About The Free Enterprise Project
Launched in 2007, the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project (FEP) is the original and premier opponent of the woke takeover of American corporate life and defender of true capitalism.
FEP files shareholder resolutions, engages corporate CEOs and board members, submits public comments, engages state and federal leaders, crafts legislation, files lawsuits and directs media campaigns to push corporations to respect their fiduciary obligations and to stay out of political and social engineering.
MEDIA CONTACTS
JUDY KENT
DIRECTOR, MEDIA RELATIONS
703-477-7476 – Email
JACKIE JONES
MEDIA RELATIONS CONSULTANT
316-644-9538 – Email
DAN FAORO
DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS
202-379-8125 – Email
Free Enterprise Project Staff
Scott Shepard
Scott Shepard
Scott Shepard is a fellow at the National Center as well as the director of the National Center’s Free Enterprise Project.
Scott has taught at law schools including the Wake Forest School of Law in North Carolina and the Willamette University College of Law in Oregon. He is the author of the legal textbook Wills, Trusts and Estates in Context.
He previously served as a policy director with the Yankee Institute in Connecticut and the manager of the Water Law Project at the Pacific Legal Foundation. He also has experience in government and private practice.
Scott earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond.
Sarah Rehberg
Sarah Rehberg
Sarah Rehberg is the Deputy Director of the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project.
She most recently held several leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security including serving as an Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security in the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans. She also served as a Counselor to the Deputy Secretary.
Prior to joining the Executive Branch, Sarah worked as an attorney at a non-profit legal organization, and has experience leading federal, state, and local legislative and regulatory teams in the non-profit sector. She also has experience on Capitol Hill, having previously worked as a Legislative Assistant and Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She received her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, where she focused in Public Law and Policy and spent time in both the California Attorney General’s Office and the Governor’s Office of Legal Affairs. She received her B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan in Political Science.
Stefan Padfield
Stefan Padfield
Stefan Padfield is an associate at the National Center’s Free Enterprise Project.
Prior to joining FEP, Stefan spent over 15 years teaching law at the University of Akron School of Law, publishing over 15 law review articles and a book chapter. He co-authored a two-volume mini-treatise on the history of economic thought and contributed to the Business Law Prof Blog.
Stefan previously worked in private practice at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP, and clerked for two federal court judges. Stefan originally emigrated to the U.S. as a child, later becoming a U.S. citizen and serving 6 years in the U.S. Army.
Stefan earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University.
FEP’s Top 10 Victories of 2021
FEP’s Top 10 Victories of 2020
FEP's questioning of Boeing's and General Electric's support for the Clinton Foundation helped trigger an FBI investigation into the Foundation's activities.
FEP's Employee Conscience Protection Project strengthened protections for the political beliefs and activities of over five million workers at 13 major U.S. corporations.
Just days after FEP's questioning of Disney CEO Bob Iger over biased commentary at Disney-owned ESPN generated significant media, including coverage by The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, USA Today, and Fox Business, ESPN issued new guidelines for political commentary by its on-air talent.
After Danhof questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the company's anti-conservative bias in its news feeds, the company changed its policy by removing humans in place of a more neutral algorithm.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes vowed to earn our trust after being chastised by FEP over CNN's proclivity for media bias and fake news. He promised to recommit to independence. Two weeks later, CNN fired three reporters involved in a false report about Anthony Scaramucci.
CNBC's Jim Cramer, Investor's Business Daily, and Motley Fool all questioned the wisdom of continued investment in Apple after CEO Tim Cook announced at an annual meeting that he didn't care about ``bloody ROI (return on investment).`` His statement came in response to questioning by our FEP over the company's support for regulation.
FEP personnel have been repeatedly ushered into private meetings with CEOs of some of the largest corporations in the world, such as PepsiCo.
After FEP appealed directly to then-CEO Alan Mulally to withdraw Ford from the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a group that lobbies for stringent greenhouse gas regulations, Ford dropped its membership.
After FEP filed a shareholder proposal with General Electric over the company's foray into alternative energy programs, the company agreed to amend its corporate policies to only engage in green energy initiatives if the executives could identify a legitimate business purpose.
Under pressure from FEP, Google dropped its ``Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal`` campaign and also eliminated its ``green czar`` position.
Published Commentaries
