2008 Camp Staff -- Master List of Discussion Leaders, Organizers, and Special Guests
Doug Casey
Doug is another American who doesn't stay at home for long! He has lived in seven countries, and visited over 150; in fact, one of his early publishing successes was a book about living and investing outside the US, The International Man (1976).
For over thirty years, Doug has explored the world of international real estate and other investments, making hundreds of radio and television appearances, hosting and speaking at seminars, writing frequent articles and newsletters, and publishing best-selling books such as Crisis Investing (1979), Strategic Investing (1982), and Crisis Investing for the Rest of the Nineties (1993). He currently runs Casey Research, LLC, which publishes many newsletters and web sites aimed at high net worth investors in resource development and international real estate. See also...
Doug graduated from Georgetown University (Washington, DC), and has served on the board of several colleges and foundations. In 1981, he founded the Eris Society, whose annual seminars attract dozens of leading classical liberal thinkers from around the world to engage in lively debate on eclectic topics in arts, science, technology, finance, and medicine.
Non-financial activities Doug enjoys pursuing include skydiving, martial arts, scuba, auto racing, and competitive shooting.
Radovan Durana
Rado is from the Žilina area in Slovakia. After completing his studies at the Faculty of Management at Komensky University in Bratislava, he worked as a credit risk analyst for a commercial bank. He currently works as an analyst at the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS), a non-profit that he co-founded in 2006 in Bratislava. INESS specializes in studies on public finance, taxes, labor issues, and the energy sector.
When Rado is not writing policy papers or speaking at international conferences, he enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, and exotic adventures in the Amazon rain forest.
To make this camp a great success, Rado has worked tirelessly to organize the accommodations, finances, equipment, and student recruitment.
Glenn Cripe
Glenn has lived and worked (software development, consulting, and training) in over 10 cities in the U.S. and overseas, including Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Richmond, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Padova, and Sydney. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, where he registered LLI in May of 2005 as a non-profit corporation.
During the months between camps, Glenn works to find teachers and funding, expand our network, and publicize the camp, by attending and speaking at conferences and seminars around the world. Glenn's special contribution is his knowledge of computer systems, web site work, and development of training programs. During the camp, Glenn will assist the other teachers as needed, making sure that classes run smoothly and reviewing each day's results in a brief staff meeting.
When he is not planning interesting training programs in faraway places, Glenn enjoys playing classical music and show tunes on the piano, especially when he can accompany singers and other instrumentalists.
A special adventure for Glenn was helping to translate and publish the works of Ayn Rand in Russian, and to track down the places where she lived. Click here to see photos of the books and the locations.
Jacek Spendel
Jacek is a student at the University of Silesia in Katowice. He started his
political activity at the age of eighteen with the conservative-libertarian KoLiber Association. Now he is the leader of KoLiber in Upper Silesia.
Jacek also works at the Foundation Globalization Institute, a Polish think-tank established to promote free-market ideas in society and to educate citizens about the benefits of voluntary cooperation and economic liberty.
For relaxation, Jacek enjoys bike travels throughout Europe and discovering new cuisines.
Nick Cowen
Nick recently completed his degree in Philosophy, with honors, from University College London, specializing in the philosophy of John Locke and Robert Nozick. In addition to his studies, he took an active part in departmental committees and student publications. Other student activities included chairing the debating society, directing and managing stage plays, and tutoring children in math and English.
Currently Nick lives in London, and works as a research assistant at Civitas, a free-market think-tank, where he researches and writes on school choice and general education policy.
Other projects and interests of Nick's include web site development and marketing, internet culture, chess, and foreign languages (Latin, Greek, French).
Achim Dörfer
Achim practices law in Göttingen, Germany. His firm specializes in trade cases in eastern Europe, and he travels there frequently.
Achim is also active in the liberal immigration association LTD, where he is a director.
Andy Eyschen
Andy is a management consultant from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, an Australian citizen, originally from Luxembourg. Andy's special contribution to LLI and the English camp is his broad experience with consulting, organizational development, and training programs.
