Teaching America

Program Title: Teaching America-Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge

Speaker: David Harner

Bio: David Harmer is president and chief executive officer of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. To this role he brings a wealth of government, public-interest, and private-sector experience.

A graduate of Brigham Young University, Mr. Harmer was mentored through law school by former Solicitor General Rex Lee. Mr. Harmer began his legal career as counsel to a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, appointed by Senator Orrin Hatch. Taking his expertise in constitutional law to Pacific Legal Foundation, Mr. Harmer litigated in defense of personal and economic freedoms, particularly those recognized by the First and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

After serving as Bradley Resident Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Mr. Harmer authored pro-freedom works published by major newspapers, law reviews, and think tanks, including the Cato Institute. His publications include op-eds, law review articles, policy analyses, and a book. He also served in leadership roles in various education-focused non-profit organizations, including Junior Achievement.

Private practice at the Los Angeles-based law firm of O’Melveny & Myers prepared Mr. Harmer to spend the heart of his career as regulatory-compliance counsel to major financial institutions including Providian Financial, Washington Mutual, JPMorgan Chase, and Ally Bank. 

Following in the footsteps of his father, John Harmer (who served as lieutenant governor of California under Governor Ronald Reagan), David Harmer twice won his party’s nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives, turning purportedly uncompetitive San Francisco Bay Area districts into hotly contested battlegrounds.

Of his current role, Mr. Harmer says, “Leading Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is the capstone of my career, the greatest honor of my professional life, and the single best way I can foster freedom.”

Mr. Harmer and his wife, Elayne, care about our country’s future for four particularly important reasons: Madison, Jonas, Ariel, and Ben—their children.