Think Tank Attorney to Speak to GOP

Derk Wilcox, senior attorney at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, will speak to the Eastside Republican Club in Grosse Pointe Farms Tuesday, March 15.

Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Michigan.

Wilcox will explain how think tanks such as the Mackinac Center influence public policy.

The 7:30 p.m. forum is open to the public and will be held at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Road.

Commenting in advance of the meeting, ERC chairman Ken Chadwell said, “We know the Mackinac Center has been active in pursuing the free speech rights of teachers and are eager to learn more about the prospect of public policy changes.

He added, “The Forum is open to the public at no charge, so we invite anyone interested in the public policy to attend.”

Prior joining the Mackinac Center in 2012, Wilcox practiced both as an attorney in private practice and with various firms representing clients in civil matters.

He has also represented patients in the state's mental-health care system and disabled clients in the probate courts.

Wilcox also spent ten years with Economics America, Inc., an economic consulting firm for which he developed econometric forecasts, and formulated computer-forecasting models.

Wilcox earned a law degree from Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, where he was recipient of the Thomas More full-tuition scholarship. He also earned a master’s in economics from University of Detroit Mercy, and a bachelor of arts in political science and economics from the University of Michigan.

The Eastside Republican Club Forum meets monthly from September to June. Admission is free and the public is always welcome. Stay up-to-date and "like" the ERC on Facebook.