During the camp, Andy will teach classes about entrepreneurship.
Christian Michel
Christian lives in London, where he advises several non-profit organisations, and gives frequent lectures and seminars. He spent many years living and studying in Paris, then in the 1980's, he started a trust and corporate financial services company in Geneva. The company grew rapidly by offering protection to individuals worldwide against unfair taxation and bureaucratic encroachments. He eventually sold his company, and left Geneva for London.
Christian is a board member and president of Libertarian International, a director of ISIL, and a committee member of the Libertarian Alliance. He speaks frequently at libertarian conferences around the world, and has written many books and articles, with titles such as
- La Liberté, deux ou trois choses que je sais d'elle
- Restitution: Justice in a Stateless Society
- The Class Struggle Is Not Over
- Capitalism and the Wisdom of the Elders
- The End of the Warrior
Ken Schoolland
Ken is currently an Associate Professor of Economics and Political Science at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Individual Liberty, a Sam Walton Fellow for Students in Free Enterprise, a member of the Board of Scholars for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. He has authored two books --
- The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible: A Free Market Odyssey (now published in 40 languages)
- Shogun's Ghost: The Dark Side of Japanese Education (in two languages)
Li Schoolland
Li is a teacher of high-school Chinese, Japanese, and History in Honolulu. She is also very active in the local libertarian party, and with youth groups at her church. Li and her family have participated in many previous camps. Their good energy and experience will help ensure that we have yet another successful English camp.
Kenli Schoolland
Kenli is finishing high school this year in Honolulu. After she graduates, she hopes to join us at one or more English camps. In the fall, she will begin her university studies in London, England.
Kenli has actively participated in the Lithuania camp for many years, and has led discussion groups at least twice. She has also attended and taught at other libertarian camps in Turkey, Georgia, and the Czech Republic.
Ahmed Mehdi
Ahmed lives in the London area, where he is pursuing advanced studies in Modern History at St. Antony's College, Oxford.
In addition to these studies, Ahmed is a Research Fellow at the British School of Archeology in Iraq, a subsidiary of the British Academy that publishes books on Iraqi history and contemporary events in the Middle East. Ahmed is currently editing a book entitled Languages of Iraq, and compiling a new journal entitled Contemporary Iraqi Studies.
Ahmed has also worked on numerous research projects in health care budgeting systems, political developments in central Asia, and Russian energy security for such organizations as the Social Market Foundation, the BBC Russian and Pashto services, and the Stockholm Network.
In his free time, Ahmed plays chess and badminton, investigates the political thought of Isaiah Berlin, and enjoys debating and writing.
Jeff Crawford
Born in Texas, Jeff completed his studies (with honors) in psychology and human relations at Austin College, and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He currently lives in Honolulu, where he has established his own business coaching individuals in developing their leadership skills and forming (or joining) effective teams. His company also provides guidance on conflict resolution and career management.
Lecturing part-time, Jeff has taught university level courses, both online and in person, in personality theories and disorders, critical thinking, the psychology of motivation, business ethics and professional responsibility, and managing change.
Jeff has recently started a new project to provide regular reviews of entrepreneurs’ business plans and evaluate their attractiveness to potential investors.
Along with Jeff, we can look forward to meeting his wife, Katy, and their young daughter, Sarah.
Remigijus Šimašius
Dr. Šimašius has been with the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) since 1995, and its president since May 2006, having also served as vice president and head of the team of LFMI's analysts. He holds a PhD in law from the Law University of Lithuania.
Remigijus's areas of expertise include energy, general economics, competition and privatization policy, educational reform and the regulation of the non-governmental sector, tax policy and state finances issues. Read more...
Lobo Tiggre
Lobo is currently Senior Editor/Analyst for Casey Research, LLC, an investment publication company led by the legendary libertarian investment guru, Doug Casey. He is also a director of the International Society for Individual Liberty.
