At the NH Liberty Forum
Thursday, March 5, 2026
All Scheduled Items are Subject to Change.
For those arriving early on Thursday, join us for a tour of the New Hampshire State House.
For those in attendance on Thursday evening, we will be hosting a Welcome Reception in the Constitution Room, just off the lobby of the Courtyard by Marriott Concord hotel, attached to the Grappone Conference Center.
Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Cash bar open.
Friday, March 6, 2026
All Scheduled Items are Subject to Change.
As you enter the Grappone Conference Center, you will be greeted by our volunteer Registration Team in the Welcome Hall. Sign in to receive your Liberty Forum lanyard and your conference bag.
Be sure to visit with our sponsors and exhibitors who will have tables on the perimeters of our welcome hall.
Included with your general admission ticket is access to our welcoming family room! Families can enjoy a variety of toys, books, board games, and craft materials at no extra cost.
Additionally, we offer childcare services for a mutually agreed-upon fee. We look forward to meeting you and the next generation of liberty lovers!
The Constitution Room is a short walk down the hall from the main events of the NH Liberty Forum, just off the lobby of the Courtyard by Marriott Concord hotel, attached to the Grappone Conference Center. You will be able to drop in on your kids at any time.
For those with VIP tickets, including speakers and sponsors, enjoy the VIP lounge for snacks and quiet conversation.
Grab a drink at the cash bar. Age 21 and older.
To kick off the 2026 New Hampshire Liberty Forum, join Eric Brakey (FSP Executive Director and LF26 Producer) for welcome remarks on why this conference is centered on discussions that “Build Freedom” and how to maximize your experience as you participate.
Hon. Eric Brakey is the Executive Director of the Free State Project and a retired three-term Maine State Senator (2014-18, 2022-24). He got his start in the liberty movement as a grassroots volunteer turned Maine State Director for the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign. From his tenure in office, he is remembered for authoring the state’s Constitutional Carry law, enacting New England’s first Right to Try law, negotiating significant welfare accountability measures, overhauling Maine’s medical cannabis program with pro-market reforms, and helping a class of 6th grade students legalize hedgehog ownership. In 2024, he resigned his seat and moved to New Hampshire to lead the Free State Project.
Jason Sorens is the founder of the Free State Project, a libertarian initiative launched in 2001 to encourage 20,000 freedom-oriented individuals to move to New Hampshire and promote limited government, which achieved its signer goal in 2016 and has seen many thousands of participants relocate.
He currently serves as Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), where he leads research on housing policy, land-use regulation, fiscal federalism, U.S. state politics, and movements for regional autonomy, and is Principal Investigator on the New Hampshire Zoning Atlas.
Sorens holds a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and a B.A. in economics and philosophy from Washington and Lee University, has taught at Yale, Dartmouth, and the University at Buffalo, winning teaching awards twice, and is the author of Secessionism: Identity, Interest, and Strategy, co-author of the biennially revised Freedom in the 50 States, and president of Ethics and Economics Education of New England (E3NE).
Vanessa Ramos is a Los Angeles–based U.S. drug war survivor and Senior Advisor at Disability Rights California, where she advances community-rooted, peer-centered systems change for people with disabilities, including people who use drugs and those living with addiction. Drawing on her lived experience with failed health and educational systems, she champions independence, innovation, and recovery-driven solutions that reduce unnecessary institutionalization and expand access to meaningful wellness supports. As an accessible yoga teacher and somatic experiencing practitioner candidate, she creates inclusive spaces for healing while centering her role as a mother.
Bruce Fenton is the CEO of Chainstone Labs and a veteran of the financial and blockchain industries, focusing on the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets.
He is the founder of Atlantic Financial, established in 1994 as one of the first full-service investment firms to operate online, and co-founder of the Satoshi Roundtable, an annual private blockchain retreat.
A committed libertarian and participant in the Free State Project since moving to New Hampshire in 2017, Fenton served as Executive Director of the Bitcoin Foundation and ran as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022, advocating for limited government, non-interventionist foreign policy, sound money through Bitcoin, and individual liberties.
For centuries, the Harbor Islands in Portsmouth Harbor (home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard) were the undisputed territory of New Hampshire. So how did the state of Maine steal these islands from New Hampshire in the 1970s? And why did the NH House of Representatives just pass a resolution demanding them back?
Ian Huyett is a New Hampshire-based attorney and litigator specializing in religious liberty, constitutional law, issues affecting religious organizations, and the intersection of law and technology, including biotechnology and blockchain.
Rep. Joseph Barton is a New Hampshire State Representative serving Grafton District 1 since 2024. A graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, he brings a background in nuclear engineering, having worked as an engineer at a nuclear power plant and for the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. As a conservative activist and former chairman of the Newmarket Republican Committee, Barton is known for his advocacy on issues of government transparency, border integrity, and limited government, including sponsoring a resolution to reclaim New Hampshire’s historic territory in Portsmouth Harbor.
