It was a chance encounter while he was a freshman at Vanderbilt University that led Roger Ream ’76 to meet TFAS founder and then-chairman David R. Jones. David encouraged Roger to attend a TFAS summer program in 1976 and the rest, as they say, is history. Roger thinks he has the best job in the world, working with young people who want to make a difference.
Roger joined TFAS in 1991 as executive vice president and became president in 1998. During his tenure, TFAS has expanded its programs internationally to three continents and has more than doubled the number of collegiate program offerings in Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, TFAS has extended its reach at both the high school and professional levels by adding the Robert Novak and Joseph Rago Fellowships for working journalists, the Public Policy Fellowship for young D.C. professionals, and making the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) programs for high school students and teachers a part of the TFAS Journey.
In addition to his work with TFAS, Roger serves on the board of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), the advisory board of Talent Market and is a member of Sons of the American Revolution. He previously served on the boards of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) and the U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent’s Leadership Fund. He is a founding member and secretary of the Frank S. Meyer Society, past president of the Philadelphia Society, and member of the Mont Pelerin Society. He also serves on the United States Postal Service’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. In 2021, Roger was awarded a Bradley Prize by the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation. The honor recognizes individuals whose outstanding achievements reflect The Bradley Foundation’s mission to restore, strengthen and protect the principles and institutions of American exceptionalism.
Roger traces his passion for the ideas of freedom and free markets to his father, a minister who stressed the moral underpinnings of individual liberty and the connections between freedom and human flourishing.
Roger received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University. He and his late wife, Mary Kay, have three daughters, five grandsons and a granddaughter. He calls them his investment in the future.