The Board of Directors of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) has named Allen B. West as CEO of the 31-year old nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy think tank.
West, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and former House of Representatives Member (R-FL), replaces interim NCPA CEO and President Dennis McCuistion, who was named to the position in June. McCuistion also led the search for a permanent CEO candidate, a process that the NCPA board originally estimated would take six months.
“I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to lead one of the country’s preeminent think tanks,” said West. “I have long admired the NCPA’s innovative research in health care, tax reform, entitlements, retirement, energy, environmental and education policy.”
West added, “I believe one of the NCPA’s strengths is that it is not headquartered in Washington, D.C. Working from the nation’s center, I believe the NCPA’s future is that of a leader in economic research as the most trusted policy analysis voice in America – philosophical, principled and policy proficient.”
“It will be policy, not politics that secures a sound economic future for Americans – with growth, opportunity and returning the promise of the American dream for this generation and those to come,” West added.
“Allen West is an outstanding choice for CEO. He is a visionary leader, committed to the free-market principles that form the foundation of the NCPA’s research and education,” said NCPA Board Chairman Steve Ivy. “We are grateful to Dennis McCuistion for his outstanding leadership these past six months and his success in bringing Allen West to the NCPA.”
West will start as CEO on January 2nd. Relocating to Dallas, his family will join him after his two daughters graduate from college and high school May 2015 – they are seeking to continue their education in Texas. The last duty station for West and his family was in Ft. Hood, Texas and his wife Angela’s parents and two of her brothers reside in San Antonio, Houston, and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area – they are excited about returning to the Lone Star State. West is a Tennessee Volunteer who often muses about Davy Crockett’s famed words, “you all can go to hell, I am going to Texas.”
Allen West is the author of the newly published Guardian of the Republic. He heads the Allen West Foundation, a non-profit foundation committed to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders among the minority and veteran communities.
West served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Afghanistan. Over his 22 years of service in the U.S. Army, he received numerous commendations and honors for valor, including a Bronze Star.
After retiring from the military, West became the first black Republican from Florida to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives since Reconstruction. He is a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a contributor on FOX News Channel.
Looking ahead to his vision for the NCPA, West said, “We want to align ourselves with the fundamental principle of governance of America as a Constitutional Republic and promote the principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual sovereignty and free market economy. We should focus not on party but rather effective and efficient governing policy. We want our message to reach the kitchen tables of the everyday American.”
Dennis McCuistion will remain on the NCPA’s board of directors after January. During his tenure as interim CEO, Dennis McCuistionmarked the 25th anniversary of hosting his KERA program McCuistion. He has continued to teach Corporate Governance at UT Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management. “The leadership of the JSOM has been kind enough to grant me a partial leave of absence during my time with the NCPA, and I look forward to returning to my position as a Clinical Professor and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance,” said McCuistion.
West will be in Dallas December 2nd to introduce political correspondent and author Byron York, who is speaking at a luncheon eventsponsored by the NCPA and the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation.
