Monday, June 25, 2012

John Allison to Lead the Cato Institute

John Allison, the former CEO of BB&T and a professor in the Wake Forest University Schools of Business, will become the CEO of the Cato Institute in September. It makes sense that he would be tapped to lead one of the nation's most prominent Libertarian think tanks. Below are highlights from the release:

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The Cato Institute and its shareholders have reached an agreement in principle that would resolve pending lawsuits filed by Charles Koch and David Koch against Cato, its CEO, and several of its directors.

Under terms of the agreement, Cato will no longer be a stockholder corporation and John Allison (the former CEO of BB&T) will be replacing Ed Crane, who will be retiring as Cato's CEO. That represents a compromise by which both sides will achieve key objectives.

The Cato Institute will be governed by members rather than shareholders. The members will be the directors of the Institute and will elect their own successors. Initially, the Board will include 12 long-term Cato directors, including David Koch. They will be joined by three other Koch designees and Allison, who has the option to nominate one or two additional directors. Charles Koch, Crane, and Washburn will not be on the Board.

Crane, who co-founded the Institute with Charles Koch and served as its CEO for 35 years, will retire within six months. He will be succeeded by Allison, an expert on political philosophy and public policy and a revered libertarian, admired and respected by the Kochs and the Cato Board. Crane will work with Allison during the transition period and then serve as a consultant on fundraising and other matters.

Allison said he was "happy to assist in resolving the pending litigation and related issues," and affirmed that his goal is "to sustain Cato's efforts at moving the country toward a freer and more prosperous society."

Here is audio of an interview Allison recently did with the Cato Institute:

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