Presidential Foundation Augments Role of Coolidge Biographer, Amity Shlaes, Names Her Chief Executive Officer

PLYMOUTH NOTCH, Vt., Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce that its Chairman, Amity Shlaes, has been given additional duties as Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation. Miss Shlaes is the author of the 2013 New York Times bestseller, "Coolidge," an authoritative biography of America's thirtieth president. The book was recently named a Book of the Year by The Economist. Miss Shlaes has been a trustee of the Foundation for several years and will serve full-time as CEO in an effort to increase membership and attract resources that will support the Foundation's new national initiatives. These include high school economic debate in partnership with the Debate Institutes at Dartmouth and a high-profile speaker series with such speakers as former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to set the record straight and restore President Coolidge to his rightful station among chief executives," said Miss Shlaes. "The values Coolidge advanced – thrift, civility, respect for the spiritual, a restrained federal government and strong state government, could not be more timely."

James H. Douglas, past Vermont governor and current Foundation Trustee, remarked, "We Vermonters have long taken great pride in our native son, President Coolidge. The values he espoused and the example he set are a model for America in the 21^st century."

"The principles and legacy of Calvin Coolidge have never been more important than they are today. Americans are desperately yearning for the economic inspiration of a Calvin Coolidge, and the Foundation under Shlaes's strong leadership will help achieve that mission," said Milt Valera, Chairman of the Los Angeles-based National Notary Association and a Trustee at the Foundation.

Matthew Denhart, who joined the Foundation in December, 2013, will continue to serve as Executive Director leading operations at the Foundation's headquarters in Plymouth, Vermont. "Coolidge is part of our history and more Americans, whatever their political party, should get to know this interesting national leader. The Foundation is excited to teach more Americans about President Coolidge through our new national initiatives," said Mr. Denhart.

Mr. Denhart and Miss Shlaes bring with them ample experience in national think tank work, having served together in the launch years of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Mr. Denhart served as Research Fellow at the Bush Center and is the author of many publications on immigration and education policy. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Ohio University, Mr. Denhart is the author of "Growth and Immigration," a handbook on the economics of immigration. Miss Shlaes has served as Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Media Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. In addition to "Coolidge," Miss Shlaes is the author of two preceding national bestsellers, "The Forgotten Man" and "The Greedy Hand," and has served as an editorial board member of The Wall Street Journal.  She is a columnist in Forbes and teaches at New York University's Stern School of Business in the MBA program. The post of CEO was funded by a generous jumpstart four-year grant from a group of donors including the Thomas W. Smith Foundation and Ravenel B. Curry, III.

SOURCE Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation