The Roe Award was established in 1992 and fittingly named after the late Thomas A. Roe, Jr., founder of State Policy Network. Mr. Roe was a loyal supporter of the state-based think tanks, providing support through his South Carolina-based Roe Foundation.
The annual Roe Award pays tribute to those in the state public policy movement whose achievements have greatly advanced the free market philosophy. It recognizes leadership, innovation and accomplishment in public policy. The award is an eagle, a symbol of liberty and the courage and conviction necessary for its preservation. 

 

Previous Roe Award Recipients

1993 (Traverse City, MI)

Joseph Dolan, The JM Foundation

Thomas A. Roe, The Roe Foundation

J. Patrick Rooney, Golden Rule Insurance Company

1994 (Tampa, FL)

John Andrews, Texas Public Policy Foundation

Joseph Bast, The Heartland Institute

1995 (San Diego, CA)

No awards presented

1996 (Minneapolis, MN)

William Eggers, The Reason Foundation

John H. Fund, The Wall Street Journal

Lawrence W. Reed, Mackinac Center for Public Policy

1997 (Tempe, AZ)

Carl Helstrom, The JM Foundation

Bob Williams, Evergreen Freedom Foundation

1998 (Atlanta, GA)

C.C. Guy, South Carolina Policy Council

Edward T. McMullen, Jr., South Carolina Policy Council

John M. Hood, John Locke Foundation

Joseph P. Overton, Mackinac Center for Public Policy

1999 (Dallas, TX)

Grover N. Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform

Robert W. Poole, Jr., Reason Foundation

2000 (St. Louis, MO)

J. Stanley Marshall, James Madison Institute

William H. "Chip" Mellor, Institute for Justice

Lovett "Pete" Peters, Pioneer Institute

2001 (Boulder, CO)

Steve Buckstein, Cascade Policy Institute

Bridgett G. Wagner, The Heritage Foundation

2002 (Indianapolis, IN)

Jo Kwong, Atlas Economic Research Foundation

Gary Palmer, Alabama Policy Institute

2003 (Seattle, WA)

Gisèle Huff, Jaquelin Hume Foundation

2004 (Austin, TX)

Sally Pipes, Pacific Research Institute

2005 (Charleston, SC)

Jon Caldara, Independence Institute

2006 (Milwaukee, WI)

Darcy Olsen, Goldwater Institute

2007 (Portland, ME)

Kevin Gentry, Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation

2008 (Scottsdale, AZ)

Brooke Rollins, Texas Public Policy institute

2010 (Asheville, NC)

Art Pope, John William Pope Foundation