koch Institute
Andy Gillette works with the Economic Freedom Project of the Charles Koch Institute (CKI). For over four years, he was a Program Manager and Instructor at CKI where he taught numerous classes ranging from classical-liberal philosophy to Austrian economics to Market-Based Management® (MBM®), a management philosophy that applies the principles of free societies within the organization. After starting and managing Effective Tutoring, Inc., Andy joined the Charles G. Koch Foundation in 2007 before transitioning to CKI in 2011.
Anthony Gregory – Independent Institute
Anthony Gregory is Research Editor at the Independent Institute and is currently writing a book on individual liberty and the writ of habeas corpus. He has written hundreds of articles that have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Washington Times, and the Huffington Post, as well as in The Atlantic, Human Events, Counterpunch, The American Conservative, Alternet, Antiwar.com, The Independent Review and the Journal of Libertarian Studies. He also regularly writes for numerous news and commentary web sites, including LewRockwell.com and the Future of Freedom Foundation.
Jim Harper – Cato Institute
Jim Harper is the director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, where he works to adapt law and policy to the unique problems of the information age in areas such as privacy, telecommunications, intellectual property, and security. Harper was a founding member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee and he recently co-edited the book Terrorizing Ourselves: How U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Is Failing and How to Fix It. He wrote the book Identity Crisis: How Identification Is Overused and Misunderstood and is the editor of Privacilla.org, a Web-based think tank devoted exclusively to privacy.
Samantha Harris – Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Samantha Harris, Director of Speech Code Research Samantha, a Philadelphia native, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Princeton University. As FIRE’s Director of Speech Code Research, Samantha analyzes school policies for Spotlight: the Campus Freedom Resource and helps students and administrators reform speech codes on their campuses.
Kyle Hartz – Alumni For Liberty
Kyle Hartz is Educational Programs Assistant at the Institute for Humane Studies. Currently, he works on IHS’s Advanced Topics in Liberty, a weekend conference series for students and professionals co-sponsored with Liberty Fund, Inc. In addition to his role in the AT program, Kyle also works on measurement, curriculum planning, and faculty selection for IHS’s Summer Seminars. Prior to joining IHS, Kyle worked with the Libertarian National Committee.
Joe Henchman – Tax Foundation
Joe Henchman is an attorney and policy analyst who supervises the Tax Foundation’s state policy program (since 2009) and legal program (since 2007). He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in political transitions. His law degree is from George Washington University, and in 2007 he earned a certificate in International Legal Studies from Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s summer program at the University of Pacific-McGeorge School of Law.
Ronald K. Henry – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
Mr. Henry is the president of the boys initiative which is a non-profit organization designed to promote the healthy development of children and adolescents. Mr. Henry is a member, in good standing, with the Washington DC Bar Association, a graduate of the University of Michigan, and member of SAVE.
Jacob Hornberger – Future of Freedom Foundation
Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. He was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and received his B.A. in economics from Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from the University of Texas. He was a trial attorney for twelve years in Texas. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas, where he taught law and economics.
Ed Hudgins – The Atlas Society
Hudgins is director of advocacy and a senior scholar at The Atlas Society. He has worked at the Heritage Foundation, the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, and the Cato Institute. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy and has taught at universities in the United States and Germany.
Michael Keenan – Seasteading
Before becoming the president of The Seasteading Institute, Michael Keenan was a software developer and entrepreneur from New Zealand. At First NZ Capital, he helped develop the software that launched the company from New Zealand’s market leader to a world-class financial services platform. In Taiwan, Michael founded The BECC Consulting Group, developing software that has been used by almost all Taiwan’s top multinational companies, and has helped consolidate BECC’s position as the premier solution for companies seeking communications consulting in Taiwan.
Harris Kenny – Alumni For Liberty
Harris Kenny is a policy analyst at Reason Foundation. He specializes in researching and implementing privatization, public-private partnerships, government reform, and transportation policy in states and municipalities across the United States. He also serves as an editor for Reason Foundation’s Annual Privatization Report. He graduated from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in Economics, where he co-founded the student group Pepperdine College Libertarians.
Edward King – Young Americans for Liberty
Edward King is the Director of Operations at Young Americans for Liberty. Edward attended the University of Florida where he graduated with a degree in Business in 2003. He has since dedicated himself to advancing liberty through political activism and campaign work. For the past five years, he has trained and organized activists throughout the southeast. Edward is a lifelong Florida Gators fan and has attended three championship games since 2006.
Adam Kissel – Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Adam Kissel is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree from the Committee on Social Thought. As VP of Programs, Adam coordinates FIRE’s defense of individual students and professors as well as programs to educate students and faculty about their rights on campus. Adam also enjoys speaking to student groups across the country about individual rights and the philosophy of liberty.
