Lawrence W. (“Larry”) Reed became president of FEE in 2008. Prior to that, he was a founder and president for twenty years of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. He also taught Economics full-time and chaired the Department of Economics at Northwood University in Michigan from 1977 to 1984.

He holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. degree in History from Slippery Rock State University (1978), both in Pennsylvania. He holds two honorary doctorates, one from Central Michigan University (Public Administration—1993) and Northwood University (Laws—2008).

A champion for liberty, Reed has authored over 1,000 newspaper columns and articles, dozens of articles in magazines and journals in the U. S. and abroad. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, among many others. He has authored or co-authored five books, the most recent ones being “A Republic—If We Can Keep It” and “Striking the Root: Essays on Liberty.” He is frequently interviewed on radio talk shows and has appeared as a guest on numerous television programs, including those anchored by Judge Andrew Napolitano and John Stossel on FOX Business News.

Reed has delivered at least 75 speeches annually in the past 30 years—in virtually every state and dozens of countries from Bulgaria to China to Bolivia. His best-known lectures include “Seven Principles of Sound Policy” and “Great Myths of the Great Depression”—both of which have been translated into more than a dozen languages and distributed worldwide.

His interests in political and economic affairs have taken him as a freelance journalist to 81 countries on six continents. He is a member of the prestigious Mont Pelerin Society and an advisor to numerous organizations around the world. He served for 15 years as a member of the board (and one term as president) of the State Policy Network. His numerous recognitions include the “Champion of Freedom” award from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the “Distinguished Alumni” award from Grove City College.

He is a native of Pennsylvania and a 30-year resident of Michigan, and now resides in Newnan, Georgia.

Carl Oberg

Executive Director

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. A decade of government work eventually turned Carl into a strong libertarian and an enemy of coercion. In December 2007, Carl left the government and entered the graduate program in Economics at George Mason. During his education, he was also an intern at the Cato Institute and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Upon graduation in May 2009 Carl entered the Koch Associate Program, a non-profit management program, while working at the Americans for Prosperity Foundation as a state policy writer. 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. The rest of the story is still in progress. Carl and his wife Caren live at FEE headquarters in Irvington, NY. They own a tremendous cat named Shisha. Carl is a brewer and a baker. There are no plans for candlestick making at this time.

Linda Newton