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Speakers and Panel Topics
Panel Topics & Descriptions
Confirmed Speakers | Bios/Invited Speakers
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Issues & Debates
▪ Liberty in the States: Hot and Cold Spots for Our Movement
▪ Tea Parties and the Ron Paul rEVOLution (confirmed panel)
▪ Electoral & Constitutional Reforms: What Should We Support? (confirmed panel)
▪ Crime, Privacy, and the War on Drugs (confirmed panel)
▪ War, the State, and You: Debating Foreign Policy and Civil Liberties (confirmed panel)
▪ How to Approach Divisive Social Issues (Abortion, Immigration, etc.)
Training & Tactics
▪ Understanding the U.S. Constitution and Libertarian Ideas (confirmed presentation)
▪ Combating Federal Control: How to Sell Elimination of Federal Agencies & Programs
▪ Effectively Communicating Our Liberty Message (confirmed presentation)
▪ How to Run a Winning Campaign (confirmed presentation)
▪ Building Your Republican Liberty Caucus Chapter (confirmed panel)
▪ How Can We Take Back the Republican Party? (confirmed panel)
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SPEAKER BIOS. & LIST OF INVITED SPEAKERS
Speaker Biographies
Congressman Justin Amash is the U.S. Representative serving Michigan’s 3rd congressional district, which encompasses the Grand Rapids area. The second-youngest member of Congress, Justin ran as a Tea Party-endorsed candidate in the primary and general elections in 2010. He was endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus and FreedomWorks. After earning his law degree in 2006, Mr. Amash joined the Republican Liberty Caucus and developed a local chapter of the RLC in Kent County. He ran for State Representative in 2008 and won and subsequently announced his run for Congress in 2010. He won the primary and then the general election. Mr. Amash resides with his wife and family in Kentwood, Michigan.
Professor Randy E. Barnett is a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches constitutional law and contracts. He writes about the libertarian theory of law, contract theory, constitutional law, and jurisprudence. Barnett is a Senior Fellow of the Cato Institute and the Goldwater Institute. His book The Structure of Liberty won the Ralph Gregory Elliot Book Award in 1998. In 2008 he was awarded a Fellowship in Constitutional Studies by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. In 2009, he drafted the Bill of Federalism, ten proposed amendments to the United States Constitution designed to limit federal power and strengthen individual rights. He has also proposed a “Repeal Amendment” to the United States Constitution, which would give two-thirds of the states the power to repeal any federal law or regulation. Professor Barnett is widely credited with providing the intellectual ammunition against the Obama health care bill. At the 2011 Convention, his topic will be “Rediscovering the Libertarian Roots of the Republican Party.”
David Boaz is the executive vice president of the Cato Institute and has played a key role in the development of the Cato Institute and the libertarian movement. He is a leading authority on domestic issues such as education choice, drug legalization, the growth of government, and the rise of libertarianism. He is the author of Libertarianism: A Primer and coeditor of the Cato Handbook For Policymakers. His articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, National Review, and Slate. He is a frequent guest on national television and radio shows. His latest book is The Politics of Freedom.
Governor Gary E. Johnson is an outspoken advocate for efficient government, lower taxes, winning the war on drug abuse, protection of civil liberties, revitalization of the economy and promoting entrepreneurship and privatization. In 1976, he started his own company, Big J Enterprises, which grew into a multi-million dollar corporation that employed over 1000 people in New Mexico. He sold the company in 1999. In 1994, Johnson was elected Governor of New Mexico despite having little experience in politics. He was reelected in 1998. As Governor, he eliminated New Mexico’s budget deficit, cut the rate of growth in state government in half, privatized half of the state prisons, and shifted state Medicaid to managed care. While in office, Johnson vetoed 750 bills and struck thousands of line items from legislation. During his term, New Mexico experienced the longest period without a tax increase in the state’s history. Johnson is an avid skier, adventurer, and bicyclist who climbed Mount Everest in 2003. He has two grown children.
Peter Schiff is an author, financial commentator, and a 2010 GOP candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut. In 2006, Mr. Schiff correctly predicted the forthcoming crisis in the financial sector — long before most economists or financial commentators. He is CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc., a broker-dealer based in Westport, Connecticut and CEO of Euro Pacific Precious Metals, LLC, a gold and silver dealer based in New York City. Peter Schiff was an economic adviser to Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign. In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Connecticut, held in August of last year, Mr. Schiff received 23 percent of the vote while facing former Congressman Rob Simmons and WWE CEO Linda McMahon. Mr. Schiff is the author of five books, including “Crash Proof 2.0″, which appeared on both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best sellers lists. He frequently appears as a guest on CNBC, Fox News, and Bloomberg Television and is often quoted in major financial publications and is a frequent guest on internet radio as well as the host of The Peter Schiff Show.
