2013 freedom conference program

8/9/2019 2013 Freedom Conference Program

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5TH ANNUAL

Freedom Conference AUGUST 23-24, 2013

The Steamboat Institute’s mission is to educate the public on the Founding Principles

of the United States and to inspire people to be actively involved in their implementation.



The Steamboat Institute’s 5th Annual Freedom Conference

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Featuring Keynote Speakers: Richard B. Cheney46th Vice President of the United States

Elizabeth L. Cheney Attorney and U.S. Middle East policy specialist

• Secretary of Defense

• Member of Congress from

Wyoming

• White House Chief of Staff toPresident Gerald Ford

• Chief Executive Ofcer of theHalliburton Co.

Across four decades of publiclife, Dick Cheney has served at thehighest levels of government dur-

ing some of the critical days in modern American history.In the post-Watergate administration of Gerald Ford, the presi-

dent turned to 34-year-old Dick Cheney to lead the White Housestaff in the work of restoring the nation’s condence and wagingthe president’s 1976 campaign.

After leaving the White House, Cheney returned to his homestate of Wyoming, where he was elected in 1978 as the state’ssole member of Congress. Re-elected to the ofce ve times,Cheney served in several leadership positions and was chosen byhis colleagues as deputy majority leader of the House of Repre-

sentatives. Early in Cheney’s sixth term, in 1989, he was nominated byPresident George Bush to serve as Secretary of Defense, and wasconrmed unanimously by the United States Senate. In his fouryears at the Pentagon, Cheney helped to lead American forces tovictory in Operation Just Cause in Panama, Operations DesertShield and Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. In 1991, he wasawarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Through most of the 1990’s, Cheney worked in the privatesector as chief executive ofcer of the Halliburton Company inDallas, Texas. When Texas Governor George W. Bush securedthe Republican nomination for the presidency in 2000, he askedCheney to lead the search for a vice presidential running mate.In time, Governor Bush asked Cheney himself to join the ticket,and after a dramatic and suspenseful campaign and election,President Bush and Vice President Cheney were inaugurated forthe rst of two terms on January 20, 2001.

In the eight eventful years of the Bush presidency, the vicepresident was best known for his involvement in national secu-

rity matters following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.As difcult decisions multiplied, and American forces battled inAfghanistan and Iraq, the president and vice president held rmto a strategy of keeping America safe by taking the ght to the en-

emy. They spoke with condence that America’s ideals of justiceand liberty could overcome the ideologies of violence and domi-nation, and that America’s own security would be strengthened

by the spread of freedom.President Bush and Vice President Cheney left ofce in Janu-

ary 2009, after conducting one of the smoothest transitions ofexecutive power in memory. Their successors inherited respon-

sibility for critical missions not yet completed, and stewardshipof a nation that for more than seven years had been kept safefrom further attack.

Vice President Cheney was born on January 30, 1941, in Lin-

coln, Nebraska. He and his wife, Lynne V. Cheney, have twodaughters and seven grandchildren. The Cheneys live in North-

ern Virginia and in Wyoming. Vice President Cheney’s memoirs, In My Time, were published in 2011.

Liz Cheney is an attorney andspecialist in U.S. Middle East pol-icy. She is the founder and chair-man of the board of Keep AmericaSafe, a non-prot organization ded-

icated to education and advocacyabout American national securitypolicy. As a Fox News contributor,she provides analysis on US na-

tional security policy and politics.She is also the co-author of VicePresident Cheney’s memoirs, In My Time, published in 2011.

Previously, Ms. Cheney served as the Principal Deputy Assis-tant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. In this capacity,she was the second-ranking State Department ofcial responsible for U.S. policy in the Middle East. Prior to that, Ms. Cheney

served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near EasternAffairs from 2002 to 2004.

Ms. Cheney practiced law at White & Case LLP in the areaof international project nance from 1996 to 1999. She has alsoserved on assignment with the International Finance Corpora-

tion, a member of the World Bank Group, and at the State De -

partment and Agency for International Development during theadministration of President George H.W. Bush.

A fourth-generation Wyomingite, Ms. Cheney is a member of

the International Board of Advisors at the University of Wyoming.She also serves on the boards of the Institute for the Study of Warand Rivers of Recovery, an organization based in Wyoming thatprovides rehabilitation for military veterans through y-shing.

She earned her law degree from the University of Chicagoin 1996 and her bachelor’s degree from the Colorado College in1988. She is married to Philip J. Perry and they live in Wilson,Wyoming with their ve children.




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THE STEAMBOAT INSTITUTE

The 5th Annual Freedom Conference Agenda August 23-24, 2013

The Steamboat Grand • Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Letter From the Chairman

Thursday, August 22nd5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Sponsor/Speaker Kick-off Reception at sponsor home

Friday, August 23rd BONUS EVENT - BURGESS CREEK ROOM

9:00 - 11:00 a.m.“Champion Your Life...Defend Capitalism,” an interactive workshop featuring:

Yaron Brook, Ph.D., Executive Director of Ayn Rand Institute Michael Williams, Director of Defenders of Capitalism Project, Leadership Program

of the Rockies

Welcome to The Steam-

boat Institute’s 5th AnnualFreedom Conference and to

beautiful Steamboat Springs,

Colorado! We salute all of ourattendees and our many won-

derful sponsors, who havecome from across the nationto celebrate freedom. We also

celebrate the many business

owners and job creators who

are with us today!

In just our 5th year, TheSteamboat Institute has

gained a national reputation as a leader in advancing thefounding principles of the United States of America. Weare well on our way to achieving our goal of becoming “the

conservative alternative to the Aspen Institute.”

