Ocean State Policy Research Institute

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OSPRI REDUCES BRAIN DRAIN IN RHODE ISLAND

PROVIDENCE, RI - The Ocean State Policy Research Institute announces Stephen Beale as a research associate in education and civil society affairs.

"We are excited to have Stephen as a research associate," said OSPRI President William Felkner. "With his experience as a reporter for the New Hampshire Union Leader, his efforts on behalf of academic freedom and intellectual diversity in higher education, and his record as leader of the conservative movement at Brown University, Stephen is a valuable addition to our staff."

From 2006 to 2009, Stephen was a correspondent for the Union Leader in Manchester, where he covered the 2008 presidential primary campaign as well as crime, education, economic development, and local news. His work has been published on ABCNews.com and MSNBC.com as well as in Parable Magazine and the Providence Journal. Stephen has also appeared as a guest on C-SPAN and The Today Show. Prior to 2006, Stephen was a research consultant with the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research in Indianapolis.

As an undergraduate at Brown University, Stephen was a founder of The Brown Spectator and a columnist for the Brown Daily Herald. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in classics and history. As an alum, Stephen serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Intellectual Diversity, a nonprofit organization which seeks to foster diverse perspectives on politics, culture, and economics at Brown. The Foundation currently funds The Brown Spectator and Closing Remarks, a journal of Christian thought, and works with students to develop other programs that challenge the dominance of left-leaning ideology on campus.

"I am delighted to be a part of the important work OSPRI is doing to promote free-market thinking and traditional American values in Rhode Island," Beale said. "Since its founding in 2007, OSPRI has quickly earned its seat at the table of public policy discourse and established itself as an indispensable voice for new ideas and fresh approaches to the challenges facing Rhode Island. OSPRI has a promising future ahead of it and I am honored to be a part of it."

As a research associate at OSPRI, Stephen will wear many hats. In addition to his work in the field of education and other areas of public policy, Stephen will contribute to the OSPRI blog, produce opinion-editorials, and assist in other writing projects and fundraising.

"At OSPRI, our underlying mission is to make Rhode Island a more hospitable state for prosperity," Felkner said. "Beale is our second graduate from a local university that we have on staff. So, besides working on policy issues that help Rhode Island, we are also doing our part to keep local talent in the state and stem the 'brain drain' of graduates from our colleges and universities."

About OSPRI:

Created in 2007, our work is focused on crafting sound public policy based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, and traditional American values. We offer timely research and analysis on important issues to be shared with elected officials, the media, business leaders, community organizations and individual citizens. In recent months, we have been responsible for such successful projects as the Transparency Train - A public financial and legislative information repository, as well as regular updates published and available on our website and companion blog.

About The Transparency Train:

The Transparency Train Web Portal (www.transparencytrain.org) provides access to a variety of websites designed to present public information in a Google-style searchable format. These sites include:
RI Data which contains every budget, payroll, public employee contract and monthly check register for all cities, towns and school districts in Rhode Island.
RI Votes which is an online database of legislation and voting records.
LRB Watch provides analysis and information on the State Labor Relations Board.
RI Stimulus Watch allows taxpayers to vote and comment on stimulus projects in Rhode Island.
RI Schools is an interactive website that allows viewers to create comparative graphs of school districts plotting various metrics such as cost per student, test scores and the number of employees (coming soon).
Take Action, a "how-to" manual that shows citizens how to file Freedom Of Information Act requests for public information and what to do if they don't comply.

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