Bonnie Kristian – Young Americans for Liberty
Bonnie Kristian is the Director of Communications at Young Americans for Liberty. Bonnie graduated from Bridgewater College of Virginia with a degree in political science after serving as an intern at the national headquarters of Ron Paul’s 2008 Presidential Campaign. Before joining YAL full time, she worked at the Leadership Institute as Communications Manager for LI’s campus programs while managing the YAL blog. Bonnie spends too much time on the internets and with her guinea pig.
James W. Lark III – Libertarian Party
Dr. Lark is a professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. He founded Students for Individual Liberty at UVA, to which he now serves as advisor. He is a member of the Libertarian Party’s National Committee, and served as chairman of the Libertarian Party during the 2000-2002 term. He has received several honors and awards, including the Samuel Adams Award for outstanding activism and the Thomas Jefferson Award (the Party’s highest honor) for lifetime achievement. He is the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Advocates for Self-Government, the secretary of the International Society for Individual Liberty, and a member of the Students for Liberty Board of Advisors.
Jimmy LaSalvia – GOProud
Jimmy LaSalvia is a co-founder of GOProud, serves as its Executive Director. A long- time Republican activist, Jimmy has held volunteer and professional staff positions in Republican campaigns and party organizations in South Dakota and Kentucky, including serving on the campaign staff of former South Dakota Governor Walter D. Miller. In 2006 he joined the national staff of Log Cabin Republicans, first as Grassroots Outreach Director then as Director of Programs & Policy. Jimmy was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and grew up in a well-traveled military family. He is a graduate of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Travis Leicht – Alumni For Liberty
At 16 Travis Leicht founded his first company, a property maintenance and landscape design firm. A week after graduating high school he sold it for $50,000 to attend Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. There he studied Finance and Economics, launched Environmental Associates LLC, and provided seed funding for a Bio-Diesel start-up. After graduating, he headed up Environmental Associates LLC and launch Muse Business Solutions LLC. Today he is actively building both organizations with a concentrated focus in alternative fuels, and IT solutions for start-up entrepreneurs.
Tom Lemons – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
Mr. Lemons is a freelance journalist, film maker, and advocate for equal rights in family courts. He recently released a documentary called DVI The Inside Story which exposes the procedures of civil courts related to issuing orders of protection. Mr. Lemons is the founder of www.falsedvireports.com and is the Director of Special Events for SAVE.
Brad Lips – Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Brad joined Atlas in 1998 and became its Chief Executive Officer in 2009. He received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University and his BA from Princeton University. In 1997-1998, Brad was researching regulatory issues for The Progress & Freedom Foundation before being persuaded by Alex Chafuen in 1998 to come to Atlas. Previously, Brad was a research associate for Smith Barney Inc. He is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society and the John Templeton Foundation. He has written on classical liberal ideas, including The Reagan Vision, published by the Goldwater Institute, and two chapters in Freedom Champions, published by Atlas in 2011.
Neal McCluskey – Cato Institute
Neal McCluskey is the associate director of Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom. Prior to arriving at Cato, he served in the U.S. Army, taught high school English, and was a freelance reporter covering municipal government and education in suburban New Jersey. More recently, he was a policy analyst at the Center for Education Reform. McCluskey is the author of the book Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education.
Patrick J. Michaels – Cato Institute
Patrick J. Michaels is a Senior Fellow in Environmental Studies at the Cato Institute. He is also Senior Research Fellow for Policy and Economic Development at George Mason University and is a contributing author and reviewer of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He was a research professor of Environmental Sciences at University of Virginia for thirty years. Michaels holds A.B. and S.M. degrees in biological sciences and plant ecology from the University of Chicago, and he received a Ph.D. in ecological climatology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Cayce Moffett – Alumni For Liberty
Cayce Moffett grew up in Birmingham, AL then attended the University of Alabama and Ole Miss. The summer after her junior year of college, she had the opportunity to intern at the Cato Institute working in health care and welfare policy. After graduating college, she joined the Rand Paul for Senate Campaign in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She was part of the fundraising team that helped Senator Paul spread his message of limited government across Kentucky during the general election. Following his victory in November, she was given the unique opportunity to serve on Senator Paul’s transition team. Cayce currently works as one of his Senate staffers.
Andrew Moylan – National Taxpayers Union
Andrew Moylan is Vice President 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 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.
Carl Oberg – Foundation for Economic Education
After receiving his BA from American University in Washington, DC, Carl spent ten years working his way through the federal government bureaucracy with occasional stops as a “beltway bandit” in the defense industry. During this time he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and learned “how the sausage is made” when it comes to international trade policy. In June 2010, he was lucky enough to meet Larry Reed and be offered the position of Executive Director at the Foundation for Economic Education.
Olumayowa Okediran – Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Olumayowa Okediran is a is a fifth year Nigerian student at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria who is passionate about a positive shift towards a freer economic system in Africa. He is convinced that the development of Africa hinges on the endorsement of capitalism, respect for the rule of law and individual liberty. He is co-initiator and Outreach Assistant for African Liberty Students Organization.