Beginning in 2009, our annual Freedom Conferenceshave featured some of our nation’s leading conservativethinkers and voices, including Former United Nations Am-

bassador John Bolton, Karl Rove, Michael Reagan, Tony

Blankley, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin and many others. Our mission is a simple but powerful one:

“To educate the public on the Founding Principles of the

United States and to inspire people to be actively involved

in their implementation.” As you listen and learn from the great minds we haveassembled here in Steamboat Springs, keep in mind thesewords of President Ronald Reagan: Freedom is never more than one generation away

from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the

bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for

them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years

telling our children and our children’s children what it was once

like in the United States where men were free.

Together, we must resolve to never look back and ask,“Why didn’t we DO SOMETHING” to preserve this greatland of America.

Jennifer Schubert-Akin

Chairman – The Steamboat Institute

(continued on next page)

Kindly silence cell phones Audio/videotaping is expressly prohibited

#Steamboat13




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★★★★★★★OFFICIAL OPENING OF CONFERENCE

★★★★★★★

11:00 a.m. Doors open11:00 to 11:45 a.m. Guests proceed through lunch buffet 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 Welcome & Opening Remarks – Jennifer Schubert-Akin, Chairman and Co-Founder of

The Steamboat Institute

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Kick-off Luncheon – Congressman Cory Gardner (Colorado): “ AMERICA RISING”

1:00 – 1:15 p.m. BREAK

1:15 – 2:45 p.m. “Confronting the Threat of Islamist Terrorism in a Post-Bin Laden World ” Panel Discussion:Peter Brookes, Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs – Heritage Foundation

M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D. – American Islamic Forum for Democracy Following presentation, Dr. Jasser will be signing copies of his book, “A Battle for the Soul of Islam: Am American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save His Faith”

Debra Burlingame, Board member of “ Keep America Safe” and “9/11 Families for a Safe &Strong America”

Panel Moderator: Gary Hofmeister, Board Member of The Steamboat Institute

2:45 to 2:55 p.m. BREAK

2:55 – 4:00 p.m. “Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government”Yaron Brook, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Institute

Following his presentation, Dr. Brook will be signing books

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. “The Changing Media Landscape”:Andrew Malcolm, Investor’s Business DailyJamie Weinstein, The Daily Caller

Khristine Brookes, VP of Communication for Cato Institute – Panel Moderator

★★★★★★★BREAK ★★★★★★★

5:45 - 6:00 p.m. Sponsors, Speakers and VIP Registrants board gondola for scenic ride to summit of SteamboatSki Area

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. VIP/Sponsor Reception and Photos with Keynote Speakers, Liz Cheney and Former VicePresident Richard B. Cheney, at Thunderhead Summit

7:00 - 7:15 p.m. All other conference registrants board gondola for ride to keynote dinner on the mountaintop.

7:30 p.m. Dinner in Champagne Powder Room, featuring:Former Vice President Richard B. Cheney and Liz Cheney

Entertainment by String Quartet from Steamboat Symphony Orchestra National Anthem performed by Keri Rusthoi of Emerald City Opera

2013 Freedom Conference Agenda(continued)





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2013 Freedom Conference Agenda(continued)

Saturday, August 24th:7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Guests proceed through breakfast buffet

7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast hosted by Independence Institute: “Update and Discussion on Lawsuit ChallengingColorado Gun Laws”:Jon Caldara , President – Independence Institute

Amy Oliver Cooke, Executive Vice President and Director of the Energy Policy Center –Independence Institute

Dave Kopel, Research Director and Second Amendment Project Director – IndependenceInstitute – Following presentation, Mr. Kopel will sign copies of his book, “The Truth AboutGun Control”

Sheriff John Cooke (Weld County) Sheriff Scott Fischer (Jackson County) Sheriff Rod Johnson (Grand County) Sheriff Justin Smith (Larimer County) Sheriff Lou Vallario (Gareld County) Sheriff Garrett Wiggins (Routt County)

9:00 – 9:15 a.m. BREAK

9:15 – 10:40 a.m. “ Are Common Core Standards Good for Our Students?” Debate, featuring: Jim Stergios, Executive Director – Pioneer Institute Laura Boggs – Vice President of Board of Education, Jeffco Public Schools (Golden, Colorado) Panel Moderator: Bob Schaffer, Principal of Liberty Common High School (a charter school

in Fort Collins); Former Congressman; Former Chairman of Colorado State Board of Education

1040 – 10:50 a.m. BREAK

10:50 – 12:00 p.m. “What’s Left of State Sovereignty???” Greg Zoeller – Attorney General of Indiana

William Perry Pendley – President of Mountain States Legal Foundation; author of Sagebrush Rebel: Reagan’s Battle with Environmental Extremists and Why It Matters Today – Following presentation, Mr. Pendley will be signing copies of his book

12:00 - 12:15 p.m. Guests proceed through lunch buffet

12:15 – 2:00 p.m. CLOSING LUNCHEON: “The Content of American Character” - Reverend C.L. Bryant, creatorof the award-winning documentary lm, “Runaway Slave”

Following luncheon, Rev. Bryant will sign copies of his DVD, “Runaway Slave”

★★★★★★★OFFICIAL CLOSE OF CONFERENCE

★★★★★★★

OPTIONAL BONUS SESSIONS:2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Showing of the documentary lm, “Runaway Slave” – Spring Creek Room

2:30 – 3:30 p.m. “Charting a New Course for Freedom,” featuring Thomas Krannawitter, Ph.D. –Burgess Creek Room

5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Coyote Gold Margarita Party, poolside at the Steamboat Grand – Casual post-conferencegathering for all speakers, speaker guests and conference attendees.




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$10,000+

$7,500+

The MacArthur Family

$5,000+

$2,500+

$1,000+

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

John and Patricia AdamsBob and Claudia Beauprez

B. J. Lanning CompanyRaymond A. Brown

Cheri Carsten (“1773 Club” sponsor)

David and Debbie DacusIndependence InstituteJ&S Audio Visual, Inc.

