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Join AEI for a discussion of a new book by Naomi Schaefer Riley, “The New Trail of Tears: How Washington Is Destroying American Indians” (Encounter Books, 2016), which examines these challenges and proposes a new approach. After a presentation of her findings, experts will offer their comments and reactions.

Speaker Biographies

Rob Bishop is serving his seventh term as representative for Utah’s first district in the US House of Representatives. Formerly, he was the state chairman of the Republic Party and worked for 16 years in the state legislature, including as majority leader and Speaker of the House. He also spent 28 years as a high school teacher in Utah, focusing on American history and government. In addition to serving on the House Armed Services Committee as a member of the Readiness Subcommittee, Rep. Bishop is chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Robert Doar is the Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies at AEI, where he studies and evaluates how free enterprise and improved federal policies and programs can reduce poverty and provide opportunities for vulnerable Americans. Before joining AEI, Mr. Doar worked for Mayor Michael Bloomberg as commissioner of New York City’s Human Resources Administration, where he administered 12 public assistance programs, including welfare, food assistance, public health insurance, and help for people living with HIV/AIDS. Before joining the Bloomberg administration, Mr. Doar was New York State commissioner of social services, helping make New York a model for the implementation of welfare reform.

Chris Edwards is the director of tax policy studies at Cato. He is a top expert on federal and state tax and budget issues. Before joining Cato, he was a senior economist on the congressional Joint Economic Committee, a manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and an economist with the Tax Foundation. Mr. Edwards has testified to Congress on fiscal issues many times, and his articles on tax and budget policies have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other major newspapers. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in economics, and he was a member of the Fiscal Future Commission of the National Academy of Sciences.

Keith Moore is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. He has served as a classroom teacher, coach, school administrator, Indian education director for South Dakota’s Department of Education, chief diversity officer for the University of South Dakota, and most recently, director of the Bureau of Indian Education. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern State University, a master’s degree in secondary school administration from South Dakota State University, and a specialist degree in educational leadership from Montana State University. He is currently serving as the state director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in South Dakota.

Naomi Schaefer Riley is a weekly columnist for the New York Post and a former Wall Street Journal editor and writer whose work focuses on higher education, religion, philanthropy, and culture. She is the author of six books, including “The New Trail of Tears: How Washington Is Destroying American Indians” (Encounter Books, 2016). Her book “‘Til Faith Do Us Part: How Interfaith Marriage Is Transforming America” (Oxford University Press, 2013) was named an editor’s pick by the New York Times Book Review. Ms. Riley’s writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, among other publications. She appears regularly on Fox News, Fox Business, and CNBC.