Previously, Lobo was President of the Henry Hazlitt Foundation, and Director of Development for the Center for Market Processes (now called The Mercatus Center).
As a long-time pro-freedom activist, Lobo's history also includes working on guerilla education efforts such as Bureaucrash and on the Liberty Round Table.
Virgis Daukas
Virgis is a co-founder of the Liberty English Camps in Lithuania in 1997, and a founder of The Language of Liberty Institute.
Virgis is responsible for organizing the Lithuania camp, including handling the logistics, finances, guest speakers, selection and registration of Lithuanian students, and being the liaison to other local groups that offer us support, such as the Lithuanian Free Market Institute, and the International Republican Institute.
Neil Lock
Neil is a software development consultant, based in England. He earned his degree in mathematics.
He attended ISIL conferences regularly for many years, and he edits the Libertarian International website. Last year, he won the Libertarian Alliance’s Chris Tame Memorial Prize for an essay, “Does Britain Need a Libertarian Party?”
Neil enjoys sports (though he no longer actively plays cricket and field hockey), walking, and playing in a brass band, for which he also arranges and composes pieces.
Stephen Browne
Steve is currently a PhD student in journalism, living in North Dakota, USA. He recently spent over a decade teaching English to high school and university students in Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Saudi Arabia. Steve especially enjoys relating the English of today to the English of the past, by exploring the works of Shakespeare, Kipling, Thomas Jefferson, and Tom Paine (among many others). He eagerly and ably shares his own passion and understanding of the beauty of the language by reciting, singing, and otherwise bringing to life the works he loves, whenever possible.
Steve also contributes extensive knowledge of the how and why of teaching English as a second/foreign/international language.
Steve writes weekly columns for The Atlasphere, and maintains a blog at Rants and Raves.
You can send email to Steve at
Visit the web site of Jaroslav's NGO, the Mises Scientific Research Center, where you can read more about his activities and publications.
Kofi's mission is to impart classical liberal philosophy to young people in Africa. He is a board member and President of the Africa Youth Peace Call, an NGO based in Accra, devoted to the principles of individual liberty, secure private property rights, free markets, the rule of law, limited government, and government non-interference in the economy.
An avid entrepreneur and a farmer, Kofi relishes self-employment and is allergic to bureaucratic emnployment. He also loves football, reading, and working with the youth.
In previous projects, Mats was
Steve is a co-founder of the Liberty English Camps in Lithuania in 1997, and a founder of the Language of Liberty Institute.
Jaroslav Romanchuk
In addition to teaching at the English camp for several years, Jaroslav has been the primary organizer of the students from Belarus and Ukraine. During the year, he meets with them, invites them to discussion groups, invites some to the camp, arranges transportation to Vilnius, and brings them all to the camp. In his classes, he delights in exploring the humor, ambiguity, and richness of the English language by sharing stories full of puns, misspellings, homonyms, palindromes, and other word plays with students and teachers alike.
Kofi Akosah
Kofi is a journalist by profession and a youth activist since 1997. A former socialist, he was one of Ghana's two delegates to the first ever African Youth Parliament in 2003, and the ultimate winner of the Mont Pelerin Society Essay Competition 2007 for Africans under age thirty.
Mats Walus
A "heart and soul anarchist", whose motto is "Life is Good!", Mats is an entrepreneur, currently living in Stockholm. From there, he manages several projects involving mergers / acquisitions of high-tech companies around the world.
Alexander Novakovic
Alexander is from Belgrade, Serbia. After completing his undergradute studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, he earned an MA in political sciences and an MA in philosophy. Currently, Alexander is a researcher at the Institute for Political Studies and also an editor of Katalaksija, the first libertarian internet magazine in Serbia.
Alexander (Saša) has published many articles and reviews from political theory and philosophy, and is currently co-writing a book on individual freedom.