Karen and Lee KorinsAnne and Rich Lowe

Bill and Toni ThomsonKelly Victory, M.D.

Jeff and Anne Wenaas -

Hensel Phelps Construction Co.Wolters-Althoff Investments

Mary K. AllenJohn and Nancy JohnstonNo Limits Enterprises, LLP

Roe FoundationRich and Ginny Srednicki

The Akin Law Firm, LLCKristine and William Bensler

El Pomar FoundationMarathon Accounting Services, LLC

Kelsey AlexanderBruce and Leslie Allbright

Nancy BretzRoger Burton

Citizens Supporting Property RightsPatricia Creekmore

Elk River Guns (“1773 Club” sponsor)Henry F. Fabian, Jr., M.D. –

Spine Center of Steamboat Springs

Larry and Pamela FishmanCurt Grina

Irene JohnsonJohn KinkaidJohn C. LambDariush Rad

Steamboat Ski & Resort CorporationBetty Turner

Robert and Linda Zerbe

Sara Nakon – Event Coordinator

Connie Sansom - Mott and Accent Travel – Travel AgentCato Institute

Coyote Gold Margaritas (Maureen Schaffer)FM Light & Sons – speaker giftsAllen Fuller – Voter Gravity –

website and social media consulting Heritage Foundation

Jack Temple Video Production

Thomas Krannawitter, Ph.D.PostNet - graphic design and printing

Rearden SteelThe Steamboat Grand

Taggart TranscontinentalMichael Williams – Defenders of Capitalism Project –

Leadership Program of the Rockies

Sponsors & Donors




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Laura Boggs

Laura Boggs is the daughter of a publicschool teacher. Her mom taught her the

importance of a great public educationsystem. Laura and her husband Chrishave two children in public schools: Da-

vid a senior and Claire a sophomore.Laura received her Bachelor of BusinessAdministration from the University of

Michigan. She has worked in sales and leadership posi-tions for large businesses including IBM, Xerox and Lex-

mark, and has been fortunate to run her own business forthe last ten years. Laura was elected to the Jefferson Coun-

ty Board of Education in 2009. The Jefferson County pub-

lic school district is the 34th largest in the country and thelargest in Colorado educating nearly 85,000 students eachyear. Laura is passionate about student achievement, andpreparing children for their futures. She is a 2012 graduateof the Leadership Program of the Rockies.

Yaron Brook, Ph.D.

Dr. Yaron Brook (MBA, University ofTexas at Austin; PhD, Finance, Universi-ty of Texas at Austin) is the executive di-rector of the Ayn Rand Institute. He is acolumnist at Forbes.com, and his arti-cles have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, and many other publications. He

is a frequent guest on national radio and television pro-

grams and is a contributing author to both Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea and Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism.Dr. Brook is co-author with ARI fellow Don Watkins of thenational best-seller Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government. A former nance professor,he speaks internationally on such topics as the causes ofthe nancial crisis, the morality of capitalism, ending thegrowth of the state, and U.S. foreign policy. Dr. Brook was born and raised in Israel. He served asa rst sergeant in Israeli military intelligence and earneda BSc in civil engineering from Technion-Israel Institute

of Technology in Haifa, Israel. In 1987 he moved to theUnited States, where he received his MBA and Ph.D. in -

nance from the University of Texas at Austin; he becamean American citizen in 2003. For seven years he was anaward-winning nance professor at Santa Clara University,and in 1998 he cofounded a nancial advisory rm, BH Eq-

uity Research, of which he is presently managing directorand chairman.

Khristine Brookes

Khristine Brookes has been Vice Presi-dent for Communications at the Cato In-

stitute in Washington, D.C since 2008.She is responsible for the libertarianthink tank’s work in media outreach aswell as government relations and gener-al marketing. Prior to that, she served 10years in the press ofce at The Heritage

Foundation, overseeing broadcast media outreach. Brookesspent her early years in Washington on Capitol Hill, work-

ing for Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth of Idaho, Con -

gressman Mark Sanford of South Carolina, and WisconsinSenator Bob Kasten.

Khristine grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and is a grad-

uate of the University of Idaho. She is also a member of theNational Advisory Board of The Steamboat Institute.

Peter BrookesSenior Fellow for National Security Affairs -The Heritage Foundation

One of America’s leading voices on

foreign policy and national security, Pe-

ter Brookes develops and communicatesHeritage’s stance on foreign policy andnational security affairs through mediaappearances, research, published arti-cles, congressional testimony and speak-

ing engagements.Brookes is also a New York Post and Boston Herald colum-

nist and a contributor to The National Interest and Townhall Magazine. He is the author of: A Devil’s Triangle: Terrorism,Weapons of Mass Destruction and Rogue States (Rowman &Littleeld, 2005).

He’s in his fourth term as a member of the congres-

sional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commis-sion, appointed by two different Speakers of the House ofRepresentatives. Brookes has made more than 2,500 appearances as acommentator on TV and radio and had his own radio showin Washington, D.C.

