About the Brandt Lecture Series, Foundation and Fellow
Brandt Foundation Lectures
The purpose of the Brandt Foundation Lectures is to bring noted speakers to our campus who have made important contributions to public understanding of individual liberty, free markets, limited government, and the Constitution. Beginning with the 2004 inaugural lecture by Nobel Laureate James M. Buchanan, the Brandt Foundation Lectures have attracted large audiences and contributed significantly to Boise State University and the larger community. The annual lectures are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. Free parking is provided in marked areas on the night of the event.
The Brandt Foundation Lectures at Boise State University are made possible by the generosity of the John H. and Orah I. Brandt Foundation.
John H. and Orah I. Brandt Foundation
John Brandt and his wife Orah were community leaders in Nampa throughout their lives, actively supporting private and public education and other community endeavors with both financial contributions and commitment of their time. John Brandt farmed, taught school, developed a thriving real estate business, worked to bring businesses to Nampa, and, with his wife, pursued many philanthropic projects.
Orah married John in 1931, and they shared 51 years together, raising three children. Also a teacher, Orah organized a group of ladies who canned and served food to provide free lunches in the schools. Like John, Orah was honored throughout her life for her community involvement.
Both John and Orah had an abiding belief in the value and virtue of free enterprise, and they established the John H. and Orah I. Brandt Foundation to support those values in perpetuity.
Trustees of the Brandt Foundation:
Don Brandt—Chairman of the Brandt Foundation board of trustees; son of John and Orah Brandt and President of the Brandt Agency, Nampa.
Lawerance Gray—Long-time Nampa farmer, active in many community organizations.
J.R. Schiller—Attorney and District and State Court Judge for many years.
Robert Rathbone—Retired registered investment advisor, Boise
Don Anderson—CFO, Boise automobile dealership
Jon Barnes
Mike Siegersma
Jerry Hess (Emeritus Member)—Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, College of Western Idaho; and President and CEO, J.M. Hess Construction.
Brandt Foundation Fellow of Free Enterprise Capitalism
Anne Walker — Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Boise State
Walker’s primary roles are engaging students in the study of economics and coordinating the annual Brandt Foundation Lecture Series. Anne received her Ph.D. in economics from West Virginia University in May 2013, and her MBA from the University of Kansas in 2003. Anne’s research has examined the effects of resource dependence on long-run economic growth across counties in the Appalachian region, and how this relationship is influenced by educational attainment. Her research has been published in the Review of Regional Studies, Contemporary Economic Policy, and the Journal of Regional Science.
Before coming to Boise State in fall 2017, Anne was a visiting assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver for four years. She has also worked extensively in private industry as a project manager and business consultant. She currently teaches courses in both macroeconomics and microeconomics and will teach global economics in Boise State’s Professional MBA program.
Contact: annewalker990@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-6246
The Brandt Professor
In December 2003 the Brandt Foundation established the first named professorship for a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at Boise State University, selecting Dr. Charlotte Twight to be the Brandt Professor of Free Enterprise Capitalism. As part of that professorship, the Brandt Foundation provides funding to bring important speakers to our campus annually under the auspices of the Brandt Foundation Lectures. Dr. Twight retired in Spring 2018. In 2019, the Brandt Professor of Free Enterprise Capitalism was awarded to Anne Walker.