Tanja Štumberger
Tanja is a genuine and passionate fighter for liberty. Far from her native Slovenia, she is a research associate at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, DC, where she strives to make a valuable contribution to the libertarian movement. She is also actively involved with The Fund for American Studies.
Tanja earned a BA in Economics from the Faculty of Economic and Business in Maribor, Slovenia, and an MA in American Political Science from the Faculty of Social Science in Ljubljana. She continued her education with graduate studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Tanja is the driving force behind the Liberty Camp in Slovenia.
Ivan Jankovic
Ivan Jankovic earned a degree in philosophy at the University of Belgrade, where he is currently pursuing M.Phil studies in economics . He has published numerous academic papers in Serbian and other foreign science journals. His research topics include political philosophy, economic theory (especially Austrian economics and public choice), and liberalism.
Ivan is the editor of the web magazine Katalaksija. He has coauthored the libertarian economic programme of the Serbian LDP party, and often speaks to the media about economic issues.
Stefan Metzeler
A graduate of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, where he lives, Stefan has worked on many development and consulting projects in the IT industry. His application expertise includes medical emergency services, private banking, expert systems, encryption key distribution, and pylon placement.
Stefan speaks six human languages and even more computer languages. For an extra challenge, he developed his own, new programming language along with tools for creating, testing, and managing applications. He is founder and owner of Amadeus IT Solutions, which develops and sells private banking applications using his proprietary language.
For many years, Stefan has been an active member of ISIL, and their Swiss representative.
Mary Lou Gutscher
Mary Lou, who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a successful entrepreneur, writer, public speaker, and coach of entrepreneurs. She has owned and operated several marketing businesses, including a business-to-business telemarketing firm and a client newsletter publishing company, and is well-known for her communication and problem-solving abilities. She has addressed many audiences as a keynote speaker and as a workshop leader. She has also written and published many articles on how to build a solid base of clients, members, and donors.
In addition to her professional activities, Mary Lou was a primary organizer and Chair of ISIL World Conferences in many places, including Athens, Berlin, Rome, Dax (France), San Jose (Costa Rica), Puerto Vallarta, Vilnius, British Columbia, and Ontario.
Erin Wildermuth
Erin worked for two years as the Video Production Coordinator at Bureaucrash, the Freedom Activist Network in Washington, DC.
She has made many short films that have been shown at the Anacostia Smithsonian, the American Film Renaissance Festival, and American University's Visions Festival, where her documentary won the Shrivastava Award.
At the camp, Erin will be the Media Coordinator, and will make video and audio recordings of our activities for promotional and fund-raising purposes.
Matej Kovac
Matej, a physics graduate from University of Ljubljana, is currently the managing director for foreign markets for the Slovenian legal online publisher IUS Software. He also writes bi-weekly columns for the Slovenian business daily Finance. Previously, he worked for many years in trade and investment promotion, and as a World Bank resident consultant in Serbia.
In his social and business life, Matej strives to reconcile his conservative convictions with his admiration of classical liberalism and the demands of the market. Together with Ljubo Sirc and Bernard Bršcic, he established the Enterprise Institute, a think-tank in Kranj, Slovenia.
Matej lives in Ljubljana with his wife Mojca and their three children.
Bernard Bršcic
Bernard teaches economics at the University of Ljubljana. He earned masters degrees from both the University of Ljubljana and the London School of Economics and Political Science. The PhD dissertation he is currently writing examines the relationship between Austrian and New-institutional economics.
Bernard also enjoys researching the history of economic thought, political economics, economic philosophy, and the intellectual history of liberalism. Together with Ljubo Sirc and Matej Kovac, he founded Ustanova za podjetništvo – Enterprise Institute.
Primož Kocuvan
Primož is active in Special Solutions, entrepreneurship, and start-up support. Over 15 years, he has acquired a significant amount of skills and experience in media, capital markets and equity. For the Liberty Camp, he is handling logistics and communication with the participants.
Primož is one of the founders of the Libertarni Klub, an association of free thinkers in Slovenia.