Policy Studies Program
305 Ramer History House
718 Sullivan Road
Lafayette College
Easton, PA 18042

Mark Crain is the William E. Simon Professor of Political Economy at Lafayette College and Chair of the Policy Studies program.  In addition to teaching and research, his duties include strategic planning, curriculum development, faculty oversight and recruitment, and communications with internal and external constituencies.  He has published over 100 articles and 9 books in the fields of business, economics, political science, and law.  His recent book, Tort Law Tally (2009), assesses the impact of tort reform in the American States on tort losses and tort insurance premiums.
           
Dr. Crain came to Lafayette College in 2004 from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia where he had been a faculty member with administrative, research, and teaching duties since 1982.  As Director of the Center for Study of Public Choice, Dr. Crain led one of the world’s most productive academic enterprises.  Dr. Crain also served as Director of the Economics Ph.D. and M.A. Programs at George Mason.  His prior academic positions were at UCLA and Virginia Tech.   

Dr. Crain was Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (1987-88), and co-author of the transition report on the US Department of Energy in 1988.  For the Commonwealth of Virginia, Dr. Crain served as a Trustee of the $45 billion Virginia Retirement System and chaired its Audit and Compliance Committee.  He was a member of the Governor’s Advisory Board of Economists for eight years.  In total, his federal and state level public service over 25 years includes work on a variety of topics including budgeting, energy, regulation, GPS, transportation, and finance.

Dr. Crain received his doctorate in economics from Texas A & M University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston.

Julie O’Brien is the Policy Studies program coordinator working with W. Mark Crain, William E. Simon Professor of Political Economy and Policy Studies program chair. Ms. O’Brien is responsible for managing the program’s events, communications, and budget.

Ms. O’Brien joins Lafayette from GoldenTree Asset Management, L.P., a Manhattan based asset management company. Ms. O’Brien was a senior member of the marketing and client service team responsible for monthly, quarterly, and yearly performance reporting, investor due diligence, management and implementation of a client relationship management system, assisting in the launch and closing of the company’s funds, developing and maintaining investor relationships, and maintaining the financial aspects of the company website.

Prior to joining GoldenTree, Ms. O’Brien was the head of client service at Promethean Asset Management LLC in Manhattan where she was responsible for the structure and development of a marketing and client service platform implemented to improve client servicing, marketing administration, internal controls, reporting, accounting and compliance. Prior to joining Promethean, Ms. O’Brien was a marketing associate at The Palladin Group, L.P. formerly located in Maplewood, New Jersey where she was responsible for investor relations and marketing compliance.

Ms. O’Brien holds a B.A. in Finance from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She resides in Easton, Pennsylvania with her husband and son.