Mercatus Center Recognizes the Long-Time Leadership of Edwin Meese III and Vernon Smith

ARLINGTON, VA. — The Mercatus Center at George Mason University honors the decades of commitment long-time board members Edwin Meese III and Vernon Smith have given to the organization by recognizing each of them as Board Member Emeritus. Mr. Meese joined the Center’s board in 2005, and Dr. Smith joined in 2001.

Mr. Meese served as the seventy-fifth attorney general of the United States under President Ronald Reagan. After his government service, Mr. Meese joined the Heritage Foundation as a policy chair. Prior to joining the Mercatus Center’s board, Mr. Meese served two terms as a member of George Mason University’s Board of Visitors, including six years as the rector. In 2019, Mr. Meese was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“When I stepped into the Executive Director role a little over a year ago, Mr. Meese was incredibly welcoming and immediately offered his support,” said Ben Klutsey. “Mr. Meese’s experience and wisdom have helped to shape Mercatus for twenty years, and I am deeply grateful for his commitment and service.”

Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith is a professor at Chapman University, where he founded the Economic Science Institute. Previously, Dr. Smith was a professor of economics and law at George Mason University from 2001-2008, and a professor of economics at the University of Arizona from 1975-2001. In 2002, Dr. Smith was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work in experimental economics. 

“I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with Vernon not only in his role as a Mercatus board member, but first as a colleague at George Mason,” said Tyler Cowen, Faculty Director of the Mercatus Center. “His research advanced the field of economics, while his work as a professor made economics more accessible for generations of students.”

For more information about the Mercatus Center and its leadership, please visit Mercatus.org.