Join Matt Kibbe for remarks on the “PorcFest Parking Lot” and the Grateful Dead Shakedown scene as a metaphor for voluntary community, bottom up governance, and an argument for embracing the broad anti-authoritarian coalition — libertarian populists — who will be essential to the growth of our community in New Hampshire and nationwide. Building a broad and effective liberty movement requires being welcoming and nurturing to newbies, and Free State seems to be the best at it (despite the occasional squabbling).
Matt Kibbe is the President and Chief Community Organizer at Free the People, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting libertarian principles through innovative video storytelling and educational content aimed at engaging the next generation. A veteran libertarian activist and economist, Kibbe previously served as President and CEO of FreedomWorks from 2004 to 2015, where he played a pivotal role in grassroots advocacy and was instrumental in the Tea Party movement.
He is the host of the “Kibbe on Liberty” podcast on BlazeTV, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Austrian Economics Center in Vienna, and a bestselling author of books including the #2 New York Times bestseller Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto.
Kibbe has also advised political campaigns, including as a senior advisor to Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential bid, and frequently appears on major networks like FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC.
Carla Gericke is a trailblazing libertarian activist, author, attorney, and President Emeritus of the Free State Project—the visionary movement that has attracted thousands of liberty-minded individuals to New Hampshire to build a freer society through voluntary association and limited government.
Born in apartheid-era South Africa, Carla grew up in a diplomatic family spanning three continents before earning her law degree at just 21. After winning the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, she immigrated to the United States in the 1990s, became a citizen in 2000, and built a successful legal career in Silicon Valley. She worked at technology companies including Apple, Borland, and Logitech, and was part of the legal team during Steve Jobs’ return via the NeXT acquisition.
In 2008, Carla relocated to New Hampshire as an early Free State Project participant and quickly emerged as a key leader. She organized the Porcupine Freedom Festival in 2009, 2010, and the historic 2020 edition—held defiantly amid global restrictions as a principled First and Second Amendment–protected event. From 2011 to 2016, she served as FSP President, helping drive the movement past its 20,000-pledge milestone and triggering the mass migration three years ahead of projections on February 3, 2016.
A staunch defender of civil liberties, Carla secured a landmark 2014 court victory affirming the First Amendment right to film police in public. She represented the New Hampshire independence movement on Dr. Phil, has appeared in the Emmy-nominated NBC docuseries Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire, and in outlets including CNN, Fox News, The Economist, The New Yorker, and Wired. She is the author of The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly).
In 2025, Carla completed My Living Xperiment (MLX)—a 365-day, live, unscripted daily broadcast documenting what it means to live deliberately, truthfully, and freely in New Hampshire. She is currently working on a book based on the project, My Living Xperiment: 365 Days of Living Out Loud in the Freest Place on Earth. She also hosts The Independents from The Quill, spotlighting New Hampshire’s most interesting voices from the state’s oldest libertarian clubhouse.
Today, as FSP board chair, Realtor® with Porcupine Real Estate, and freedom maximalist (fondly known as “Queen Quill”), Carla is focused on expanding Free Stater storytelling and broadcast efforts in 2026—amplifying voices, building a New Hampshire–based libertarian media empire, and inspiring others to practice radical self-ownership. She lives New Hampshire’s creed unapologetically: Live Free or Die; Live Free and Thrive.
Dr. Karl Kredar is a visionary blockchain innovator, is leading the development of Quai Network, a cutting-edge Layer-1 blockchain. With over a decade of experience from ConsenSys and founding GridPlus, he’s driven to build decentralized finance and energy-backed digital currencies that prioritize resilience. Dedicated researcher and advocate for individual autonomy and censorship-resistant Proof-of-Work systems to empower a decentralized future.
As we approach the end stage for the ever-inflating paper dollar, the next chapter in the book of money is already being written in a competition between centralizers and decentralizers. Proponents of centralized power would love to enter this new era with a transition to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) that can monitor and control every economic transaction. Avoiding this fate requires freedom builders to design, promote, and adopt alternatives — utilizing both old world wisdom and new world technologies — that keep the power of money in the hands of the people.
Jeremy Cordon was elected as a Ron Paul delegate, interned for the Libertas Institute, and has worked in precious metals since 2015 with the focus of making gold more usable as a modern form of money at Alpine Gold, and Quintric. Jeremy is the Founder and CEO of Goldback.
Jeremy Cordon was elected as a Ron Paul delegate, interned for the Libertas Institute, and has worked in precious metals since 2015 with the focus of making gold more usable as a modern form of money at Alpine Gold, and Quintric. Jeremy is the Founder and CEO of Goldback.
