John Tillman

John Tillman is CEO of the American Culture Project and one of the nation’s most influential leaders in the free-market public-policy movement. He is best known for building the Illinois Policy Institute into one of the most impactful state-based think tanks in the country, serving as its CEO from 2007 to 2020. He also served as chairman of the board for 19 years before resigning to focus on new national initiatives.

During his tenure at IPI, Tillman cofounded and chaired the Liberty Justice Center, which successfully argued the landmark Janus v. AFSCME case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018, ending mandatory union fees for public employees. Under his leadership, IPI also played a central role in the coalition that defeated Governor J.B. Pritzker’s proposed progressive income tax in 2020.

Tillman is the founder and chairman of numerous organizations advancing liberty, free enterprise, and accountability in public life. These include the Franklin News Foundation, which operates news bureaus in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and whose flagship wire service, The Center Square, reaches more than 2.2 million readers daily, as well as the digital marketing agency Iron Light.

He is also the founder and driving force behind the Hall of Giants, a major cultural initiative dedicated to celebrating the individuals, ideas, and institutions that shaped American freedom. Through immersive exhibits, storytelling, and public engagement, Hall of Giants seeks to reconnect Americans with the principles that made the nation exceptional and inspire a renewed commitment to liberty.