Gerry Baker is editor-at-large of The Wall Street Journal. His weekly column for the editorial page, “Free Expression,” appears in The Wall Street Journal each Monday. He also has a weekly WSJ Free Expression Podcast, where he speaks to the world’s leading writers, influencers and thinkers about a variety of subjects.

Mr. Baker previously served as editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones from 2013 – 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Baker was deputy editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal from 2009 – 2013. He has been a journalist for more than 30 years, writing and broadcasting for some of the world’s most famous news organizations, including his tenure at The Financial Times, The Times of London and the BBC.

He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, where he graduated in 1983 with a 1st Class Honors Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. You can follow him on Twitter at @GerardTBaker.

Dr. Donald J. Boudreaux is a senior scholar at The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). He teaches Economics for the Citizen for TFAS D.C. Summer Programs.

Boudreaux served as chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, from August 2001 to August 2009. Previously, he was president of the Foundation for Economic Education (1997–2001), associate professor of legal studies and economics at Clemson University (1992–1997) and assistant professor of economics at George Mason University (1985–1989).

During the spring semester of 1996, he was an Olin Visiting Fellow in Law and Economics at the Cornell Law School. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from Auburn University (1986) and his law degree from the University of Virginia (1992).

Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley is the George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and vice president of academic affairs at The Fund for American Studies. Through this position, Dr. Bradley works to enhance the impact and reach of TFAS and FTE economic education programs through courses, seminars, videos and social media. She also delivers lectures around the country and oversees curriculum development and evaluation for economics courses. In addition to her role as a fellow and vice president of academic affairs, Dr. Bradley continues to teach impactful economics courses to TFAS students and consistently receives outstanding marks in students’ post-program evaluations.

Previously, Dr. Bradley served as the vice president of economic initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, where she continues to research a systematic biblical theology of economic freedom. In addition to her work with TFAS, she is a professor of economics at The Institute for World Politics and Grove City College.

Burgess Owens is the Congressman from Utah’s Fourth Congressional District. Born in the segregated South, he saw people of all backgrounds come together to work tirelessly against adversity.

As a young man, Burgess was one of the first four black athletes recruited to play football at the University of Miami and the third black student there to receive a scholarship, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry. He was the 13th pick in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft and joined the New York Jets, later playing safety for ten seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, winning the Super Bowl with the 1980 Raiders’ team.

After retiring from the NFL, Burgess worked in the corporate sales world and eventually moved the Owens family to beautiful Utah. Before being elected to Congress, he started Second Chance 4 Youth, a non-profit dedicated to helping troubled and incarcerated youth.

Burgess now serves as a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Burgess believes in dreaming big and follows the four guiding principles of faith, family, free markets and education.

Noah Rothman is a senior writer with National Review and a contributor to MSNBC. His work has been published in Commentary Magazine, USA Today, The Washington Examiner, The New York Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post. He is the author of “Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America” (Regnery, 2019) and “The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun” (Broadside, 2022).

Rothman graduated from Drew University with a degree in Russian studies and political science in 2004. He earned a graduate degree from Seton Hall University in diplomacy and international relations with a focus on security policy in the former Soviet space in 2010.

He lives in New Jersey with his wife and his two sons.

Johan Norberg is an author, lecturer and documentary filmmaker. He is a native of Sweden, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C. and the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels. He is a frequent commentator in Swedish and international media and columnist in Aftonbladet, Sweden’s largest news group.

Norberg has written 20 books covering a broad range of topics, including global economics and popular science. The breakthrough came with “In Defense of Global Capitalism” (2003), published in more than 25 countries.

Kurt Couchman is senior fellow in fiscal policy for Americans for Prosperity. He develops and supports innovative solutions to federal and state budget challenges while promoting fiscal outcomes that expand freedom, prosperity, and opportunity.

He has previously held positions with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Defense Priorities, several members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Cato Institute. He is the author of numerous legislative proposals—including two bipartisan balanced budget amendments—and opinion articles, as well as chapters in several edited volumes.

Couchman holds a master’s degree in economics from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania/Cook Honors College. He and his family reside in northern Virginia.

Dan McConchie is State Senator for the 26th District on Illinois. He has served in this role since 2016 and served as Senate Minority Leader during the 2021-2022 legislative session. He currently serves on the Senate Education, Human Rights, Insurance, Labor and Transportation committees, as well as the Health & Human Services Appropriations committee.

Throughout his tenure as a legislator, Dan has supported policies and legislation that promote job growth, smaller and smarter government, and ethics reforms to root out corruption. He has served as a budget negotiator advocating for responsible state spending and lower taxes. He was instrumental in negotiating an overhaul to the state’s school funding system to ensure more equity and state support to Illinois’ neediest schools while creating the state’s first tax credit scholarship program to allow children in failing school districts to attend the school of their choice. He passed one of the few laws enacted in the country to limit a governor’s emergency powers under COVID-19 while the governor was actively using them. He is a member of the Move Over Task Force that proposes ways to improve and protect law enforcement and other emergency responders and motorists who are stopped on the side of Illinois roads.

Dan joined the Army National Guard on his 17th birthday and served nine years in the infantry and military police. Prior to running for public office, he spent 20 years working in public affairs for national advocacy groups and two years as an Adjunct Professor at Trinity International University where he taught a graduate-level bioethics and public policy course. In addition to his public service Dan is also a renewable energy consultant with Verde Solutions providing solar and other alternative energy solutions for homes and businesses.

Dan and his wife, Milena, reside in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois and have two adult daughters.

Melanie Sturm is the founder of Engage to Win and The Win Coach for leaders of all stripes – elected and government officials, candidates, non-profit and corporate executives, policy analysts, activists. As a mentor in the art of persuasion, Melanie Sturm teaches how to inspire an audience – even skeptics – to follow your lead, not based on what you say, but on what others hear you say.

Having learned through her column called “Think Again…. You Might Change Your Mind” how to lead people to the common ground they instinctively share, she developed Six Powers of Persuasion to train people to become likable and trusted advocates. In her interactive skill-building workshops – in-person and over Zoom – Melanie teaches how to reach “beyond the choir” with messaging that simultaneously attracts “persuadables,” powers down “hostiles,” and unites “friendlies.” The ability to find common ground across the spectrum is a powerful skill, enabling people to have more thoughtful dialogue – even at the Thanksgiving table!

Melanie has carved out an expertise in education issues, helping school board members, candidates, and activists gracefully navigate the most contentious issues while staying focused on academic excellence, parental inclusion, and student achievement.

Melanie’s prior work experience is in finance – M&A at Morgan Stanley in London and Oil & Gas project finance at International Finance Corporation in Washington, DC. She earned her MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, and undergraduate degrees in international relations and economics from Tufts University.