Jp Cortez is the Executive Director of the Sound Money Defense League, an organization working to remonetize gold and silver through nationwide legislative efforts since 2014. He is a graduate of Auburn University and a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina. Jp is the lead author of the Sound Money Index. Follow him on X (Twitter) @JpCortez27.
Dr. Karl Kredar is a visionary blockchain innovator, is leading the development of Quai Network, a cutting-edge Layer-1 blockchain. With over a decade of experience from ConsenSys and founding GridPlus, he’s driven to build decentralized finance and energy-backed digital currencies that prioritize resilience. Dedicated researcher and advocate for individual autonomy and censorship-resistant Proof-of-Work systems to empower a decentralized future.
Grab lunch in the Dining Hall, then feel free to join in for one of several options:
(1) grab a seat at one of the Dining Hall round tables for open discourse with fellow conference participants; or
(2) visit an auxiliary room for one of several available lunch talks and workshops.
Grab a seat at any round table to join in open discussions with other forum participants.
All over the United States, we keep spending more on public schools and getting the same results. That’s not a money problem; it’s a design problem.
Fix three things: (1) make fairness about learning, not dollars; (2) stop paying schools up-front for promises and (3) start paying after-the-fact for results; narrow schools to what’s mandatory and handle everything else somewhere else.
Using New Hampshire as a backdrop, this talk goes into bare minimum detail about how to fix those three things, ending in a discussion with attendees about how to redesign public schools.
Ian Underwood was responsible for the Croydon School District replacing a $1.7 million ransom with an $800 thousand budget in 2022. He’s also the author of 19 books about education, gun rights, and other liberty issues.
Ian’s books will be available for sale at Liberty Forum, and the set of books supporting this talk will be auctioned off.
Kumar Bukkapatnam is a principal at Standard Management, an asset tokenization firm focusing on computational governance.
With a background in mathematics and applied key cryptography, Kumar will do a Wiki-style step by step tutorial on how to title any tangible item and tokenize the ownership rights to be freely transferable on the blockchain. Bring any tangible item you want to tokenize!
Jay Noone was born in western Massachusetts and raised by a libertarian horse trader, Spud Noone. He spent his youth at horse auctions, stacking hay, and competing in horse shows and rodeos. He’s worked or apprenticed in trades such as HVAC, logging, auto and equipment repair, roofing, welding, blacksmithing, farrier, feed broker, hay stacker, and farm hand.
He met his future wife Shalon Noone at PorcFest in 2014 and moved to New Hampshire in 2016. A proud father of two kids, he is raising cows, pigs, and chickens and preparing the next generation not to need government. Jay founded ManCamp, a camp for home-schooled kids to learn skills like welding, blacksmithing, farming, ranching, problem solving, patience, tolerance, and the rewards of farm work. He is developing a lecture series titled, “Invest in Our Posterity” and is a frequent guest or host on Free Talk Live, Ernie Hancock, and other podcasts and radio shows (jaynoone.com for more information).
In this short talk, Jody will ponder how to overcome this phenomenon: when people think about public schools, they rely on their feelings rather than logic. It often seems like a religion.
The fact is, this happens to libertarians too. And it goes beyond education.
Jody Underwood, Ph.D., is an advocate for innovative schooling, serving as the founding President of EdOpt, an organization dedicated to educating families of the full range of education options available to them in New Hampshire. She moved to Croydon in 2007 for the Free State Project. She served on her local school board for over 12 years, where she promoted school choice and policies that empower students to advance at their own pace.
Christina Mojica is a Land Use and Housing Policy Analyst at Reason Foundation. Her work focuses on the impact of restrictive housing regulations on low-income communities and homelessness, emphasizing how expanding housing supply through deregulation can create more equitable and affordable living opportunities. Before joining Reason, she worked with several Puerto Rican independence organizations, lobbying Congress on legislation addressing Puerto Rico’s political status, tax policy, and the displacement of Puerto Ricans from the island. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University.
Christina Mojica is a Land Use and Housing Policy Analyst at Reason Foundation. Her work focuses on the impact of restrictive housing regulations on low-income communities and homelessness, emphasizing how expanding housing supply through deregulation can create more equitable and affordable living opportunities. Before joining Reason, she worked with several Puerto Rican independence organizations, lobbying Congress on legislation addressing Puerto Rico’s political status, tax policy, and the displacement of Puerto Ricans from the island. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University.
Séamas Ó Scalaidhe has been a participant and supporter of the Free State Project since its inception. He retired from paid employment in 2011 at the age of 45 and moved to New Hampshire in 2013. Financial independence has helped him be able to serve as treasurer and board member of the FSP and the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance. When not doing volunteer work, Séamas manages investments and philanthropic endeavors, reads, and pursues a variety of interests including: hiking, skiing, and physical training.
