Lawson R. Bader is president and CEO of DonorsTrust, a public charity protecting the intent of donors who seek to enhance civil society without increasing the size and scope of government. He previously served as president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute from 2012 to 2015. Bader expanded CEI’s outreach by launching a new radio show, RealClear Radio Hour with Bill Frezza, and streamlined the organization’s policy efforts by emphasizing legal strategies to attack economic regulation and executive branch overreach.
Before joining CEI, Bader served as vice president of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University for 16 years. He was also formerly the manager of government relations at SRI International, a legislative analyst with the D.C. law firm Pierson, Semmes and Finley, and a special assistant at the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Bader earned degrees from Wheaton College in Illinois and The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.