Councilman Dan Halloran, Esq., is a Republican member of the New York City Council. He was also endorsed by the Libertarian, Independence and Conservative parties in his 2009 election to the New York City Council. He represents the 19th District in Queens. He was recently featured on FOX News, where he exposed the local sanitation workers union for rebelling against Mayor Bloomberg by refusing to clean up the December, 2010 snowfall. Halloran worked in the NYPD and several District Attorneys’ offices before entering private practice as a lawyer in a firm. Prior to his election, he served as New York Chair and Northeast Regional Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus and attended the 2009 RLC National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a lifelong resident of Queens.
Commissioner Cynthia (Cindy) Jones is a member of the St. Marys County Board of County Commissioners in southern Maryland. St. Mary’s County was the first county established in Maryland, in 1637. In 1649, Lord Baltimore, with the Maryland General Assembly, passed the Maryland Toleration Act, which provided religious freedom for any (Christian) sect, and which was the first law of its kind in the New World. To win election, Cindy defeated a two-term incumbent on a campaign of accountability, transparency, and promise not to raise taxes. Prior to her campaign, Cindy was Vice-Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maryland and she attended the 2009 RLC Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. She and her husband have two children.
Rep. Jamie Callender is an attorney, college professor, and former State Representative who served in the Ohio House from 1997 to 2004. He represented a Democratic area despite being a Republican with a strong libertarian streak. With his leadership, Ohio was able to greatly expand school choice. He was term limited out of office. Callender currently serves as a Professor of Public Policy at Kent State University. He and his family live in Lake County, Ohio in the Cleveland metropolitan area.
Rep. R. Kenneth Lindell is a former one-term Maine State Representative. In addition to serving as the Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine, Ken was also Chairman of the Ron Paul for President campaign in Maine. Ken is also a Certified Financial Planner. He and his wife Althea, along with their three children, reside in Frankfurt, Maine.
Rep. Terri McCormick is Vice Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin and is a former three-term State Representative who represented Appleton and Neenah. She is also a two-time candidate for Congress. Terri pioneered one of the first state charter school laws in the country and formed the Wisconsin Charter School Association. She is an advocate of term limits and upheld her term limits pledge. Legislation she authored expanded small business growth in the state of Wisconsin and also created a prescription drug purchasing pool for seniors. Terri is the author of the book, “What Sex Is a Republican? Stories from the Front Lines of American Politics and How You Can Change the Way Things Are.”
Del. Don Murphy is a former elected Delegate from Baltimore County, Maryland. He was first elected in 1993 and served until 2002. He is a co-founder of the Patapsco Valley Republican Club, served as Chairman of the Baltimore County Republican Party, and served as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention. In 2010, he was a Senior Advisor to RLC-endorsed Senate candidate Dr. Eric Wargotz. Don is also the founder of Republicans for Compassionate Access, a group of Republican legislators who believe in a patient’s right to choose medical treatment under a doctor’s care. Delegate Murphy has attended every RLC National Convention since 2006.
Christopher Doss has drafted legislation that has become law in a dozen states over a career in political training and advocacy that spans three decades. He has served in the administrations of three governors and has worked for members of Congress and several state legislatures. Chris currently serves as the Grassroots Activist Schools Coordinator for the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Va., where he helps build the liberty movement.
Vic Berardelli consults candidates as The Politics Guy™. He has spent 30 years as a newspaper political columnist and editor, radio talk show host, corporate public relations manager, and campaign consultant. Mr. Berardelli has served as Communications Director to the Maine House Republicans. He advises Congressional, referendum, legislative and local campaigns for municipal office, serves as a County GOP Committeeman, and is Vice-Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine. In addition, he put his own campaign tips to use and was elected to his town’s Board of Education and Planning Commission. Vic’s new book, “The Politics Guy Campaign Tips: How to Win a Local Election” is a step-by-step guide on organizing and campaigning in local elections. He resides in Newburgh, Maine.
Joe Seehusen is President and CEO of Liberty Guard. He is the Co-Chair of Americans for Prosperity, Baltimore County. He served as the Deputy National Campaign Manager for the Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign. He is the former National Executive Director of the Libertarian Party. He has held senior leadership positions in private business and non-profits. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and resides in Maryland.
Murray Sabrin, Ph.D., is a professor of finance in the Anisfield School of Business, Ramapo College of New Jersey. In 2008 he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in New Jersey. Sabrin was the 1997 Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, and the first third party candidate to receive matching funds and participate in three official debates. He gained 5% of the vote, a factor which contributed to the near-defeat of incumbent Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Sabrin arrived in America with his older brother and parents in August 1949 and became a United States citizen in 1959. His parents are Holocaust survivors. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Republican Liberty Caucus and resides with his wife Florence in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Todd Seavey is an occasional contributor to Reason Magazine and other publications and was a TV producer for John Stossel and for FreedomWatch host Judge Andrew Napolitano. He is a blogger and hosts monthly libertarian/conservative bar gatherings in Manhattan.