Silver Dave, founder of Local Silver Mint and inventor of SilverBitz, is a former Green Beret turned silver craftsman who has spent more than 15 years building businesses in the precious metals industry. Driven by an indomitable spirit and a mission-first mindset, Dave set out to equip Americans with low-cost, fractional silver for barter, trade, and long-term financial preparedness — including resilience in extreme economic scenarios.
After 14 years honing his craft and refining his vision, Dave developed SilverBitz, an innovative divisible silver product now traded across the world and helping build micro-markets within local communities. His commitment to putting real silver directly into the hands of individuals has fueled steady expansion for Local Silver Mint — from a single rural location to a 12,000-square-foot production facility, with a flagship Manchester, New Hampshire location opening soon.
At his core, Dave’s mission remains simple: make silver accessible, practical, and powerful for everyday Americans.
For decades since the dawn of the “War on Terror,” opponents of the undeclared forever wars have begged Congress to take up their constitutional responsibilities again, without anything to show for it. Now, war profiteers are finally panicking as a new movement, led by combat veterans, has shifted focus toward the state legislatures and their constitutional authority to bring home state National Guard troops from undeclared wars. As “Defend the Guard” proposals advance in state legislatures across the country — from New Hampshire to Idaho — can we use state power to finally bring these forever wars to an end?
Dan McKnight is the Founder and Chairman of Bring Our Troops Home, a veterans’ advocacy organization dedicated to ending U.S. involvement in endless wars overseas, advocating for a return to constitutional war powers, and ensuring Congress declares war before deploying troops.
A 13-year veteran of the U.S. military, McKnight served in the Marine Corps Reserves, U.S. Army, and Idaho Army National Guard, including an 18-month combat deployment to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007, after which he was medically retired due to injuries sustained in service.
He founded the organization in 2019 and has since led bipartisan grassroots efforts to influence foreign policy and support legislation requiring congressional authorization for military actions.
Rep. Jason Osborne is the Majority Leader and a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
A small business owner and advocate for limited government, he moved to New Hampshire as a participant in the Free State Project. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College and pursued graduate studies in economics at George Mason University.
Osborne lives in Auburn with his wife Sharon and their two children, and has been instrumental in advancing liberty policies on taxes, gun rights, school choice, and election law during his tenure.
In 2001, Jason Sorens published his rejection of the National Libertarian Party strategy and the proposal for a Free State Project concentration strategy in a single state. A quarter century later, that project has built a uniquely resilient libertarian culture, centered around practical works to advance freedom — not ideological purity spirals.
The pro-works liberty culture where Free Staters values those who change laws, build businesses, win lawsuits, raise families, develop homeschool networks, pioneer new technologies, create community centers, and grow the movement.
While every other New England state has slipped down the road to serfdom, the Free State Project is not only helping to keep New Hampshire free — our participants are building the freest state in the world that will last for generations to come.
The State of the Free State is an annual tradition at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, delivered by the current Free State Project Executive Director.
Hon. Eric Brakey is the Executive Director of the Free State Project and a retired three-term Maine State Senator (2014-18, 2022-24). He got his start in the liberty movement as a grassroots volunteer turned Maine State Director for the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign. From his tenure in office, he is remembered for authoring the state’s Constitutional Carry law, enacting New England’s first Right to Try law, negotiating significant welfare accountability measures, overhauling Maine’s medical cannabis program with pro-market reforms, and helping a class of 6th grade students legalize hedgehog ownership. In 2024, he resigned his seat and moved to New Hampshire to lead the Free State Project.
Scott Horton is the director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, and host of “The Scott Horton Show,” a podcast focused on foreign policy interviews and analysis.
A prominent libertarian antiwar activist and author, Horton has written books including Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan and Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine, critiquing U.S. interventionism and military policies.
He has been a key figure in non-interventionist advocacy for over two decades (appearing on platforms like the Lex Fridman Podcast and the Tucker Carlson Show), contributing to discussions on ending endless wars.
Saturday, March 7, 2026
All Scheduled Items are Subject to Change.
As you enter the Grappone Conference Center, you will be greeted by our volunteer Registration Team in the Welcome Hall. Sign in to receive your Liberty Forum lanyard and your conference bag.
Be sure to visit with our sponsors and exhibitors who will have tables on the perimeters of our welcome hall.
Included with your general admission ticket is access to our welcoming family room! Families can enjoy a variety of toys, books, board games, and craft materials at no extra cost.
Additionally, we offer childcare services for a mutually agreed-upon fee. We look forward to meeting you and the next generation of liberty lovers!