Brookes has testied nearly 10 times before both theSenate and House of Representatives as a public ofcialand as a private citizen. He is also a frequent public speak-

er around the country and the world, making more than200 addresses in more than 20 U.S. states and 20 countries,including State Department public diplomacy speakingprograms in Japan, Germany, Australia, Poland, Austria,Ukraine, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Panel & Speaker Bios





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Before coming to Heritage, Brookes served in theGeorge W. Bush administration as the Deputy AssistantSecretary of Defense for Asian and Pacic Affairs, wherehe was responsible for U .S. security policy for 38 countries

and 5 bilateral defense alliances. He also served with theCIA, the State Department (UN Mission), and in the pri-vate sector defense and intelligence industries. Brookes is a decorated military veteran, having servedon active duty with the U.S. Navy in Latin America,Asia, and Middle East in aviation and intelligence billets.Brookes has more than 100 missions and 1,000 ight hoursaboard U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft. Now a re-

tired reserve Navy Commander, during his reserve careerhe served with the NSA, DIA, Naval Intelligence, the JointChiefs of Staff, and the Ofce of the Vice President, work-

ing, among other duties, as an intelligence analyst, stra-

tegic debriefer, Russian-language interpreter during U.S.-Soviet naval exchanges, defense attaché to former SovietUnion countries, and policy advisor.

Brookes is a doctoral candidate at Georgetown Univer-sity. He’s a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (B.S.); theDefense Language Institute (Diploma, Russian); the NavalWar College (Diploma); and the Johns Hopkins University(M.A., Government). He’s an avid nordic and alpine skier,upland and waterfowl bird hunter, shotgun sportsman, ysherman, and golfer.

Peter is a member of the National Advisory Board of TheSteamboat Institute.

Reverend C.L. Bryant

C.L. Bryant is one of America’s mostcharismatic and dynamic messengers.He is highly sought after both nationallyand internationally for his powerful ora-

tion. Reverend Bryant is an Ordained Bap-

tist Minister, with a Master’s degree inTheology. He has served as pastor of

three churches in 32 years. He also worked as a Mission-

ary to South America, including the Amazon. Reverend Bryant served as President of the NAACPChapter in Garland, Texas, from 1987 to 1990. He alsohosted the award-winning TV program, “ Focus on Reality,”

in Tampa, Florida. After founding the national ministry, “One Nation Backto God,” Reverend Bryant went on to create and star in thedocumentary lm, “Runaway Slave,” which received theCrystal Dove Award. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Reverend Bryant isthe son of World War II veteran L.C. Bryant and ElnolaGoode Bryant. He and his wife of 38 years, Jane, reside

in Grand Cane, Louisiana, and are the proud parents andgrandparents of 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

Debra BurlingameDebra Burlingame is the sister of

Charles F. “Chic” Burlingame, III, pilot ofAmerican Airlines ight 77, whichcrashed into the Pentagon on September11, 2001. She is co-founder of 9/11 Fam-

ilies for a Safe and Strong America and adirector on the board of the NationalSeptember 11 Memorial and Museum

Foundation at the World Trade Center. She has publishedfeature articles for the Wall Street Journal and other publi-cations on a variety of national security issues, includingthe Patriot Act, the National Security Agency’s terrorist

surveillance program, al Qaeda and the Saddam Husseinregime, the 9/11 Commission, aviation security and theGuantanamo detainees. She has testied before the Senateand the U.S. House of Representatives on terrorism-relatedissues and worked with the Center for Security Policy as anadvocate for its Divest Terror program, which lobbied forlegislation banning public pension funds from in investingin foreign companies who do business with terrorist-spon-

soring nations--Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea.Ms. Burlingame has been proled by both the New York

Times and the Wall Street Journal and prefers the term“citizen” over the word “activist” to describe her activities.

Ms. Burlingame was formerly a producer at Court TVwhere she covered dozens of civil and criminal legal pro -

ceedings ranging from the OJ Simpson trial and the Clintonimpeachment hearings to the Microsoft anti-trust case. Shewrote pieces for broadcast on Constitutional appellate cases,consumer law, and legal news and helped launch a docu-

mentary series involving cold criminal cases. Prior to hercareer in television, she was an attorney in New York City.

Jon Caldara

Jon Caldara is the President of the In-

dependence Institute, Colorado’s free-market think tank in Denver, Colorado.He also hosts a radio talk show on 630 KHOW . His current affairs televisionprogram, Devil’s Advocate with Jon Calda-ra, airs on Colorado Public TelevisionChannel 12, Friday nights at 8:30. Calda-

ra also writes about the latest Independence Institute ef -forts at the Cauldron, by Caldara. Jon Caldara started his political career in 1994 whenhe was elected to the Board of Directors of the Regional




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Transportation District, one of the largest governments inColorado. He later became Chairman of that board. Forfour years Caldara was a columnist for the Boulder DailyCamera. He has been a radio broadcaster on 850 KOA and

630 KHOW since 1998. Caldara is a veteran of many political battles, runningcampaigns against tax and debt increases and for freedom- based reforms. On behalf of taxpayers he has fought: the1997 Guide the Ride transit tax increase; 1998 Referen-

dum B, a billion statewide tax increase; 2000 Amendment23, the unfunded spending mandate for K-12 schools;2001 spending on a monorail system; 2005 Colorado’s at-tack on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Referenda C and D;and in 2006 RTD’s Fastracks tax increase. In 2008 he leadthe effort for a ban on deducting union dues from publicpaychecks, Amendment 49. And in 2010 he championedAmendment 63 the Health Care Freedom Act. Among his many recognitions, 5280 Magazine twicenamed him one of the top 10 most inuential men inDenver. Westword awarded Caldara Denver’s Best MediaManipulator. The Denver Post put Caldara on their list ofpeople to watch. The State Policy Network honored himwith the Thomas Roe Award. The Colorado Jaycees namedhim Outstanding Young Coloradoan. Jon’s greatest pride is being father of three amazingchildren; daughter Parker, who died of cancer in 2001,daughter Piper who came along to save him in 2002, andwild-man Chance born in 2004, who despite his Down Syn-

drome, is the frat brother Jon never had.

Amy Oliver Cooke

Amy Oliver Cooke is the ExecutiveVice President and Director of the Ener-gy Policy Center for the IndependenceInstitute, One of nation’s premiere state- based, free market think tanks and lo-

cated in Denver, Colorado. She has beenwith II since 2004.