Chip Tarbutton is President of the Roanoke Tea Party in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. Under his leadership, the Roanoke Tea Party is working on specific legislative items in 2011, including the repeal of legislation that threatens individual property rights and to abolish the corporate income tax.
Laura Ebke, Ph.D., is Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Nebraska. She is is a lifelong Republican, casting her first vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980. Before that, she served as the State Chair of Nebraska’s Teenage Republican group (1977-1978), having grown up in a family of Goldwater Republicans. After a drift toward studying politics academically in the 80s and 90s, she re-engaged in the process while helping to manage her father’s run for the Nebraska legislature in 2006, started a political blog, and became active in the Ron Paul campaign in 2007 and 2008. Laura serves on her local school board, is a Girl Scout leader, and actively involved in a number of community activities. Laura and her family reside in Crete, Nebraska.
Lois Kaneshiki is the Founder of the Pennsylvania Precinct Project and the President of the Blair County Republican Women. She is a member of the Blair County Republican Committee and a co-founder of the Blair County Tea Party. She is a past elected official on the Blair Township Citizens Advisory Committee and serves as a Board member of Pennsylvanians for Right to Work. Lois also was the past Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania and served on the Libertarian National Committee. As a homeschooling parent, Lois is also a volunteer for the local YMCA swim teams, youth soccer organization, girls recreational softball, and serves as a Girl Scout volunteer leader. Lois resides in Blair Township, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.
John Dennis ran for Congress against Nancy Pelosi in the 2010 election cycle. He won the Republican primary but was defeated in the general election. Prior to running for office, he formed a chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus in San Francisco. He is a businessman who became interested in politics as a result of Ron Paul’s 2008 Presidential campaign. He resides with his family in San Francisco.
Will Haun is Policy Director for the Young Conservatives Coalition, a DC-based, young professional conservative educational and networking organization. As a second-year law student at The Catholic University of America, Will works in an editorial capacity on both The Catholic University Law Review and The Harvard Journal of Law and
Public Policy. He works extensively on First Amendment litigation and scholarship with a law professor, clerks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and is president of Catholic Law’s Federalist Society chapter. Previously, Will worked for a federal judge, assisted prosecuting criminal cases for a Maryland state’s attorney, and under former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese in The Heritage Foundation’s Legal Center. He has an article pending publication in The Catholic University Law Review on First Amendment law, and has been published by National Review Online, The Daily Caller, and many other outlets. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from American University.
Paul Jacob is an activist, organizer, and advocate for legislative term limits, initiative and referendum rights, and limited government. He has helped organize over 150 state-wide petition drives in 47 states on various issues. He has also been a party to dozens of lawsuits defending citizens’ rights to petition their government. He writes a weekly column for Townhall.com and his short radio commentary feature, “Common Sense,” is syndicated by on over 120 radio stations around the country. In the 1990s, he was President of U.S. Term Limits. He is currently President of the Citizens in Charge Foundation, which works to expand initiative and referendum powers across the nation. He resides in Woodbridge, Virginia.
Philip Blumel is president of U.S. Term Limits, a single-issue advocacy group based in Fairfax, VA, and a certified financial planner working out of downtown West Palm Beach, FL. He is one of the original members of the Republican Liberty Caucus and has served in numerous offices with the RLC over the years, including Vice Chairman of the National RLC.
William Redpath is the former Chairman of the Libertarian Party and a past candidate for Governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress in Virginia. He serves on the Board of Directors of FairVote and the Citizens in Charge Foundation. Bill is on the Advisory Committee of Virginians for Instant Runoff Voting. He has overseen the Libertarian Party’s Ballot Access program for many years. He resides in Leesburg, Virginia.
Dr. Dan Eichenbaum has been a practicing ophthalmologist for 34 years. Dr. Dan graduated from the Yale School of Medicine cum laude and moved on to serve as a commissioned Naval officer during the Vietnam era. He ran for Congress in 2010 and plans to run again in 2012. Dr. Dan resides with his wife and children in North Carolina.
Rob Kampia is the cofounder and Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which has over 30,000 members and is the largest cannabis policy reform group in the country. It is divided into a lobbying entity and an educational entity. Rob has been quoted in almost every major newspaper in the U.S., discussed the cannabis issue dozens of times on local and national radio, appeared on national TV more than a dozen times, and has testified before Congress on two occasions. Rob has also attended some local RLC happy hours in the DC area. He resides in DC.