The Constitution Room is a short walk down the hall from the main events of the NH Liberty Forum, just off the lobby of the Courtyard by Marriott Concord hotel, attached to the Grappone Conference Center. You will be able to drop in on your kids at any time.
For those with VIP tickets, including speakers and sponsors, enjoy the VIP lounge for snacks and quiet conversation.
Grab a drink at the cash bar. Age 21 and older.
The 19th of April, 1775, a day that forever changed the course of our Nation. Why is this such an important day and who was involved in the birth of our Nation?
It will not be the story you think you know, or the story you heard in school. The volunteers at the Project Appleseed are passionate about American Heritage. We love to tell people the Story of the Three Strikes, about ‘The Day the Shot was Heard Around the World.’ The volunteers are willing to tell the story to groups around the Nation.
- When and where was the American Revolution fought and won?
- When and where did the Revolutionary War actually start?
- What caused the professional British Army to break and run from colonial farmers and shopkeepers?
- Who fired the first shots of the Revolutionary War?
- What did Paul Revere really say as he made his midnight ride?
It will be the real story, the story that historians have discovered, the story of the first day of the American Revolution. Along the way, the story will answer questions you didn’t even know existed, like:
Who fired the famous “Shot Heard Round the World”? Historians have debated this for years, but you’ll find out the real answer at a LibertySeed.
Why did it take “three strikes of the match” before the American Revolution began? Yes, you believe the Revolution started on Lexington Green, when Capt John Parker’s men were shot down by the redcoats – but surprisingly, it did not began there. Nor did it begin with the fighting at the North Bridge in Concord a few hours later. You’ll learn the name of the obscure place the revolution REALLY began.
Why were some local peasants (as they were viewed by the British army) able to break the British line at Concord’s North Bridge – in less than two minutes? Some original historical research suggests why, and the answer, unlike the answer to most historical questions, is one word. At a LibertySeed, you’ll find out what that one word is.
You will be surprised by how much is known of that first day of the American Revolution, a day that some believe is the most important day in American history.
Christina Mojica is a Land Use and Housing Policy Analyst at Reason Foundation. Her work focuses on the impact of restrictive housing regulations on low-income communities and homelessness, emphasizing how expanding housing supply through deregulation can create more equitable and affordable living opportunities. Before joining Reason, she worked with several Puerto Rican independence organizations, lobbying Congress on legislation addressing Puerto Rico’s political status, tax policy, and the displacement of Puerto Ricans from the island. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University.
Dr. Michael Ciampi is a native of Portland, Maine. He is a graduate of Cheverus High School. He earned degrees from The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He completed internship and residency at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. After having served in the U.S. Navy for seven years, he had attained the rank of lieutenant commander prior to his honorable discharge and return to his home state to take over the practice of his father, Louis Ciampi, M.D. upon his retirement.
Being frustrated with what he saw as a dysfunctional health care finance system, in April 2013, he took what many considered a very radical step when his practice opted out of third party payments, including commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Instead of billing insurance, he now contracts with his patients directly. He is an advocate of the Direct Primary Care model which is gaining in popularity with doctors and patients alike across the country. This novel approach to health care garnered the attention of local and regional television and radio shows. He has been featured on Fox News Channel shows such as Huckabee and Fox and Friends, Fox Business Channel’s Varney and Company, as well as CNN.
Ian Huyett is a New Hampshire-based attorney and litigator specializing in religious liberty, constitutional law, issues affecting religious organizations, and the intersection of law and technology, including biotechnology and blockchain.
He is a board member of the New Hampshire Blockchain Council and also advocates for policies such as Right to Try frameworks that expand access to experimental therapies.
As Associate Director and Head of Litigation at Cornerstone, a Christian advocacy group representing over 100 churches in NH, Huyett has led lobbying efforts that resulted in the passage of several New Hampshire laws on constitutional rights. He holds a J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law and has published academic articles on law, religion, and politics.
Melissa Blasek is a former New Hampshire state representative and longtime advocate for liberty-focused causes. She currently serves as executive director of RebuildNH, a grassroots organization established during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote individual rights and limited government. Melissa also hosts The Liberty Lobbyist on DailyClout. In addition to her public work, she is a homeschooling wife and mother.
Dr. Michael Ciampi operates a direct primary care family practice in South Portland, Maine — opting out of third party payments, including commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Instead of billing insurance, he now contracts with his patients directly. He is an advocate of the Direct Primary Care model which is gaining in popularity with doctors and patients alike across the country. He has been featured on Fox News Channel shows such as Huckabee and Fox and Friends, Fox Business Channel’s Varney and Company, as well as CNN.
Ian Huyett is a New Hampshire-based attorney and litigator specializing in religious liberty, constitutional law, issues affecting religious organizations, and the intersection of law and technology, including biotechnology and blockchain.
