The Ethan Allen Institute is excited to announce that Meg Hansen will take over as president on March 1. Hansen, who joined EAI’s Board of Directors in January, has been active in the fields of public policy, grassroots advocacy, and related media initiatives since Vermont became her home over a decade ago. She fell in love with the region (and her now husband) while earning a graduate degree in the humanities from Dartmouth College (2014).

Manchester, VT – The Ethan Allen Institute (EAI) has named Meg Hansen as the organization’s new president. She succeeds Rob Roper who led EAI for nine years.

Hansen brings a wealth of experience in developing policy and media initiatives that give voice to the overlooked and unmet needs of middle class and working class Vermonters. She has an established record of effective community engagement and has her finger on the pulse of grassroots issues. The many thousands of people who have connected with Meg are testament to her impactful career.

Hansen holds a graduate degree in the humanities from Dartmouth College and trained in medicine (MBBS – British equivalent of an MD). Though she does not practice as a doctor, she is a member of the Vermont Medical Reserve Corps and assists, as needed, at the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington. She previously served as the executive director of Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, a health policy think tank. In 2020, she ran for the office of lieutenant governor.

“Meg presented a fresh and strong vision for the Institute’s future. Her medical background and health policy knowledge will be invaluable in addressing Vermont's unstable healthcare programs. I look forward to helping her bring EAI to the next level of influence and impact in Vermont,” said Roper.

“The Ethan Allen Institute’s stellar team provides pragmatic policy solutions and thought leadership that infuse much needed color into Vermont’s gray echo chamber.” Hansen said. “I am honored and excited to lead EAI and shape the next chapter of Vermont’s premier center-right think tank.”

EAI founder and vice president John McClaughry said, “Meg’s task ahead will be to go beyond influencing public opinion in the marketplace of ideas. To bring real change in this next phase, EAI will have to influence the social and political institutions of Vermont in the direction of our guiding principles. A lofty goal, no doubt, but I can think of no one better equipped to meet the challenge.”

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Founded in 1993, the Ethan Allen Institute is a policy research and educational nonprofit organization based in Vermont. EAI is committed to promoting policies based on the principles of free enterprise, a constitutional and limited government, and individual liberty. An affiliate member of the State Policy Network, EAI is proud to collaborate and share resources with fifty-plus similar but independent state-level public policy organizations across the nation. For more information, please visit www.ethanallen.org.