Staff
Lawrence W. Reed
President
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 78 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
Director of Human Resource & Finance
Linda was thrilled to join FEE as assistant to the President and Executive Director. She was a liberty lover (and her husband was weaned on The Freeman). Her administrative gifts, honed through 25 years of experience proved to be what FEE needed during a time of program and staff changes, so her responsibilities have expanded. Her family’s 3,600-book library includes great fiction, history, the arts, and hundreds of titles in economics, political science, philosophy, and social commentary. Linda relaxes by watching great films – but mostly reads.
Sheldon Richman
Editor, The Freeman & TheFreemanOnline.org
Sheldon Richman is the editor of The Freeman, the flagship publication of the Foundation for Economic Education, and TheFreemanOnline.org. He started reading free-market literature as a teenager. In his last year of high school he was given copies of The Freeman, which initiated his longtime friendship with FEE and dedication to the freedom philosophy. He started his career as a newspaper reporter in suburban Philadelphia and worked briefly for the Associated Press. Formerly a staff member at the Cato Institute and the Institute for Humane Studies, Sheldon graduated from Temple University in Pennsylvania with a B.S. in radio, television, and film. He writes and lectures on a variety of issues relating to the freedom philosophy. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, American Scholar, Independent Review, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, American Conservative, Christian Science Monitor, and other publications. He is the author of three books, including Separating School and State, and is a contributor to The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Sheldon and his wife, Cheryl, live near Little Rock, Arkansas. He has three children, five stepchildren and four grandsons.
Margaret E. Poteet
Director of Development
As Director of Development Margaret‘s primary responsibilities include the design and implementation of a comprehensive development program. She works with our president and executive director to build and strengthen the organization’s relationships with its investors and engage new support. Margaret has more than ten years of fundraising experience in both the non-profit and political arena. Her interest in politics led her to a role as a congressional staff member for U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and on the local level in Atlanta as a political consultant and campaign manager. Prior to joining FEE in June 2011 she worked with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta as a Regional Director of Development. When Margaret’s not working she enjoys trail running, hiking, traveling and visiting her sixteen nieces and nephews in her hometown of Augusta.
Michael Nolan
Managing Editor, The Freeman & TheFreemanOnline.org
Michael Nolan has been managing editor of The Freeman, TheFreemanOnline.org, and other FEE publications since 2008. He used to write textbooks in Asia. Before that, he went to Hillsdale College, and he could tell you some stories.
Tsvetelin Tsonevski
Director of Academic Affairs
Tsvetelin Tsonevski joined FEE in April 2010 as editor of FEE.org. Following the steps of Adam Smith, Tsvet began his career as legal counsel at the Bulgarian Customs Agency. He joined the free-market community first as “Social Change” analyst at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation in Washington, DC and then as research coordinator at the Institute for Humane Studies in Arlington, Va. Tsvet has lectured on competition law, international trade law, trademarks law and EU law in the US and in Europe. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Institute for Market Economics and writes a weekly column for the Institute for Radical Capitalism in Bulgaria. Tsvet holds law degree from Bulgaria and LL.M. in law and economics from George Mason School of Law. In his spare time he likes to collect frequent flyer miles.
Anna Cuthrell
Director of Programs and Alumni Relations
Anna Cuthrell is the Director of Programs and Alumni Relations. Anna completed the Charles G. Koch Internship and Associate Programs. In addition to her work at the Foundation for Economic Education, she also writes for a monthly blog, CapitalistChicks.com. Anna is originally from Latrobe, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Saint Vincent College. When she is not working, Anna enjoys watching Shark Week, spending time with her fiancé, and learning how to become a true “southerner” – one glass of sweet ice tea at a time.
Chuck Grimmett
Director of Web Media
Chuck is a graduate of Hillsdale College, where he studied mathematics, economics, and was the photo editor of the college paper. He was a two-time intern at FEE before joining the staff. Chuck loves to kayak, hike, read, and cook. When not running FEE’s digital media, he is a paleo diet blogger and a freelance photographer.