Ilana Blumsack is an Economic Policy Analyst at Americans for Prosperity, where she focuses on housing and property tax issues. Prior to joining AFP, Ilana was a Research Associate at the Cato Institute, where she supported Chris Edwards and Scott Lincicome in work on fiscal and labor policy. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and an M.S. in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Carla Gericke is a trailblazing libertarian activist, author, attorney, and President Emeritus of the Free State Project—the visionary movement that has attracted thousands of liberty-minded individuals to New Hampshire to build a freer society through voluntary association and limited government.
Born in apartheid-era South Africa, Carla grew up in a diplomatic family spanning three continents before earning her law degree at just 21. After winning the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, she immigrated to the United States in the 1990s, became a citizen in 2000, and built a successful legal career in Silicon Valley. She worked at technology companies including Apple, Borland, and Logitech, and was part of the legal team during Steve Jobs’ return via the NeXT acquisition.
In 2008, Carla relocated to New Hampshire as an early Free State Project participant and quickly emerged as a key leader. She organized the Porcupine Freedom Festival in 2009, 2010, and the historic 2020 edition—held defiantly amid global restrictions as a principled First and Second Amendment–protected event. From 2011 to 2016, she served as FSP President, helping drive the movement past its 20,000-pledge milestone and triggering the mass migration three years ahead of projections on February 3, 2016.
A staunch defender of civil liberties, Carla secured a landmark 2014 court victory affirming the First Amendment right to film police in public. She represented the New Hampshire independence movement on Dr. Phil, has appeared in the Emmy-nominated NBC docuseries Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire, and in outlets including CNN, Fox News, The Economist, The New Yorker, and Wired. She is the author of The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly).
In 2025, Carla completed My Living Xperiment (MLX)—a 365-day, live, unscripted daily broadcast documenting what it means to live deliberately, truthfully, and freely in New Hampshire. She is currently working on a book based on the project, My Living Xperiment: 365 Days of Living Out Loud in the Freest Place on Earth. She also hosts The Independents from The Quill, spotlighting New Hampshire’s most interesting voices from the state’s oldest libertarian clubhouse.
Today, as FSP board chair, Realtor® with Porcupine Real Estate, and freedom maximalist (fondly known as “Queen Quill”), Carla is focused on expanding Free Stater storytelling and broadcast efforts in 2026—amplifying voices, building a New Hampshire–based libertarian media empire, and inspiring others to practice radical self-ownership. She lives New Hampshire’s creed unapologetically: Live Free or Die; Live Free and Thrive.
Angela McArdle is the Chair of the Mises Caucus political action committee, a position she has held since June 2025, following her tenure as the 22nd Chair of the Libertarian National Committee from May 2022 to February 2025, during which she advocated for libertarian principles, non-interventionist foreign policy, and played a key role in securing the presidential pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.
A dedicated antiwar activist and co-organizer of the Rage Against the War Machine movement, McArdle previously served as secretary of the Libertarian Party of California and chair of the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County, and ran as a congressional candidate for California’s 34th District in 2017 and 2018.
Ulbricht. Ver. Assange. Snowden. Freeman.
In recent decades, many liberty leaders have been targeted by the federal government — and only recently have libertarians started to win the fight to set them free.
Join us for a panel discussion on the value of not leaving our people behind and working to restore their freedoms.
Carla Gericke is a trailblazing libertarian activist, author, attorney, and President Emeritus of the Free State Project—the visionary movement that has attracted thousands of liberty-minded individuals to New Hampshire to build a freer society through voluntary association and limited government.
Angela McArdle is the Chair of the Mises Caucus political action committee, a position she has held since June 2025, following her tenure as the 22nd Chair of the Libertarian National Committee from May 2022 to February 2025, during which she advocated for libertarian principles, non-interventionist foreign policy, and played a key role in securing the presidential pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.
Bonnie Freeman is a host for the Free Talk Live radio program and the wife of Ian Freeman — a longtime New Hampshire liberty promoter who is currently in federal prison for helping people access and utilize Bitcoin.
Grab lunch in the Dining Hall, then feel free to join in for one of several options:
(1) grab a seat at one of the Dining Hall round tables for open discourse with fellow conference participants; or
(2) visit an auxiliary room for one of several available lunch talks and workshops.
Grab a seat at any round table to join in open discussions with other forum participants.
Tim Baxter is the managing owner of Baxter Real Estate, LLC and its associated real estate
holding firms, overseeing a network of more than nineteen real-estate-related businesses.
Since launching in February 2020, Baxter has acquired over 500 units valued at over $70
million, with almost $20 million raised for acquisitions. On January 1, he expanded operations with the launch of Baxter Industries, an in-house vertically integrated services company.