Nathan Tabor is the founder, owner and CEO of TCV Media, a web-based consulting firm and TheConservativeVoice.com, an internet hub for right-wing commentary. He is also known as a recent political candidate and a nonfiction author. He ran for U.S. Congress in 2004 and State Senate in 2006. In March of 2009, Nathan was elected Chairman of the Forsyth County Republican Party in North Carolina. He is the author of “The Beast on the East River: The UN Threat to America’s Sovereignty and Security.”
Tim Nerenz, Ph.D., is an international business executive, libertarian author and speaker, published academic, and former candidate for U.S. House of Representatives. His weekly commentary “Dr. Tim’s Moment Of Clarity” is shared among freethinkers around the world. He is the author of the book “Tooth Fairy Government” and resides in Madison, Wisconsin.
Clifford F. Thies, Ph.D., is the Eldon R. Lindsay Professor of Economics and Finance at Shenandoah University. His articles have been published by the Mises Institute, LewRockwell.com, the Independent Institute, and Campaign for Liberty. He is an adjunct scholar with the Heartland Institute and has been published in the Cato Journal. Since 1992, he has published The Liberty Index to rate members of Congress on social and economic issues. He is a regular columnist for libertarianrepublican.net as well as a past Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Dr. Thies will serve as Emcee of the 2011 RLC National Convention.
Dave Nalle is Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, a capacity he has served in since 2009. He also serves as Communications Director for the Travis County Republican Party. Dave is also the Senior Politics Editor at Blogcritics online magazine and is the CEO of Scriptorium Fonts. He and his family reside in Manor, Texas.
Laura Crockett is a writer, speaker, and historian from Southern California. She has been a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus for over fifteen years. Laura is the author of ten books as well as several stage plays, song lyrics, and poetry. She will serve as Emcee of the 2011 RLC National Convention.
Rick Sincere is a longtime member of the RLC from Charlottesville, Virginia. Rick has been a writer and editor for 25 years. He is a widely published analyst of both domestic and foreign policy issues. He is currently chairman of the Electoral Board for the City of Charlottesville. He is an At-Large Board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia.
Nick Cote is a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus from Alexandria, Virginia. He was involved in parliamentary debate during college. He works for a non-profit legal defense foundation in the DC metro area.
Corie Whalen was involved in organizing the Boston Tea Party. She has since moved from her native Massachusetts to Texas. Corie is a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus who works to train and engage activists with the organization American Majority. She resides in the Houston area.
Rich Nilsen is a Navy veteran and small business owner living in northern Virginia. Rich frequently represents Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli at events. He is currently Vice President and part-owner of Summit Wealth Management, an investment advisory firm.
Distinguished Guests
▪ Congressman Ron Paul — invited
▪ Dr. Rand Paul — invited
▪ Judge Andrew Napolitano — too expensive
▪ Tucker Carlson — too expensive
▪ John Stossel — too expensive
Elected Officials
▪ Congressman Jeff Flake, Arizona — cannot attend
▪ Congressman Jason Chaffetz, Utah — in progress
▪ Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia — cannot attend
▪ Romaine Quinn, 19 year old Mayor — not yet invited
▪ Hon. Melissa Goodwin, Texas Judge — not yet invited
▪ Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina — not yet invited
▪ Sen. Mike Lee, Utah — in progress
▪ Congressman Justin Amash, Michigan — confirmed
▪ Congressman Mick Mulvaney, South Carolina — not yet invited
Campaigns & Elections
▪ Peter Schiff, Connecticut — not yet invited
▪ John Dennis, California — confirmed
▪ Brian Miller, Arizona — not yet invited
Movement Allies
▪ Glenn Beck — too expensive
▪ Sarah Palin — too expensive
▪ Former Congressman Bob Barr — invited
▪ Wayne Allyn Root — invited
▪ Bill Redpath, Libertarian Party — confirmed
Academia
▪ Dr. Randy Barnett, Prof. of Legal Theory, Georgetown University — confirmed
▪ David Boaz, Cato Institute — confirmed
▪ Bruce Bartlett, policy analyst & columnist — not yet invited
▪ Dr. Clifford Thies, Prof. of Economics, Shenandoah University — confirmed
▪ Dr. Scott Pearson, Prof. of Business, Charleston Southern University — invited
Organizations & Single Issues
▪ Paul Jacob, Citizens in Charge Foundation — confirmed
▪ John Tate, Campaign for Liberty — not yet invited
▪ Jeff Frazee, Young Americans for Liberty — not available
▪ Terry Nelson/Jerry Cameron — invited
▪ Del. Don Murphy, former Maryland Delegate — confirmed
Columnists & Bloggers
▪ Stephen Gordon, blogger — confirmed
▪ Jon Henke, Republican strategist and blogger — invited
