{{Infobox institute |name = Ethan Allen Institute |image = |image_size = |image_alt = |caption = |latin_name = |motto = |founder = John McClaughry |established = 1993 |mission = |focus = |president = |chairman = Jack MacMullen |head_label = President |head = |faculty = |adjunct_faculty = |staff = |key_people = |budget =Revenue: $287,000<br />Expenses: $368,000<br />(FYE December 2023)<ref>{{cite web |title=Ethan Allen Institute - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/223092292 |website=ProPublica |access-date=10 June 2025 |language=en |date=9 May 2013}}</ref> |endowment = |debt = |num_members = |subsidiaries = |owner = |non-profit_slogan = |former_name = |location = |city = |state = |country = |coor = {{Coord|44.4997|-71.9102|display=inline,title}}<!--Coords based on address from EDIRC link: --> |address = 4836 Kirby Mountain Rd.<br />Concord, VT 05824 |website = {{official URL}} |footnotes = }} '''Ethan Allen Institute''' ('''EAI'''), founded in 1993, is a public policy research and education organization in Vermont focused on free-market solutions.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hallenbeck|first1=Terri|title=Roper to head Ethan Allen Institute|url=http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com/politics/2012/12/03/roper-to-head-ethan-allen-institute/|accessdate=9 March 2015|publisher=Burlington Free Press|date=December 3, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150310013212/http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com/politics/2012/12/03/roper-to-head-ethan-allen-institute/|archive-date=10 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Albright|first1=Charlotte|title=Education Report Spurs Debate|url=http://digital.vpr.net/post/education-report-spurs-debate|accessdate=9 March 2015|publisher=Vermont Public Radio|date=December 16, 2013}}</ref> It is named after the 18th-century Vermont military leader Ethan Allen.
==Mission== The organization's stated mission is to "influence public policy in Vermont by helping its people to better understand and put into practice the fundamentals of a free society: individual liberty, private property, competitive free enterprise, limited government, strong local communities, personal responsibility, and expanded opportunity for human endeavor."<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://ethanallen.org/about/|publisher=Ethan Allen Institute|accessdate=9 March 2015}}</ref>
==History==
EAI was founded in 1993 by John McClaughry. He served as president from 1993 to 2009, and as acting president in 2010. Currently he is EAI's vice president.<ref>{{cite web |title=Staff and Directors |url=http://www.ethanallen.org/html/staff___directors.html |publisher=Ethan Allen Institute |accessdate=9 March 2015 |archive-date=8 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108051753/http://www.ethanallen.org/html/staff___directors.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Educated as a physicist and nuclear engineer, McClaughry served as a senior policy advisor in Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign of 1980, and subsequently in the White House Office of Policy Development until March 1982. He also served in the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont State Senate. In 1992, he was the Republican candidate for Governor, ultimately losing to incumbent Democrat Howard Dean.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Van Susteren|first1=Dick|title=In This State: A thing or two you might not know about John McClaughry|url=http://vtdigger.org/2013/11/24/thing-two-might-know-john-mcclaughry/|accessdate=9 March 2015|agency=Vermont Journalism Trust|publisher=VTDigger.org|date=November 24, 2013}}</ref>
EAI is governed by a ten-member Board of Directors.
In 2022, Meg Hansen became president. She left in early 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.benningtonbanner.com/local-news/ethan-allen-institute-names-meg-hansen-new-president/article_d4389b12-9b20-11ec-926e-cf64cdb90136.html|title = Ethan Allen Institute names Meg Hansen new president}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vermontbiz.com/news/2022/march/04/ethan-allen-institute-names-meg-hansen-new-president|title = Ethan Allen Institute names Meg Hansen new president | Vermont Business Magazine}}</ref>
Myers Mermel became president in 2023. He was removed from the position by the board after serving 10 months.<ref>https://www.manchesterjournal.com/community-news/ethan-allen-institute-president-meg-hansen-announces-departure/article_f85100ea-978a-11ed-a9fa-234bb07ff1e2.html?wallit_nosession=1</ref>
On September 6, 2023, the State Policy Network suspended its affiliation with the institute.<ref>https://vtdigger.org/2023/10/04/sacked-as-president-of-the-conservative-ethan-allen-institute-meyers-mermel-alleges-retaliation-questions-finances/</ref>
==Activities== EAI sponsors policy discussions, round tables and debates; hosts an annual Jefferson Day event each April; and issues a number of publications including a monthly digital newsletter and quarterly print newsletter. Commentaries and policy analyses written by the EAI team are published by most Vermont newspapers and several broadcast outlets.
Current concerns are the state's demographic and fiscal future, economic and business climate, education, health care, energy, transportation, property rights, and constitutionalism. In cooperation with the liberal Public Assets Institute, EAI in 2009 created a Vermont transparency web site to bring information and data about Vermont state government to interested citizens.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kinzel|first1=Bob|title=State government 'transparency' website is launched|url=http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/85315/state-government-transparency-website-launched/|accessdate=9 March 2015|publisher=Vermont Public Radio|date=July 7, 2009}}</ref>
In 2010, EAI launched an Energy Education Project to help Vermonters understand the economics of energy choices.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bradley|first1=Pat|title=Vermont Yankee To Shut Down Permanently On Monday|url=http://wamc.org/post/vermont-yankee-shut-down-permanently-monday|accessdate=9 March 2015|publisher=WAMC|date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> EAI also sponsors Common Sense Radio, a weekday talk show program that airs on WDEV.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rob Roper named president of Ethan Allen Institute|url=http://vtdigger.org/2012/12/02/rob-roper-named-president-of-ethan-allen-institute/|accessdate=9 March 2015|agency=Vermont Journalism Trust|publisher=VTDigger.com|date=December 2, 2012}}</ref>
== References == {{Portal|Libertarianism|Conservatism}} {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official website}} * [https://edirc.repec.org/data/allenus.html EDIRC listing] (provided by RePEc)
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Category:Political and economic think tanks in the United States Category:American organizations established in 1993 Category:Organizations based in Vermont