Meet the Team
Our Principals
Steve Forbes
Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media
In both 1996 and 2000, Mr. Forbes campaigned vigorously for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. Key to his platform were a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system for working Americans, parental choice of schools for their children, term limits, and a strong national defense.
Dr. Arthur B. Laffer
Founder & Chairman of Laffer Associates
Dr. Laffer was a member of President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board for both of his two terms. Dr. Laffer also advised Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on fiscal policy in the U.K. during the 1980s. He has been a faculty member at the University of Chicago, University of Southern California, and Pepperdine University. Dr. Laffer received a B.A. in economics from Yale University in 1963. He received a MBA and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in 1965 and 1972 respectively.
Steve Moore
Club 4 Growth Founder, Heritage Economist, Wall Street Journal Writer
Distinguished Visiting Fellow for the Heritage Foundation’s “Project for Economic Growth”, and the author of “Who’s the Fairest of Them All?: The Truth about Opportunity, Taxes, and Wealth in America”. Stephen Moore, who formerly wrote on the economy and public policy for The Wall Street Journal, is the Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth, at The Heritage Foundation. Moore, who also was a member of The Journal’s editorial board, returned to Heritage in January 2014—about 25 years after his tenure as the leading conservative think tank’s Grover M. Hermann Fellow in Budgetary Affairs from 1984 to 1987. He was a senior economist under Dick Armey’s Joint Economic Committee, and he played a large role in the creation of the FairTax proposal.
Phil Kerpen
President of American Commitment
Nationally syndicated columnist, chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition, and author of the 2011 book Democracy Denied. American Commitment is dedicated to restoring and protecting America’s core commitment to free markets, economic growth, Constitutionally-limited government, property rights, and individual freedom.
Our Staff
Tim Doescher
Executive Director
As Executive Director at UP, Tim keeps the trains running on time, and ensures that the vision of the Principals is made a reality. He has a deep understanding and diverse view of the policy and political landscape in DC and around the country. Before CTUP, Tim served as an appointee in the George W. Bush White House, a representative in the Governor’s office in Ohio, worked on three presidential campaigns, and spent over seven years at the Heritage Foundation. He is also the former co-host of the highly-rated Heritage Explains podcast, and has been published in and appeared on several national news outlets. Tim was born in Detroit, MI and grew up in the surrounding suburbs. He earned a BS in Political Science and Journalism at Central Michigan University, and earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. He resides in Northern Virginia with his wife Tiana.
Jackson Avery
Special Assistant
Before Unleash Prosperity, Jackson worked as the Political Director for the Culipher for Fairfax County Clerk campaign and as an International Fellow for the Tholos Foundation, writing about the importance of free trade and intellectual property rights. In his current role as special assistant to economist Steve Moore, he assists with managing Steve Moore’s schedule, coordinating with staff, and assisting with the general daily operations of Unleash Prosperity.
Zach Laba
Outreach Coordinator
As Outreach Coordinator, Zach initiates contact with potential partner organizations outside of the DC bubble and engages our grassroots and activist audience through events, webinars, and email. Before joining the Unleash Prosperity team Zach worked as the Deputy Director of Programs for FreedomWorks, and prior to that as a Regional Field Manager for the 2021 Glenn Youngkin Campaign and a IE Coordinator at the Congressional Leadership Fund. He received a BA from George Washington University in Political Science with a Public Policy Concentration, graduating right into the 2020 COVID pandemic. His policy interests include school choice, education reform, fiscal responsibility, and tax reform.
Wendell Cox
Senior Research Fellow
Wendell Cox is a senior fellow at Unleash Prosperity and principal of Demographia (St. Louis, MO-IL). He specializes in demographics, urban policy and transportation. He was appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which oversaw highway and transit policy for the nation’s most populous county. Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich appointed him to the Amtrak Reform Council.
Tomas Philipson
Senior Research Fellow
Philipson served from 2017-2020 within The White House as a Member, Vice Chairman, and Acting Chairman of The President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Additionally, he served as a health care advisor on several U.S. Presidential campaigns, was a scientific advisor to the House of Representatives 21st Century Cures and The Biden Cancer Initiative, appointed to the Key Indicator Commission of US Congress. In 2003-2004, he worked as a full-time senior economic advisor to the heads of the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Honorary Chairmen
MARGO AND JOHN CATSIMATIDIS
Economic Advisory Council
David L. Bahnsen
Ralph Benko
Ken Blackwell
Richard Breeden
John Catsimatidis, Jr.
Veronique de Rugy
Steve Elieff
Peter Ferrara
Harold Hamm
Roger Hertog
James Kemp
Dr. Edwin Feulner, Jr.
Cesar Conda
Louis Woodhill
Lewis E. Lehrman
Rich Lowry
Adele Malpass
Betsy McCaughey
Dan Mitchell
Georgette Mosbacher
Liz Peek
Andrew F. Puzder
Dr. Richard Rahn
Avik Roy
Rex Sinquefield
David Webb
Judy Shelton