Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush, brings a wealth of experience in communication, crisis management and leadership to his speaking engagements. With a career marked by navigating some of the most pivotal moments in recent history, Fleischer offers invaluable insights into the complexities of government, media and public perception. His presentations are characterized by a deep understanding of the intersection between politics and media, providing audiences with an inside look at the inner workings of the White House during critical times.

Fleischer’s approach is straightforward, analytical and filled with real-world anecdotes. His ability to distill complex issues into clear, actionable takeaways makes his talks not only informative but also highly relevant for professionals seeking to enhance their communication skills and navigate challenging situations with confidence.

Kyle Mann is the editor-in-chief of The Babylon Bee. A prolific comedy writer, public speaker, and podcast host, Kyle has written thousands of Babylon Bee headlines and articles, along with the published works he’s authored or co-authored: The Sacred Texts of The Babylon Bee, The Babylon Bee Guide to Wokeness, The Babylon Bee Guide to Democracy, How to Be a Perfect Christian and The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress. Addressing hot topics like censorship, wokeness in comedy, and the importance of laughter and humor, Kyle has delivered keynote speeches, sat on panels, and addressed large crowds at large events across the country.

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.

She is a visiting professor at George Mason University and has previously taught at Georgetown University and Charles University in Prague. She is currently an Acton Affiliate scholar and a visiting scholar at the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy. She is a lecturer for the Institute for Humane Studies and the Foundation for Economic Education.

Dr. Bradley is the co-editor and author of “Counting the Cost: Christian Perspectives on Capitalism,” “For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty,” and “Be Fruitful and Multiply: Why Economics is Necessary for Making God-Pleasing Decisions.”

Dr. Bradley received her Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University in 2006, during which time she was a James M. Buchanan Scholar.

Dan Proft ’93 is an entrepreneur, editorial contributor to the Chicago Tribune and former Republican candidate for Governor. He is also a co-founder of Illinois Opportunity Project, a 501(c)(4) which advocates for free market public policy solutions. Dan earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctor from Loyola University-Chicago School of Law.

Joshua Mitchell teaches Political Philosophy in the TFAS Prague program in Prague, Czech Republic.

Mitchell is a professor of political theory at Georgetown University. He has been chairman of the government department and also associate dean of faculty affairs at SFS-Q. During the 2008–2010 academic years, Mitchell took leave from Georgetown University and was acting chancellor of The American University of Iraq-Sulaimani.

His research interest lies in the relationship between political thought and theology in the West.

Debbie Henney is an economics professor and director of the honors program at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. She began presenting programs as a mentor teacher for the Foundation for Teaching Economics in 2006 and is currently the director of curriculum for FTE.

Debbie spent the first 10 years of her career teaching economics in the high school classroom and later championed economic education efforts as executive director of the Arizona Council on Economic Education and president of the Arizona Council for the Social Studies. She writes economic education lessons for the K-12 classroom and regularly presents workshops, in-service trainings and week-long residential programs for schools, teachers and students in Arizona and around the country.

Robert Lawson is a clinical professor, the Jerome M. Fullinwider Centennial Chair in Economic Freedom and director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. He earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in economics from Florida State University and his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University. He previously taught at Auburn University, Capital University and Shawnee State University.

Dr. Lawson is a founding co-author of the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World annual report, which presents an economic freedom index for over 160 countries. Lawson has authored or co-authored over 100 academic publications. With Benjamin Powell, he is co-author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World.” Lawson’s research has been cited over 14,000 times according to Google Scholar.

Lawson is past-president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and a member of the Mont Pelerin Society. He has won the Adam Smith Award from the Association of Private Enterprise Education.

Sierra McClain, Rago ’23, is an assistant editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal. She grew up on a small ranch in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and attended the University of Oregon where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history (Phi Beta Kappa) and a master’s degree in journalism. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, singing, ballroom dancing and oil painting. Previously, she reported full-time for the Capital Press, a regional newspaper covering agricultural business and policy news across California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Her work has won national awards and has been syndicated by dozens of publications, including the Associated Press and U.S. News & World Report. She also authored a peer-reviewed chapter in “Interviewing: The Oregon Method,” a college journalism textbook published by Oregon State University Press. McClain was a 2022 Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellow, a 2021 fellow with Investigative Reporters and Editors and a 2019 intern with the Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. She is also a graduate of the World Journalism Institute.

Madeleine Kearns, Novak ’22, is an associate editor at The Free Press.

Previously, she was a staff writer at National Review, a senior fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, and a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow with The Fund for American Studies (2022 – 2023).

Maddy has written for The Spectator, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Standpoint Magazine, Law & Liberty, UnHerd, The Scotsman, The Catholic Herald, Verily, and Heterodox Academy. She was regular on National Review’s “The Editors” podcast and has appeared on the BBC, STV, ITV, Fox News, PragerU, the Ben Shapiro Show, and the Megyn Kelly Show.

Madeleine graduated from the University of St Andrews, where she was a vocal scholar, with a first-class bachelor’s degree in English, minoring in Music. She received her postgraduate diploma in Education from the University of Glasgow, and Master’s in Journalism, “Cultural Reporting & Criticism,” from New York University.

Madeleine writes and performs music. She lives with her husband in New York City.

Chris Ullman is a communications professional, author, inspirational speaker, mentor, and champion whistler. He is president of Ullman Communications, a strategic advisory firm, and previously served as Director of Global Communications at The Carlyle Group, led communications at the White House Budget Office, ran the public affairs office at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and was spokesman for the U.S House Budget Committee.

Chris is the Strategic Communications Expert in Residence at High Point University, a Senior Advisor at Narrative Strategies, and a Trustee of The Fund for American Studies. He earned his B.A. in political science from Binghamton University and is a four-time international whistling champion and member of the Whistlers Hall of Fame.

Chris is the author of “Find Your Whistle: Simple Gifts Touch Hearts and Change Lives” and “Four Billionaires and a Parking Attendant: Success Strategies of the Wealthy, Powerful, and Just Plain Wise.”