Dr. Arthur Laffer is the founder and chairman of Laffer Associates, an economic research and consulting firm that provides global investment-research services to institutional asset managers, pension funds, financial institutions and corporations. Since its inception in 1979, the firm’s research has focused on the interconnecting macroeconomic, political and demographic changes affecting global financial markets. Dr. Laffer has been widely acknowledged for his economic achievements, particularly for the creation of the Laffer Curve. Dr. Laffer is a founding member of the Congressional Policy Advisory Board, a select group of advisors who assist in shaping legislative policies for the 105th, 106th and 107th United States Congress. Dr. Laffer was a member of President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board for both of his two terms (1981-1989), and is considered by many to be the “Father of Supply-Side Economics,” or “Reaganomics.” He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Reagan/Bush Finance Committee in 1984 and was a founding member of the Reagan Executive Advisory Committee for the presidential race of 1980.

He was formerly the Distinguished University Professor at Pepperdine University and a member of the Pepperdine Board of Directors. He also held the status as the Charles B. Thornton Professor of Business Economics at the University of Southern California from 1976 to 1984. He was an Associate Professor of Business Economics at the University of Chicago from 1970 to 1976 and a member of the Chicago faculty from 1967 through 1976. During the years 1972 to 1977, Dr. Laffer was a consultant to Secretary of the Treasury William Simon, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of the Treasury George Shultz. He was the first to hold the title of Chief Economist at the Office of Management and Budget under Mr. Shultz from October 1970 to July 1972. Dr. Laffer currently sits on the board of directors of several public companies, which include: Veolia Environment (NYSE: VE), Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (Nasdaq: PETC), Nicholas-Applegate Growth Equity Fund (NAPGX), MPS Group Inc. (NYSE: MPS), Oxigene Inc. (Nasdaq: OXGN) and Provide Commerce (Nasdaq: PRVD).

He also sits on the board of directors or board of advisors of a number of private companies and industry associations including: BIOCOM, HNTB, Affinia Hospitality, Retirement Capital Group, Pillar Data Systems, Vizional Technologies, The Mayfair Group, ValuBond, U.S. Script and Castle Creek Capital. During 2001 and 2002, Dr. Laffer sat on the Board of Directors of PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc. Dr. Laffer received a B.A. in economics from Yale University in 1963. He received an MBA and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in 1965 and 1972 respectively.