J. Japheth Omojuwa – Atlas Economic Research Foundation
J Japheth Omojuwa is a public analyst of economic issues on television, radio and new media. With many awards to his name, Omojuwa is currently the best Nigerian political blogger an award won in a poll involving Nigerian bloggers from across the world. He was nominated Nigeria’s twitter user of the year while being named the best political handle on twitter in Nigeria recently. Omojuwa is one of the strongest voices against the unsustainable cost of governance and Nigeria’s big government. This led the Nigerian President to reduce his salary and that of his cabinet members by 25 per cent recently. He is the Editor of fast rising africanliberty.org.
Tom G. Palmer – Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Tom G. Palmer is executive vice president for international programs at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, where he is responsible for establishing operating programs in 14 languages and managing programs for a worldwide network of think tanks. He is also a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He received his B.A. in liberal arts from St. Johns College in Annapolis, Maryland, his M.A. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., and his doctorate in politics from Oxford University. He is the author of Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice, published in 2009, and the editor of The Morality of Capitalism, published in 2011.
Roger Pilon – Cato Institute
Roger Pilon is the founder and director of Cato’s Center for Constitutional Studies. He is the publisher of the Cato Supreme Court Review and is an adjunct professor of government at Georgetown University through The Fund for American Studies. Prior to joining Cato, he held five senior posts in the Reagan administration, including at State and Justice, and was a National Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. He lectures and debates at universities and law schools across the country and testifies often before Congress. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law.
Christopher A. Preble – Cato Institute
Christopher A. Preble is the vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. He is the author of three books, including The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous and Less Free. He is also the lead author of Exiting Iraq: How the U.S. Must End the Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda. Before joining Cato in 2003, he taught history at St. Cloud State University and Temple University. Preble was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, and served onboard USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) from 1990 to 1993. Preble holds a Ph.D. in history from Temple University.
Ryan Radia – Competitive Enterprise Institute
Ryan Radia focuses on adapting law and public policy to the unique challenges of the information age. His research areas include information privacy, intellectual property, electronic speech, competition policy, telecommunications, media regulation, and Internet freedom. Radia earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University and is a J.D. candidate at the George Washington University Law School.
Pete Sepp – National Taxpayers Union
Pete Sepp helps develop the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union’s (NTU) government affairs, public relations, and promotional strategies. Sepp also oversees strategic planning efforts for NTU and its staff. Additionally, Sepp directs and supervises the research and educational operations of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF).
Fred A. Stitt – Free Minds Institute of Higher Education
Fred is a life-long libertarian and educator. He taught for several years at UC, Berkeley before founding his own private school of architecture. He has published 18 books on reforming technical and managerial aspects of architectural and engineering practice. Most recently, he has conducted extensive studies of problems, solutions, and opportunities for more efficient and effective higher education. He is also compiling research on the rapidly growing realms of pro-freedom education and career opportunities.
Teri Stoddard – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
After working in day care and foster care for 25 years, Teri began working as an advocate for children. Teri is a strong proponent of equality in shared parenting, and opposes gender bias in family courts. She promotes a new approach to domestic violence education and awareness programs in this country. Teri is currently the Program Director for SAVE.
Chad Swarthout – Alumni For Liberty
Chad Swarthout is an IT consultant and network engineer focusing on supporting Mac OS X integration for small to medium sized businesses. Chad founded his company Alectrona LLC in early 2011 after his employer of over 5 years closed its doors due to bankruptcy. Alectrona LLC both provides outsourced IT services to businesses and nonprofits, as well as business development and management consulting to other IT firms in the DC area.
Berin Szoka – TechFreedom
Berin Szoka is the founder of TechFreedom. Previously, he was a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Center for Internet Freedom at The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Before joining PFF, he was an Associate in the Communications Practice Group at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he advised clients on regulations affecting the Internet and telecommunications industries. Szoka received his Bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and his juris doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as Submissions Editor of the Virginia Journal of Law and Technology.
James Stacey Taylor – The College of New Jersey & The Institute for Humane Studies
A transplant from Scotland to the United States – first Bowling Green State University where he earned his PhD and now The College of New Jersey where he is professor of philosophy – Professor Taylor has amassed an enviable publishing record in the Journal of Value Inquiry, Philosophical Quarterly, and Eidos. He is the editor of Personal Autonomy: New essays (Cambridge University Press, 2005) and author of Stakes and Kidneys: Why markets in human body parts are morally imperative (Ashgate, 2005), monograph on the moral and ethical implications of kidney sales.
Todd Zywicki – George Mason Law & The Institute for Humane Studies
Todd Zywicki teaches in the areas of bankruptcy and contracts at George Mason Law. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia (1993), where he was executive editor of the Virginia Tax Review and John M. Olin Scholar in Law and Economics. Professor Zywicki received an M.A. in economics from Clemson University (1990) and an A.B. with high honors from Dartmouth College (1988). Professor Zywicki is the author of more than 30 articles in leading law reviews and economics journals. He has testified before Congress on bankruptcy reform issues and is a frequent commentator in the print and broadcast media.
