Daren Bakst was a senior research fellow for environmental policy and regulation at The Heritage Foundation. In this position, Bakst analyzed and wrote about regulation, trade, environmental policy, food and agricultural policy, and private property rights, among other issues. He has done extensive work to address regulatory process and reform issues, combat cronyism, and remove government barriers that hinder economic freedom and innovation both domestically and globally.

Bakst frequently submits comments to regulatory agencies, testifies before Congress, and has appeared in or been quoted by a wide range of media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Times, CNN, Fox Business News, Al-Jazeera America, and U.S. News and World Report. 

Before joining The Heritage Foundation, Bakst was a policy counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he focused on regulatory reform and environmental policy. He served as the executive to the association’s Government Oversight, Operations & Consumer Affairs committee, which was responsible for issues such as regulatory process reform.

He worked for seven years at the Raleigh, N.C.-based John Locke Foundation, one of the largest state-based, free-market think tanks. As director of legal and regulatory studies, his broad portfolio included regulatory reform, property rights, and environmental policy.

Bakst serves on the Federalist Society’s Administrative Law and Regulation Executive Committee, a member of the Washington International Trade Association, and a member of the Publications Peer Review Committee for the Food and Drug Law Institute.  He also serves on the College Level Advisory Board for Constituting America, an organization that informs and educates about the importance of the U.S. Constitution. 

Bakst, who hails from West Palm Beach, Fla., received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Washington University. A licensed attorney, he holds a law degree from University of Miami and a master of laws degree from American University.