The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is pleased to announce the addition of eight new members to its Board of Scholars. This group is made up of 53 college professors, business leaders and other experts who support and contribute to the Center’s mission. They help us improve the quality of life in Michigan with high-quality, public policy research that promotes the benefits of free markets, limited government and the rule of law.

Here are brief biographies of the new members:

Warren Anderson is associate professor of economics at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He teaches U.S. and European economic history, money and banking, and macroeconomics. The Center published a couple of his articles about the impacts of licensing laws earlier this year. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University.

Sutirtha Bagchi is associate professor of economics at Villanova University. He earned his Ph.D. in business economics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He has a diverse set of research interests spanning state and local public finance, political economy, tax administration, regulation and wealth inequality. He recently collaborated with the Center on research related to public sector unionization.

Hannah Kling is assistant professor of economics and data analytics at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. Kling is a former intern and employee of the Mackinac Center, having worked here before she pursued her graduate studies. She wrote "How to Make Michigan Grow" in 2023 for the Center. Kling summarized what the economic research says about why some states grow faster than others.

Thomas Krannawitter is president of Speakeasy Ideas and a principal instructor for the Leadership Program of the Rockies. He was formerly director of academic programs and vice president at the Claremont Institute. He has taught at Hillsdale College and elsewhere. He has authored three books and writes on Substack at Zetetic Questions for the Zeitgeist.

Timothy G. Nash is vice president emeritus at Northwood University and director of the university’s McNair Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. He recently co-authored “Grading the Grid: A national energy report card” with Mackinac Center energy expert Jason Hayes, which the Center published earlier this year.

Alex Tokarev is associate professor of economics at Northwood University. He serves as the faculty advisor to Northwood’s annual Freedom Week and is a speaker for the Free Market Road Show. Originally from Bulgaria, his teaching interests include classical liberal philosophy, the history of economic thought, and Austrian economic theory.

Meg Tuszynski is the assistant director and research assistant professor at the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom, housed at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. She earned her Ph.D. and master’s in economics and a dual bachelor’s in philosophy and economics from George Mason University. Her research interests include Austrian economics, public choice, new institutional economics, and political economy. She recently presented on the importance of economic freedom at a pair of policy forums hosted by the Center this summer.

Tyler Watts is a professor of economics at Ferris State University. He worked in the construction and financial industries before earning his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. His research interests include monetary policy and economic history. He is also a master at using Microsoft Excel to teach economics students.

The Center is pleased to welcome these eight new members to our Board of Scholars. They have already contributed to the Center’s work, and we look forward to working with them on even more projects.

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