Founder(s) John McClaughry Chairman Jack MacMullen | Established 1993 President Rob Roper | |
Budget Revenue: $153,749
Expenses: $146,902
(FYE December 2015) Address 4836 Kirby Mountain Rd.
Concord, VT 05824 | ||
Ethan Allen Institute (EAI), founded in 1993, is a free-market think tank in Vermont.
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Mission
The organization's stated mission "is to influence public policy in Vermont by helping its people to better understand and put into practice the fundamentals of a free society: individual liberty, private property, competitive free enterprise, limited government, strong local communities, personal responsibility, and expanded opportunity for human endeavor."
History
EAI was founded in 1993 by John McClaughry. He served as EAI's President from 1993 to 2009, and as acting President during 2010. Currently he is EAI's Vice President and editor of EAI's Ethan Allen Letter. Educated as a physicist and nuclear engineer, he later served as a senior policy advisor in Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign of 1980, and subsequently in the White House Office of Policy Development until March 1982. McClaughry also served in the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont State Senate. In 1992, he was the Republican candidate for Governor, ultimately losing to incumbent Democrat Howard Dean.
EAI is governed by a ten-member Board of Directors. EAI's President is Rob Roper, founding president John McClaughry serves as Vice-President.
Activities
EAI sponsors policy discussions, round tables and debates; hosts an annual Jefferson Day event each April; and issues a number of publications, including the monthly Ethan Allen Letter. Its commentaries are published by most Vermont newspapers and several broadcast outlets.
Current concerns are the state’s demographic and fiscal future, economic and business climate, education, health care, energy, transportation, property rights, and constitutionalism.
In cooperation with the liberal Public Assets Institute, EAI in 2009 created a Vermont transparency web site to bring information and data about Vermont state government to interested citizens.
In 2010, EAI launched an Energy Education Project to help Vermonters understand the economics of energy choices. EAI also sponsors Common Sense Radio, a weekday talk show program that airs on WDEV.