In 2022, Baxter ran for Congress in New Hampshire’s First District, raising over $500,000 and contributing an additional $300,000 from his real estate profits. He was endorsed by Senator
Rand Paul, Congressman Thomas Massie, and more than thirty New Hampshire state
representatives. He previously served in the New Hampshire legislature after being elected in
2020 to represent Seabrook and Hampton Falls.
In 2019, while still in college, Baxter founded the nonprofit Second Chances to support
individuals struggling with addiction, helping twelve people secure treatment placements. He
holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from George Washington University.
Edward Cafarella is a Bitcoin educator with “BTC Mentor” focused on helping individuals become financially sovereign. He has been involved in the Bitcoin space for a decade and has helped countless people take self-custody of their Bitcoin and secure wealth for their families. With his expertise, he can assist with Wallet setups, Multisig, running a node, privacy, using bitcoin for payments, inheritance planning, and anything else involving Bitcoin tools.
Aaron Day is a serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, and political disruptor who is currently running for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire in 2026. With three decades building decentralized systems in e-commerce, healthcare, blockchain, AI, and clean technology that make technocracy obsolete, Day authored the best-selling book The Final Countdown, exposing the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) to freedom and financial sovereignty.
A Free Stater since 2009, he previously served as Chairman of the Free State Project, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and now leads the Daylight Freedom Foundation as its Chairman and CEO.
A resident of Bedford, New Hampshire, Day has run for U.S. Senate (2016), Governor (2018), and President (2024) in his fight for liberty, privacy, and individual rights.
Scott Brown is a New Hampshire native, U.S. Army National Guard Colonel (ret.), former U.S. Senator, and Ambassador who is currently running for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire in 2026.
With nearly 40 years of military service—including a deployment to Afghanistan—Brown rose to national prominence in 2010 by winning a historic special election in Massachusetts, becoming the first Republican U.S. Senator from the state in nearly 40 years. He later served as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (2017–2020) under President Trump.
A resident of Rye, New Hampshire, with deep family roots in Portsmouth, Brown seeks to champion limited government, accountability, and the Granite State’s tradition of freedom and self-reliance.
Hon. Eric Brakey is the Executive Director of the Free State Project and a retired three-term Maine State Senator (2014-18, 2022-24). He got his start in the liberty movement as a grassroots volunteer turned Maine State Director for the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign. From his tenure in office, he is remembered for authoring the state’s Constitutional Carry law, enacting New England’s first Right to Try law, negotiating significant welfare accountability measures, overhauling Maine’s medical cannabis program with pro-market reforms, and helping a class of 6th grade students legalize hedgehog ownership. In 2024, he resigned his seat and moved to New Hampshire to lead the Free State Project.
Julia R. Cartwright is an economist whose work specializes in law and economics, political economy, and economic development. Her research and writing cover topics such as the governance structures of crypto markets, the economic consequences of judicial interventions in courts in East Africa, the development impact of housing regulations, and regulatory barriers to advanced energy technologies—including nuclear power.
She has advocated for policies to revive U.S. leadership in nuclear energy, including halting the destruction of valuable isotopes like U-233, streamlining approvals for small modular reactors (SMRs), and enabling thorium-based and molten-salt reactor designs to provide abundant, clean, reliable baseload power for emerging demands like AI and data centers.
Dr. Cartwright has a wide-ranging teaching background, having previously taught over fifteen different economics courses as a professor at Pepperdine University, Hope College, and Kalamazoo College. Her teaching repertoire covers core and specialized courses including Game Theory and Economic Development of Africa.
She contributes to public discourse through debates, media appearances, public lectures, book reviews, a TEDx talk, and policy articles on energy economics. Dr. Cartwright also serves as the lead economist for the Sudreau Global Justice Institute at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, where she oversees monitoring and evaluation efforts, applying economic analysis to assess the effectiveness of judicial reforms, particularly around plea bargaining and court case backlog reduction in Rwanda and Uganda. As a Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), she continues to analyze how regulatory frameworks shape innovation in sectors like energy.
Rep. Keith Ammon is a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 2022, where he serves as Majority Floor Leader and Vice Chair of the House Commerce Committee.
A software developer, small business owner, and libertarian activist who moved to New Hampshire in 2009 as part of the Free State Project, Ammon has been a prominent advocate for blockchain technology, founding the New Hampshire Blockchain Council, and has sponsored legislation promoting Bitcoin adoption, the right to compute, and limited government principles.
He previously chaired the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance from 2017 to 2019 and has served on local boards, including the New Boston School Board.
Rep. Keith Ammon is a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 2022, where he serves as Majority Floor Leader and Vice Chair of the House Commerce Committee.
Rep. Michael Vose is a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 2014, where he serves as Chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee.