Amy is also the host of the award win-

ning Amy Oliver Show heard on News Talk 1310 KFKAMonday through Friday from 9 to 11 am. In 2008, the Col -orado Broadcasters Association recognized her with theAward of Excellence for Best News Talk personality in a

major market. She was recognized again in 2011 with theAward of Merit for Best News Talk personality in a majormarket. She has been published in the Daily Caller, Townhall,Denver Post, Pueblo Chieftain, Greeley Tribune, DenverBusiness Journal, Denver Daily News, Liberty Ink Journaland on Save Our States. She has written numerous opinion

editorials, issue papers and issue backgrounders.Amy’s paper, titled “Unabashed Bias,” exposed how the

Denver daily papers campaigned for rather than reportedon Colorado’s largest tax increase and won her “Best Right-

Wing Media Criticism” from the Denver Westword. She earned a degree in magazine journalism in 1985from the prestigious University of Missouri-Columbia.

She also earned a graduate degree in American Historyfrom the University of Northern Colorado.

Amy enjoys living in Weld County, Colorado, withher husband (and the law) Sheriff John Cooke, her threefabulous children, two step children, two grandchildren,dog and cat. She is a member of The Steamboat Institute’sNational Advisory Board.

Congressman Cory Gardner

Congressman Cory Gardner has beena leading conservative voice in Coloradowhere he served in the state legislaturefor ve years prior to being elected toCongress to represent the state’s 4thCongressional District. Always an advocate for limited gov-ernment and lower taxes, Cory is never

one to shy away from tough choices. His rst order of busi-ness after being sworn-in as a member of the United StatesHouse of Representatives was to co-sponsor a balanced budget amendment and vote to cut 5 percent from his con-

gressional ofce budget.Since rst getting elected to Congress in 2010, Cory has

introduced and passed legislation to expand the develop-

ment of the nation’s domestic energy resources, whichhe believes is essential to our national security. He is aprimary advocate for the approval of the Keystone XLpipeline, which will create tens of thousands of high pay-

ing jobs.As a member of Congress, Cory serves on the House

Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdic-

tion ranging over national energy policy to interstate andforeign communications. Cory graduated summa cum laude from Colorado StateUniversity with a bachelor’s degree in political science,moving on to law school at the University of Colorado to

earn his Juris Doctor. Prior to joining the House of Repre-

sentatives, Cory served as General Counsel and Legisla-

tive Director for U.S. Senator Wayne Allard. Cory has alsoworked for the National Corn Growers Association. Cory is a fth-generation Coloradoan with family rootsdating back to 1886. He grew up working in his family’sfarm implement dealership where he did everything from





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sweeping the oors to managing the books and orderinginventory. Cory lives with his wife, Jaime, and their twochildren in Yuma, CO in a house that once belonged to hisgreat-grandparents.

M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D.

M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D. is the Founderand President of the American Islamic Fo-

rum for Democracy (AIFD) and is the au-

thor of A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An

American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save

His Faith (Simon & Schuster, June 2012).On March 20, 2012, Dr. Jasser was ap-

pointed by Senate Minority Leader MitchMcConnell (R-KY) to the United States Commission on Inter-

national Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

A devout Muslim, Dr. Jasser founded AIFD in the wakeof the 9/11 attacks on the United States as an effort to pro-

vide an American Muslim voice advocating for the preser-vation of the founding principles of the United States Con-

stitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation ofmosque and state. Dr. Jasser is a rst generation AmericanMuslim whose parents ed the oppressive Baath regime ofSyria in the mid-1960’s for American freedom. He is lead-

ing the ght to shake the hold that the Muslim Brotherhoodand their network of American Islamist organizations andmosques seek to exert on organized Islam in America. Dr. Jasser earned his medical degree on a U.S. Navyscholarship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1992. Heserved 11 years as a medical ofcer in the U. S. Navy. Heis a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal. Dr. Jasser isa respected physician currently in private practice in Phoe-

nix, Arizona specializing in internal medicine and nuclearcardiology. He is a Past-President of the Arizona MedicalAssociation. Dr. Jasser regularly briefs members of the House andSenate on the threat of Political Islam. He is an interna-

tionally recognized expert in the contest of ideas againstpolitical Islam and American Islamist organizations. Hehas been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington

Times, The New York Post, The Dallas Morning News, CNN,

CBS, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and BBC in addition to na-

tionally syndicated radio programs.

Dr. Jasser was presented with the 2007 Director’s Com-

munity Leadership Award by the Phoenix ofce of the FBIand was recognized as a “Defender of the Home Front” atthe annual Keeper of the Flame Dinner of the Center forSecurity Policy in 2008. Dr. Jasser is a contributing writerto a number of books and is featured in four documentaries America at Risk, Islam v Islamists, A Question of Honor andThe Third Jihad.

David B. Kopel

David B. Kopel is Research Director ofthe Independence Institute, in Denver,

and is an Associate Policy Analyst withthe Cato Institute, in Washington. He isalso an Adjunct Professor of AdvancedConstitutional Law at Denver Universi-ty, Sturm College of Law. In 1999 heserved as an adjunct professor of law at

New York University. He is the author of 16 books, and 85 scholarly articles,on topics such as antitrust, constitutional law, counter-ter-rorism, environmental law, intellectual history, and policepractices. His most recent book is Firearms Law and theSecond Amendment, the rst law school textbook on thesubject.

