When
Union League Club
April 8, 2026
Children in America deserve to know that their future is not predetermined and that they have the power to achieve a successful life. However, many have fallen for a narrative of helplessness, believing that systemic forces, difficult circumstances, or past decisions dictate their destiny.
In his book, Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for ALL Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power, Ian Rowe argues that agency is the key to attaining success. He defines agency as “the force of one’s free will, guided by moral discernment.” Rowe outlines four pillars that support children as they transition into adulthood: Family, Religion, Education, and Entrepreneurship. The F.R.E.E. framework can empower children to overcome adversity and build a life of purpose and opportunity.
Join CEI for a lunch discussion with Ian Rowe about his personal story of success, his work in education reform, and the importance of advancing the F.R.E.E. framework to cultivate new agents of agency.
When: 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Where: Union League Club
38 East 37th Street, New York, NY 10016
This is a private event. Questions? Email [email protected]
Ian V. Rowe is the CEO and cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies and a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In addition to serving ten years as CEO of Public Prep, he held leadership positions at Teach for America, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the White House, and MTV, where he earned two Public Service Emmys. With his recent book Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for All Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power (Templeton Press, 2022), Ian Rowe seeks to inspire young people of all races to build strong families and become masters of their own destiny. Rowe earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s College of Engineering, and his HS diploma from Brooklyn Tech as part of a K-12 NYC public education.
Kent Lassman is president and CEO of the feisty and principled Competitive Enterprise Institute. Reforming broken regulatory institutions and removing the unnecessary burdens they produce has taken him across America, to more than a dozen countries, and deep into the dysfunction of the federal government. An optimist by nature, he is a Virginian by choice and is outdoors at every opportunity.