Mark Skousen

Mark Skousen is an economist and writer. He was a Presidential Fellow at The George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University from 2014 to 2017. In 2019, Skousen was named the “My Favorite Professor Award,” the highest honor given at the Faculty Appreciation Awards, which the Office of Residence Life and First Year Experience hosts annually.

In 2018, Skousen was presented with the inaugural Triple Crown in Economics for his work in economic theory, history, and education.

He is the founder and owner of the libertarian-oriented FreedomFest conference. He introduced a breakthrough economic statistic called Gross Output, the first new economic aggregate recognized more than fifty years ago.

He has written the investment newsletter Forecasts & Strategies for more than 30 years. He was a columnist for Forbes magazine from 1997 to 2001.

He was president of the free market nonprofit Foundation for Economic Education from 2001 to 2002.

Mark Skousen was born on October 19, 1947, in San Diego, California, and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He holds a PhD in economics from George Washington University and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Brigham Young University.

He started his career as an economic analyst for the CIA in 1972. He was a consultant for IBM and Hutchinson Technology and other companies. He previously taught at Columbia Business School, Mercy College, Barnard College, and Rollins College. He has been a speaker at investment conferences and has lectured for think tanks. He was a weekly contributor on CNBC’s Kudlow & Company from 2008 to 2010 and appeared on C-SPAN Book TV and Fox News. He has written 25 books.

He and his wife Jo Ann are the parents of five children.