Kopel was a member of the Supreme Court oral argu -

ment team in District of Columbia v. Heller. His Hellerand McDonald amicus briefs for a coalition of law enforce-

ment organizations were cited by Justices Alito, Breyer,and Stevens. The federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appealshas lauded his scholarship as showing the proper model ofthe “originalist interpretive method as applied to the Sec-

ond Amendment.”He is currently representing 55 Colorado Sheriffs in a

federal civil rights lawsuit against anti-gun bills passed bythe legislature in March 2013. Websites: davekopel.org, kopel.tw (Chinese).

Andrew H. Malcolm

Andrew H. Malcolm writes the Na-

tional Politics column for Investor’s Busi-ness Daily. He is the author of 10 non-ction books, including several best-sellers and two which were madeinto movies.

Andrew has received numerousawards, including: Pulitzer Prize Final-

ist for Editorial Writing (2004); eight Pulitzer nominations;and the George Polk Award for National Reporting (1975),among others. Prior to joining IBD, Andrew was a member of the Ed-

itorial Board of the Los Angeles Times, where he wrotethe nationally acclaimed “Top of the Ticket ” conservativenational politics blog. Andrew was previously with the New York Times in var-ious roles, including Deputy National Editor; Bureau ChiefTokyo, Canada and Chicago; Correspondent in Chicago,San Francisco, Vietnam, Thailand, United Nations andNew York City.





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During the 2000 Presidential Campaign, Andrew servedas Deputy Communications Manager and Press Secretaryto Laura Bush. Andrew earned both his bachelor’s and master’s de-

grees in journalism from Northwestern University. Heand his wife Connie are the proud parents and grandpar -

ents of four children and four grandchildren. Follow An-

drew on Facebook and Twitter: @AHMalcolm

William Perry Pendley President and Chief Operating Officer – Mountain States Legal Foundation

Born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyo-ming, he received B.A. and M.A. degreesin Economics and Political Science fromGeorge Washington University in Wash-

ington, D.C. He was a Captain in theUnited States Marine Corps, after whichhe received his J.D. from the Universityof Wyoming College of Law, where he

was Senior Editor on Land and Water Law Review. Heserved as an attorney to former Senator Clifford P. Hansen(R-Wyoming) and to the House Interior and Insular AffairsCommittee. During the Reagan Administration, he servedas Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy and Minerals ofthe Department of Interior, where he authored PresidentReagan’s National Minerals Policy and Exclusive EconomicZone proclamation. He was a consultant to former Secre -

tary of the Navy John F. Lehman, Jr., and was engaged inthe private practice of law in the Washington, D.C., area before his return to the West in 1989. He has argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States as well asvarious federal courts of appeals; he won what Time calleda “legal earthquake” when the Supreme Court ruled in hisfavor in the historic Adarand (equal protection) case. Hismonthly column, Summary Judgment, appears through-

out the country; he is the author of four books: It Takes A Hero (1994); War on the West (1995); Warriors for theWest (2006); and Sagebrush Rebel (2013). He is admittedto practice law in Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, D.C.,and Virginia.

Bob Schaffer

Bob is the Principal at Liberty Com-

mon High School and The Liberty Com-

mon School’s Junior High – a charterhigh school and junior-high schoolin Fort Collins, Colorado. Bob is theimmediate past Chairman of the Colora-

do State Board of Education, represent-ing Colorado’s Fourth Congressional

District. Bob is Chairman of the Leadership Program of the Rock-

ies, a non-prot corporation providing economic and po-

litical leadership training in Colorado. He is also a Trusteeof Yorktown University. From 1997 until early 2003, Bob represented Colorado’sFourth Congressional District in the United States Houseof Representatives. Upon his retirement from the Con-

gress, Schaffer was awarded the Benemerenti Medal byHis Holiness John Paul II.

Bob left the Congress to honor a voluntary term-limitpledge he had taken when he rst ran. Thereafter he be-came vice-president for business development at a Den-

ver-based energy company where he was involved in a va-

riety of conventional and renewable-energy, mining andeducation projects. He resigned the position to run for aseat in the United States Senate in 2008.

Beginning in 1987, Bob served nine years in the Colo-

rado State Senate, where he was Chairman of the SenateFinance Committee, and Chairman of the State, Veteransand Military Affairs Committee, and Vice-Chairman of the

Senate Education Committee. Having just turned 25 whenhe was sworn in, Bob was the youngest person to serve inthe Colorado State Senate. Bob was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated fromArchbishop Moeller High School and the University ofDayton. He received an honorary doctorate in Manage-

ment from Colorado Technical University. He holds a sec-ond-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Bob and his wife Dr. Maureen Schaffer (electrical en -

gineer) have ve children. Three are soldiers – Jenny isa Lieutenant in the US Army. Her twin sister Emily is aLieutenant in the US Air Force. Justin was recently honor-ably discharged upon completing service in the U.S. Armyas a military intelligence ofcer. The Schaffers are Roman

Catholic and members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish inFort Collins.





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Jim Stergios

Jim Stergios is Executive Director ofPioneer Institute, a Boston-based think

tank founded in 1988. Prior to joiningPioneer, Jim was Chief of Staff and Un-

dersecretary for Policy in the Common-

wealth’s Executive Ofce of Environ-

mental Affairs, where he drove effortson water policy, regulatory and permit

reform, and urban revitalization. His prior experience in-

cludes founding and managing a business, teaching at theuniversity level, and serving as headmaster at a prepara-

tory school. Jim holds a doctoral degree in Political Sciencefrom Boston University. Jim has been interviewed on the BBC and MSNBC, andhas appeared regularly on local television and radio news broadcasts, including Chronicle, WBZ, WHDH, WCVB,NECN, Fox 25, WGBH TV and radio, WBUR’s Radio Boston,WBZ’s Nightside with Dan Rea, WRKO’s Tom & Todd Showand Pundit Review. In addition to writing regular com-

mentary as Boston.com’s education blogger, Jim’s opin-

ion pieces have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times,The Daily Caller, and regional newspapers throughout NewEngland. He has been quoted in hundreds of news outletsacross the country, including in The New York Times, The Economist, and The Washington Post , and speaks at nation-

al policy conferences.

