Kris Mauren is co-founder and executive director of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty , an international educational and public policy organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Institute organizes educational seminars around the world for current and future religious leaders across denominations promoting an understanding of the ethical dimensions of the free market economy. The Institute also works with business leaders, helping them to embrace their work as a worthy calling and to encourage their positive moral defense of a free society characterized by individual liberty and personal moral responsibility. Since its inception in 1990, the Acton Institute has experienced tremendous growth and today employs nearly forty people with an annual budget of over $7,500,000.

Kris is a Seattle native and the youngest of 8 children. After graduating with economics and international relations degrees from The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), Kris settled in Grand Rapids to help found the Acton Institute . In his role as executive director of the Acton Institute, Kris has traveled the world, lecturing and consulting in dozens of countries. He is widely recognized as a leader in non profit management, and consults regularly on best practices in management, measurement, and fundraising in the not for profit sector. In 2010 he was presented with the Charles G. Koch Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Institute for Humane Studies, and was the 1999 recipient of the Liberty Executive Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Management. Kris volunteers service on a number of non profit boards, including Donors Capital Fund and the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), and advisory board member of the John Templeton Foundation. He also serves on the boards of Excel Charter Academy and Grand River Preparatory Academy. Kris is active in a number of community organizations including: CEO Roundtable, The Economics Club of Grand Rapids, The Rotary Club of Grand Rapids, and St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Professional affiliations include membership in: The Philadelphia Society, and Legatus, an international association of Catholic CEOs. Kris is married to Joni and has four children.