Adam Maguire is the founder and principal advisor of NorthWoods Wealth Management, a New Hampshire Registered Investment Advisor dedicated to empowering individuals and families to build lasting wealth with clarity. With 3 decades experience in the financial industry, Adam has successfully guided clients through the most turbulent economic times in modern history—including the Tech Bubble burst of 1999–2000, the Great Financial Crisis of 2008–2009, and the Covid Crash.
Known for his calm, strategic process and deeply personal commitment to his clients, Adam has helped families and businesses take control of their financial future—offering guidance rooted in experience, integrity, and a deep respect for personal freedom and financial independence.
Adam and his family are proud ‘New Movers’ to New Hampshire, having relocated as part of the Free State Project in November of 2024. They’ve planted roots in Coös County, aka the North Country. Adam currently serves clients from his offices in Berlin, NH, and Boothbay, ME.
Franklin Einspruch is a visual artist working in painting, drawing, printmaking, and digital media. He is also active in art criticism, comics, and alternative publishing. His art has appeared in 21 solo exhibitions and 42 group exhibitions. He has been a resident artist at programs in Italy, Greece, Taiwan, Nepal, and around the United States, and was the Fulbright-Q21/MuseumsQuartier Artist-In-Residence for 2019 in Vienna.
Einspruch has authored 254 essays and art reviews for many publications including The New Criterion and Art in America. He has been blogging about art since 2001. He is the proprietor of Dissident Muse, a publishing and exhibition project supporting the unsung, the unbowed, and the ineffable. He is the editor of Backseat Driver by James Croak (Dissident Muse, 2023) and Aphorisms for Artists: 100 Ways Toward Better Art by Walter Darby Bannard (Allworth Press, 2024).
The Socialist Book of the Dead is a forthcoming comic by Franklin Einspruch, artist, writer, Fulbright Scholar, and Visiting Research Fellow of the American Institute for Economic Research. It will be serialized at his Substack, Dissident Muse Journal. Franklin will show illustrations for the comic produced at AIER, and discuss how the first socialists were gigantic weirdos.
Skot Sheller is a senior accountant and financial analyst based in New Hampshire. An active leader in the liberty community, he founded the SHELL Liberty Community Center, managed Porcfest, and is deeply involved with the Free State Project.
With personal ties to Argentina through his wife, who was born and raised there, Skot has followed Javier Milei’s career since 2018 and is pursuing Argentine citizenship. He frequently appears on podcasts and delivers lectures on the Milei Revolution and its impact on freedom in Argentina.
Mike Sertic is President of the Advocates for Self-Government—the nonprofit behind the World’s Smallest Political Quiz, taken by approximately 30 million people—and the creator of Political DNA, a next-generation assessment that maps individuals across 32 distinct political archetypes.
A longtime liberty-movement leader, Sertic began on the early executive team of Students For Liberty, helping build the world’s largest pro-liberty student network. He later studied real-world self-governance at the Self-Management Institute of Morning Star Company, the planet’s largest tomato processor and a pioneering model of voluntary, decentralized organization. Through initiatives like Quiz in the Classroom and Operation Politically Homeless, he equips people nationwide to turn political self-understanding into practical daily self-governance.
Tom Woods is a New York Times bestselling author, historian, and one of the most influential voices in the modern libertarian movement. In 2019 he received the Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award from the Austrian Economics Center and the Hayek Institute in Vienna.
Tom is a senior fellow at the Mises Institute, where he champions the Austrian School of economics, and the host of The Tom Woods Show, of which he has released over 2700 episodes.
Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard and his master’s, M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He is the author of 14 books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History and Meltdown (on the 2008 financial crisis, and featuring a foreword by Ron Paul). His other works include Diary of a Psychosis: How Public Health Disgraced Itself During COVID Mania, Nullification, and The Church and the Market (which won the $50,000 Templeton Enterprise Award).
Tom has appeared on such outlets as CNBC, FOX News, MSNBC, C-SPAN, and Bloomberg, and has spoken at events worldwide. He is also the founder of Liberty Classroom, an online educational platform offering courses in history, economics, and Western civilization from a pro-liberty perspective, and helped create RonPaulHomeschool.com, the self-taught K-12 Ron Paul Curriculum.
Excited to be joining the Free State Project community, Tom is planning a future move to the “Live Free or Die” state.
Sunday, March 8, 2026
All Scheduled Items are Subject to Change.
Close out Liberty Forum in style at a relaxed and elegant Sunday brunch at The Quill, sponsored by Independence Realty Group. Join fellow attendees for great food, meaningful conversation, and one last opportunity to connect before heading home.
Registration will open during Liberty Forum.
🗓 March 8, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
🎟 VIP: $5 | General Admission: $25