Jamie Weinstein

Jamie Weinstein is Senior Editor ofThe Daily Caller. His work has appearedin The Weekly Standard, the New YorkDaily News and The Washington Exam-

iner, among many other publications.He also worked as the Collegiate Net-work Journalism Fellow at Roll CallNewspaper and is the winner of the 2011

“Funniest Celebrity in Washington” contest. A regular onFox News, Weinstein also appears on other political net -works and shows, including HBO’s Real Time w/ Bill Ma-

her. He is the author of the political satire, “The Lizard

King: The Shocking Inside Account of Obama’s True Interga-lactic Ambitions by an Anonymous White House Staffer.” Weinstein graduated from Cornell University in 2006 andreceived a master’s degree in the history of internationalrelations from the London School of Economicsin 2009.

Greg Zoeller

Greg Zoeller was elected Indiana’s42nd Attorney General November 2008

and sworn into ofce January 12, 2009.Zoeller was reelected to a second term inNovember 2012 and sworn into ofceJanuary 14, 2013. Prior to that, GregZoeller served as the chief deputy AG tohis predecessor, Attorney General Steve

Carter, making him the rst attorney general to haveserved in the AG’s Ofce prior to being elected. A commitment to service marks the career of Attor-ney General Zoeller. With a focus on consumer protec-

tion, Greg has expanded the Do Not Call law to includecell phones, increased the legal protections for teachers inreturning discipline to the classroom and protected home-

owners facing foreclosures. By battling scam artists withproactive investigations, the Attorney General has madeIndiana known as a state that consumer predators wantto avoid. An advocate for the most vulnerable in society, At-torney General Zoeller organizes an annual competitionamong lawyers and law rms called March Against Hun-

ger that raises food donations to support Indiana’s food banks. Greg Zoeller for ten years worked as an executive assis-tant to Dan Quayle – rst in Senator Quayle’s U.S. Senateofce, and then in the Ofce of the Vice President of theUnited States. He also served in other government capaci-ties and was in private practice for 10 years before joining

the AG Carter’s ofce. Having studied as an undergraduate at both PurdueUniversity and Indiana University, Greg holds “dual citi-zenship” as both a Boilermaker and an IU Hoosier. Heearned his law degree from the Indiana University Schoolof Law at Bloomington in 1982. Greg and his wife Kerriehave three children and live in Indianapolis.





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Sheriff John CookeWeld County Sheriff

Sheriff Scott Fischer Jackson County Sheriff

Sheriff Rod JohnsonGrand County Sheriff

Sheriff Justin Smith Larimer County Sheriff

Sheriff Lou VallarioGarfield County Sheriff

Sheriff Garrett Wiggins Routt County Sheriff


Special thanks to the County Sheriffs who participated in the Independence Institute’s panel dis-

cussion on Colorado gun law litigation:




14

The Steamboat Institute’s Board of Directors

Jennifer L. Schubert-Akin —Chairman

Jennifer, along with her husband Rick,

co-founded The Steamboat Institute in2008. She is a 2006 graduate of the Lead-

ership Program of the Rockies. Jenniferis CEO of Marathon Accounting Services,a business she founded in 1999. Jennifer

is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and received herM.B.A. from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Jen-

nifer enjoys trail running with her 4-legged children, Boom-

er and Cruiser, and has completed the last 19 consecutiveBoston Marathons, as well as three Leadville Trail 100-MileRaces.

Rick Akin — Vice Chairman Founding Member, The Akin Law Firm,

LLC, Attorneys and Counselors — Denver, Austin and Steamboat Springs

Jennifer’s husband, Rick, is the ViceChairman and a co-founder of TheSteamboat Institute. He earned a Bach-

elor of Arts in Letters Degree withHighest Honors from the University of Oklahoma and aJuris Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin,where he was a member of Order of the Coif and The Texas LawReview. He is a 2009 Graduate of Leadership Program of theRockies.

Gary Hofmeister — Treasurer

CEO of Hofmeister Personal Jewelers

Prior to entering the jewelry indus-

try, Gary was a professional singer/ac-

tor, salesman and health administrator.Though he says he never had one conser-vative professor all the way through hisundergraduate studies nor his graduate

work at Purdue, he has been an active conservative most ofhis life and was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congressin 1998 for the 10th congressional district. Gary is also a co-founder of the Steamboat Institute.

Anne A. Lowe – Secretary, PharmD

Anne is a Clinical Pharmacist and Anti-coagulation Specialist at Yampa ValleyMedical Center in Steamboat Springs.Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Anneearned a BS in Biology and later a BS inPharmacy, both from the University of

Utah. She later received her Pharmacy Doctorate (PharmD) from the University of Colorado in 2006. Anne and herhusband, Rich, have three grown children and two grand-

kids. Anne claims that becoming a grandma has been her

motivation for involvement with The Steamboat Institute inthe principled ght for liberty. She is a 2013 graduate of theLeadership Program of the Rockies.

Charlie MacArthur

Vice President of Operations,Native Excavating, Inc.

Born and raised on the slopes of Steam-

boat, Charlie has been fortunate enoughto call the Yampa Valley home his wholelife. Despite a four year stint in the Peo-

ple’s Republic of Boulder, CO, Charlie hasalways found the ve pillars of the Steamboat Institute to

hold precedence in his own life. Charlie is an avid cyclist.He and his wife, Becca, are expecting their rst child.