Sara Walcott
High School Programs Coordinator
Sara is an economics graduate from Berry College where she worked as the executive editor of the Undergraduate Business and Economics Research Journal for two years. In addition to her studies, she ran on the cross country and track team at Berry for four years and spent her summers at Strong Rock Camp as a counselor and Program Director. She is currently participating in Koch’s Liberty@Work program and is getting used to life in the city.
Todd Hollenbeck
College Programs Coordinator
Todd was the Colorado Campus Coordinator for Students For Liberty and is a member of their Executive Board. He is also the Executive Director of the Free Minds Film Festival, a Colorado Springs based pro-liberty film festival, and co-founder of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. He has interened at the Independence Institute in Denver and Americans for Tax Reform Washington, DC. Todd received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in Political Science and is currently working on his Masters of Business Administration.
Interns for Summer 2012
Elizabeth Bell
Elizabeth Bell is pursuing an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Illinois, and will soon add computer science and mathematics to her official studies. Although fond of her small hometown of Anna, Illinois, she loves to see new places and meet new people. Elizabeth is innately driven to ask questions, seek new experiences, and embrace objective reality. Music that fully embodies and communicates an idea enthralls her, and it plays on infinite loop internally.
Portia Conant
Portia Conant was born in Livingston, Montana and raised in Federal Way, Washington. I love the Pacific Northwest and all of the beauty and outdoor activities that come with it. She have two wonderful parents and three stellar brothers with whom she grew up developing both an appreciation for and a curiosity in the liberty that makes our lives so blessed. She have a passion for Irish Step Dancing, musical theatre, and my Lord Jesus the Christ. These passions helped me to survive 12 long years of public schooling, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise – she has since realized how fortunate she is to attend Hillsdale College. Portia is now a 20 year old rising junior there with an economics major and politics minor. She hopes to someday use her education for helping to advance the cause of freedom by defending free-market institutions in our country and across the world.
Sara Olson
A a rising senior at Wake Forest University, Sara has studied Political Science and Economics for the past three years of her academic career. At Wake, she was involved with the undergraduate newspaper, the club lacrosse team, and worked as a research assistant on projects with professors in the Political Science department. For the past year, she interned for a Maryland-based PR firm, where her background in journalistic writing came in handy. Sara is a firm believer in the connection between free market policies and political liberty. She is thrilled to be a FEE intern this summer!
Amanda Rubino
Amanda is a senior English major at Hillsdale College. In addition to her academics, she is a member of Pi Beta Phi, the current president of the Hillsdale College Panhellenic Council, and the previous vice president of Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. Amanda plays the flute, loves to craft, and recently started an embroidery business. She is thrilled to help out with FEE programs this summer and plans to spend her free time exploring Atlanta.
Dustin Anderson
Dustin is an economics graduate from Northwood University in Midland, MI. In the summer of 2010 he was a Koch Summer Fellow with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland. In the fall of 2012 Dustin will enter George Mason University’s Economics PhD program. His research interests are development, institutions, and the role of the entrepreneur in developing economies. For the summer of 2012, Dustin will be the photography intern at FEE.
Ian Hanchett
Ian is a junior at Hillsdale College, where he is currently studying Political Economy and debating for the school’s Debate team. He previously interned for the Leadership Institute’s Studio Department and worked for Marco Rubio’s Senate campaign in Florida. When he’s not campaigning, Ian writes for Ricochet.com’s College Feed and likes to hike, watch hockey, and play football.
Chesterton Cobb
Chesterton was born in Manhattan, New York. He was unschooled before college and is currently double majoring in Economics and Political Science with a Legal Studies minor at Grove City College, class of 2015. He serves as class president, is actively involved in a variety of campus organizations and is a varsity intercollegiate debater. Chesterton attended FEE summer seminars in 2008 and 2011. He started an educational cartoon economic Youtube series called ‘Professor Chesterton.’ Chesterton is creative, truth-seeking, and ambitious and loves combining those three in every aspect of life. He loves public policy, travel, art, cooking, intellectual discussions, the Scriptures and his family. Not in that order.
