The Welcome Message to the 2016 Smith Soc National Meeting, by Alison Mangiero, Senior Director, Adam Smith Society. 

Welcome.

I remember almost five years ago, traveling to Harvard Business School to discuss what was then just an idea: creating a national network of free-market business school students.

We hoped that we would find a cadre of MBA students who understood that businesspeople shouldn’t—and can’t—ignore public policy, and who believed that business is a noble endeavor.

That day, we met with four Harvard MBAs who shared our beliefs—they became the founding members of the Adam Smith Society. Five years later, it gives me great pride to convene a National Meeting with students representing 25 chapters and to say that we have over 4,000 MBA students and alumni in our network.

Ideas matter—just as much as elections or the political party that happens to be in power. Our mission is to shape the public discourse in fundamental ways, explaining why certain core principles—economic choice and individual responsibility, in particular—are critical for our nation’s success. You and your MBA peers will undoubtedly be successful in your careers as entrepreneurs, executives, and financiers. But our hope is that you will be more than that—you will be thoughtful proponents of our economic system.

You represent America’s future business leadership. You will be influential. Your opinion, and what you say and do, will carry a lot of weight. By joining the Adam Smith Society, you have shown that you care about the direction the country is headed. You believe that there should be serious discussion and debate about the policies that affect our nation’s business climate. We want to encourage you to foster that conversation while in business school, and after you graduate.

To that end, we organize gatherings like this, so that you can get to know others who share your commitment. It is my pleasure to welcome you to New York. We look forward to getting to know you over the next two days.

Alison Mangiero

Senior Director, Adam Smith Society