Lawrence W. (“Larry”) Reed is FEE's President Emeritus, Humphreys Family Senior Fellow, and Ron Manners Global Ambassador for Liberty. He previously served as president of FEE from 2008-2019. He chaired FEE’s board of trustees in the 1990s and has been both writing and speaking for FEE since the late 1970s.

Prior to becoming FEE’s president, he served for 21 years as founding president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. He also taught economics full-time from 1977 to 1984 at Northwood University in Michigan and chaired its Department of Economics from 1982 to 1984.

He holds a B.A. in Economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. 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 nearly 2,000 newspaper columns and articles in magazines and journals in the United States and abroad. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, The Epoch Times, The Washington Examiner, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, among many others. He has authored or coauthored eight books, the most recent being Was Jesus a Socialist? and Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character, and Conviction.

Reed has delivered dozens of speeches annually since 1985 in virtually every state and in 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 at least a dozen languages and distributed worldwide. His interests in political and economic affairs have taken him to 94 countries on six continents.

Reed served for 15 years as a member of the board (and for 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, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Grove City College, and the Citizen Warrior Award from Heirs of the Republic.

In 2022, he was named by President Andrzej Duda of Poland as a recipient of the highest honor that Poland bestows upon a foreigner, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. U.S. President Ronald Reagan is among past recipients.

He is a native of Pennsylvania and a 30-year resident of Michigan, and has resided in Newnan, Georgia since 2010. His website is www.lawrencewreed.com.