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About Us


People behind fraseramerica.org

 Senior Research Staff 

Alan Dowd, Senior Fellow and Senior Editor, fraseramerica.org
Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, conducting research into defense and security, and the Senior Editor of fraseramerica.org. He is a contributing editor with The American Legion Magazine. His writing also has appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, Military Officer, The Baltimore Sun, The Sacramento Bee, The Detroit News, The Washington Times, The Washington Examiner, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The American Enterprise, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, World Politics Review, American Enterprise Online, National Review Online, and Weekly Standard Online, among others. Before joining the Fraser Institute, Mr. Dowd was a senior fellow with the Sagamore Institute and, earlier, director of the Hudson Institute’s corporate headquarters. He has served as director of constituent services for a US congressman and adjunct professor at Butler University. He holds a B.A. with high honors in political science from Butler University and an M.A. in philanthropic studies from Indiana University.

Nadeem Esmail, Director, Health System Performance Studies
Nadeem Esmail is the Director of Health System Performance Studies and Manager of the Alberta Policy Research Center at the Fraser Institute. He completed his B.A. (Honors) in Economics at the University of Calgary, and received an M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia. His recent publications and co-publications for the Fraser Institute include the series Waiting Your Turn: Hospital Waiting Lists in Canada, the How Good is Canadian Health Care? series and The Alberta Health Care Advantage: An Accessible, High Quality, and Sustainable System. His articles have appeared in newspapers across Canada, he has spoken internationally on health care policy and reform, and he has been a guest on numerous radio and TV programs across the country.

Diane Katz, Director, Risk, Environment and Energy Policy
Diane S. Katz is Director of Risk, Environment and Energy Policy for the Fraser Institute. She has more than two decades of experience in research and writing about public policy, including six years as Director of Science, Environment and Technology for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and nine years as a member of The Detroit News editorial board specializing in science and the environment, telecommunications and technology, and the auto industry. Ms. Katz has been awarded several fellowships, including the Jack R. Howard Science Reporting Institute at the California Institute of Technology; the Paul Miller Washington Reporting Program; the Kinship Conservation Institute; and the Political Economy Research Center. She has testified before Congress as well as a number of state legislatures, and was appointed to represent the State Policy Network, a coalition of more than 50 think tanks across the United States, on the American Legislative Exchange Council. She has been published by The Wall Street Journal; The Washington Times; National Review; The Weekly Standard; Reason Magazine and dozens of regional and local newspapers. Ms. Katz graduated with a B.Ph. from Thomas Jefferson College and an M.A. from the University of Michigan.

Fred McMahon, Director, Centre for Globalization StudiesFred McMahon, Director, Center for Globalization Studies
Fred McMahon is the Director of the Center for Trade and Globalization Studies at the Fraser Institute. He manages the Economic Freedom of the World Project and examines global issues, such as development, trade, governance, and economic structure. The Center coordinates the Economic Freedom Network, an international alliance of independent think tanks in nearly 70 nations. As well, the Center publishes the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies. Mr. McMahon is the author of numerous research articles and several books, including, Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth: The Impact of Federal Transfers on Atlantic Canada, which won the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for advancing public policy debate, Road to Growth: How Lagging Economies Become Prosperous, and Retreat from Growth: Atlantic Canada and the Negative Sum Economy. He has written for numerous publications including the European Journal of Political Economy, the SAIS Journal (School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University), The Wall Street Journal, Policy Options, National Post, Time (Canada), Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, and most other major Canadian newspapers. Research articles he has recently authored or co-authored include: “Economic Freedom of North America”, “Quebec Prosperity: Taking the Next Step”, “The Unseen Wall: The Fraser Institute's Annual Trade Survey”, and “Economic Freedom of the Arab World”. He has an M.A. in Economics from McGill University, Montreal.

Brett J. Skinner, Director, Health and Pharmaceutical Policy Research and Director, Insurance Policy Research
Brett Skinner is the Director of the Departments of Health & Pharmaceutical, and Insurance Policy Research at the Fraser Institute as well as Managing Director of the Institute's Toronto office. He is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in public policy, at the University of Western Ontario where he has lectured in both the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Political Science Department. He earned a B.A. through the University of Windsor and an M.A. through joint studies between the University of Windsor and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He has also worked as a research consultant to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Mr. Skinner's research has been published in many major papers, articles, and opinion editorials through the Fraser Institute as well as the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He appears and is cited frequently as an expert in the Canadian, American, and global media and has presented his research at conferences and events around the world, twice testifying about his research before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.

Niels Veldhuis, Director of Fiscal Studies
Niels Veldhuis is the Director of Fiscal Studies and a Senior Economist at the Fraser Institute. Since joining the Institute in 2002, Mr. Veldhuis has authored or co-authored four books and 34 comprehensive studies on a wide range of topics, including taxation, productivity, entrepreneurship, labor markets, and government performance. He has written over 125 articles, which have appeared in over 50 newspapers, including The National Post, Globe and Mail and Wall Street Journal. He appears regularly on public policy radio and television programs, and has appeared before committees of both the Canadian House of Commons and the Senate as an expert witness. Mr. Veldhuis has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with joint majors in business and economics, and a Master's Degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University.