FSP Biographies

Stephen Cobb

Soon after finishing a master's degree in engineering, Steve left his native southern California for more interesting weather in Leningrad (where he studied for a year), Udmurtia (where for three years he unsuccessfully searched for nuclear missiles prohibited under the INF Treaty), and later Kiev, Ukraine. Five years of socialism not being enough, he then spent six years in Germany. Freedom is invisible, like air--you only miss it when it is gone. Steve is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party.

Carla Gericke

Carla Gericke, JD, MFA, AKA “Queen Quill,” was born in the police state of South Africa and immigrated to California after winning a green card in the lottery. She practiced law as in-house counsel at Fortune 500 companies in Silicon Valley before redirecting her efforts to liberty activism and writing. In 2008, Carla moved with her husband, FSP board member Louis Calitz, from New York City to New Hampshire. She is the program director of a NH-based arts non-profit, teaches writing, and is working on a memoir about the Free State Project. In 2009-2010, Carla was the organizer of the Porcupine Freedom Festival, which grew significantly under her reign. Once a month, she co-hosts “She Talk Live,” the all-female edition of the nationally syndicated “Free Talk Live” radio show. Carla likes cooking, yoga, keeping police accountable, voluntary monarchies, and killing the occasional turkey with her bare hands. She is president of the Free State Project.   

Irena Goddard

Irena was born in communist Czechoslovakia, and emigrated to the United States with her mother in 1982. She grew up in upstate New York, where she received a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science. After receiving her degree, she lived and worked as software implantation project manager in Europe, Australia and the United States. The Goddards relocated from San Francisco to Concord, New Hampshire in 2005. Irena likes to play basketball and loves to play chess.

Jon Maltz

Jon grew up in southern Florida before joining the U.S. Air Force and spending three years in England. He spent 13 years living in Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire.

Varrin Swearingen

Has been a libertarian since grade school and is one of three graduates of Pioneer Christian Academy, a school started and operated by Marshall Fritz (founder of the Advocates for Self-Government and the Alliance for the Separation of School and State). Varrin ran for Congress in 2002 for the LP and has served as chair and vice-chair for the LP of Fresno County. Varrin is a 2002 Lights of Liberty award winner, has been the subject of local and national news articles, and has been published online and in print. Varrin is a Christian, has been married to Edi for over 15 years and they have a 8 year-old son, Edison, and a 7 year-old daughter, Erin. He works as an airline pilot, is a musician, has traveled to 46 states and over 45 territories and countries.  He moved to New Hampshire in 2004.

Andrew Del Vecchio

The current Local Groups coordinator. His duties include helping new members get in touch with their local FSP group, and to help motivated activists to start local groups in their area for the purposes of having fun, acting as a support network, and recruiting new movers to the "free state." Andrew has been involved with many pro liberty organizations, including the Libertarian Party, DownsizeDC.org, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He's also involved in other organizations such as the Rotaract Club, giving them a much needed freedom oriented perspective. Like hundreds of other Free Staters, he is involved with the technology sphere. Though that may be unoriginal, he has been working on a career in marketing, something that is both unique and useful to the movement. Andrew will earn a BA in Political Science in May 2008. To contact him, send an e-mail to localgroups@freestateproject.org.

Tom Hudson

Tom moved from Texas to New Hampshire in 2000 and has lived in several places across the Live Free or Die state, but prefers to call the Seacoast region home. While currently residing in San Diego on a temporary work assignment, he does visit on a regular basis and is looking forward to his return in June 2012. During his time in New Hampshire, Tom started and organized the New Hampshire Seacoast Liberty group, served on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire chapter of Freedom Force International, and was the Welcome Wagon Coordinator for the Free State Project. In 2008, he was presented the Political Activist of the Year award by the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and was elected as a delegate to the New Hampshire Republican State Caucus. Tom also had the opportunity to speak at the City of Minneapolis GOP in 2009 about Americans' loss of liberty and the wonderful opportunity that the Free State Project offers to fellow liberty lovers.

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