Cheri Carsten

Cheri had a rst career as a Non-Com-

missioned Ofcer in the U.S. Army serv-

ing in Asia, Europe and the U.S. and thenas a civilian with the Department of De-

fense in Germany and Washington DCwith a specialty in Organizational Devel-opment. Cheri holds a degree in psychol-

ogy from the University of Maryland. In her second career,Cheri was a senior Human Resources Management execu-

tive for several large corporations including Prudential anda subsidiary of Air Canada. She is a 2007 Graduate of Leader-ship Program of the Rockies.

Kelly Victory, MS, MD, FACEP

President, Victory Health

Kelly is a board certied trauma andemergency specialist, and an expert indisaster preparedness and the medicalmanagement of mass casualties. Sheholds a BS from Duke University, studiedliterature at Oxford University in Eng-

land, attended the Masters program in Clinical Psychologyat the University of Illinois, and received her Medical De-

gree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Kel -ly is a Contributing Editor for “A Line of Sight,” a public policye-magazine. In her free time, Kely is an avid long distance

runner, hiker and gardener, and enjoys time on the ranchwith her Labrador Retrievers and her horse, Finnegan.




15

• Kelsey Alexander – Kelsey M. Alexander is an UnapologeticCapitalist from Castle Rock, Colorado. Her interests and invest-

ments reect her passions for the Founding Principles. She hasa B.S. from the College of Forestry and Natural Resources at Col-orado State University, as well an numerous advanced degreesfrom the School of Hard Knocks. She is a graduate of the Leader-ship Program of the Rockies.

• Bob Beauprez - Former Colorado Congressman; Editor-in-Chiefof public policy e-magazine “A Line of Sight,” a/k/a “Food for theConservative Soul”; buffalo rancher

• Khristine Brookes - Vice President of Communications - CatoInstitute

• Peter Brookes - Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs -Heritage Foundation

• Lynda Davis, Ph.D. - Nationally recognized adviser to agencies,non-prot organizations, corporations and universities seeking toincrease their “return on involvement” (ROI) through the designand delivery of successful, signicant and sustainable servicesand support to military, veterans and their families (MVF). Advi-sory Board Member of: TAPS, Dole Foundation for Military andVeteran Caregivers, Student Veterans of America, VA’s VeteranCommittee on Rehabilitation, and the Virginia Wounded WarriorProgram. Holds a PhD and MPA in Public Administration andMA in Community/Clinical Psychology

• Bill Friesell – Founding Board Member of Indian River TeaParty (Vero Beach, FL); former CEO of a number of domestic

and international consumer businesses of Citibank/Citigroup,including Diners Club International

• Steve Hofman – Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor; For-mer Guest Scholar at Brookings Institution; Former member ofCouncil on Foreign Relations; Currently, Steve has consultingpractice, advising CEOs on their business strategies, as well aswriting on economic issues for major newspapers and maga -

zines

• Kevin Jackson - author of Sexy Brilliance and Other Political Lies;founder of BlackSphere.net

• Cherlyn Harley LeBon - Co-Chairman of Project 21 NationalAdvisory Board; President and CEO of KLAR Strategies LLC; for-

mer Senior Counsel for U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee

• Rich Lowe - Former President of Xpedx, Inc. (a division of Inter-national Paper Co.); Former Senior Vice President of Internation-

al Paper Co.; Vice President of PowerICE, Inc.; Chairman, BikeTown USA Initiative Committee, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

• Ed MacArthur - President & Founder of Native Excavating Inc.(Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

• Kate Obenshain - Author of Divider-in-Chief: The Fraud of Hopeand Change; regular guest on Fox News, CNBC and radio shows;former Vice President of Young America’s Foundation

• Amy Oliver Cooke – Executive Vice President and Directorof Energy Policy Center - Independence Institute; Host of “TheAmy Oliver Show” airing weekday mornings on 1310-AM KFKA(Greeley-Fort Collins, Colorado)

• Monica Owens - Founder of Owens Public Affairs, a consultingrm located in Denver, specializing in corporate, governmentand political affairs, as well as event planning services for bothpolitical candidates and non-prot organizations

• Hal Scherz, M.D. - Founder of Docs 4 Patient Care; PediatricUrologist in Atlanta

• Ginni Thomas - Special Correspondent for the Daily Caller;Founder of LibertyCentral.org

• Bill Thomson – After practicing law for 40 years, Bill Thomsonsold his interest in the Cheyenne law rm he co-founded andformed Thomson Group LLC, a public affairs and governmentaffairs advocacy organization. He represents both national andlocal entities at the state and local level in Wyoming. He is apast president of many organizations in Wyoming, including theWyoming Taxpayers Association, on whose Board of Directors hecurrently serves. He is a member of the Litigation Board of the

Mountain States Legal Foundation.

• Grace-Marie Turner - Founder, President and Trustee, GalenInstitute, Inc. - public policy research organization, promoting aninformed debate over free-market ideas for health reform

• Evangeline A. Hidalgo, CPA (aka Vangie Vanderhyden) Immi-grated to the United States from the Philippines at age 17 in1976. Worked full-time during the day and went to school atnight. Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administrationin 4 years and graduated from California State University, LongBeach. Certied Public Accountant since 1983. Joined Trans-america Corporation in 1992, advancing to a Vice President andChief Financial Ofcer for the Medicare Division. Administeredthe Medicare Part B for California and Medicare Integrity Pro-

gram for 6 other states. Negotiated with HCFA, now CMS, for theannual contract renewal and budget. Currently retired.

• Michael J. Williams - Founder and President of ALTIUS Finan-

cial, Inc. - Denver, Colorado; Director of “Defenders of Capital-ism” program for Leadership Program of the Rockies.

THE STEAMBOAT INSTITUTE

NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

In memory of Tony Blankley(1948-2012)



970-846-6013PO Box 883037 • Steamboat Springs, CO 80488

2013 freedom conference program

Documents