CEI Announces 2016 Dinner Program
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) announced Forbes Media Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes will deliver the keynote address at the 2016 CEI Annual Dinner and Reception. Described as one of Washington’s “most beloved and best-attended social events,” CEI’s annual gathering of free-market policy professionals, scholars, and supporters will take place on June 2, 2016, at the JW Marriott Washington.
"In a country as vast and diverse as America, there is one man whose very name is synonymous with free enterprise, the institutions of capitalism, and entrepreneurial spirit,” said CEI President Kent Lassman. “Steve Forbes is an author, publisher, and business leader with a keen eye for the hidden, distortive effects of government regulation. We are delighted to have him join us at CEI's annual dinner."
A champion of free-market policies and former presidential candidate, Forbes has been a frequent commentator on the nation’s economic challenges, and most recently, the 2016 election cycle.
“I am delighted to be a part of CEI’s dinner, an occasion for free-market activists to come together and celebrate wins in the battle for liberty,” said Forbes. “Now is the time to look at new policy opportunities. Americans are dissatisfied with the political class and harbor real worry about the future, which is why CEI must continue its critically-important role of protecting entrepreneurs, innovators, employers, and workers from government overreach.”
CEI’s annual dinner program will also feature Mary Katharine Ham, CNN political commentator and Senior Editor for The Federalist, as the master of ceremonies.
Each year, CEI also honors the legacy of free-market economist and Professor Julian Simon by presenting the Julian L. Simon Memorial Award to an individual whose work supports the vision that man is the ultimate resource. The 2016 recipient of this award is Dr. Bruce Yandle, Dean Emeritus of Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science.
"Bruce Yandle's contributions to the understanding of economic policy are unparalleled. From advertising and commercial speech at the Federal Trade Commission to the economics of natural resources, his work has been a guiding light for regulatory practitioners, students, and the public alike," said Lassman. "The seminal illustration of interest group behavior, Yandle's path-breaking 'Bootleggers and Baptists,' continues to provide practical insights to today's policy debates."
In addition to his work at Clemson, Dr. Yandle is the Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana. Dr. Yandle served as a senior economist at the White House during the Ford Administration and as Executive Director of the Federal Trade Commission during the Reagan Administration.
For more information about CEI’s annual dinner or the Julian L. Simon Memorial Award visit cei.org/ceidinner.