Dr. Aileen Teague is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Affairs. She previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. She is also a fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy. Teague earned her Ph.D. in History from Vanderbilt University in 2018. Born in Colon, Panama, she travelled the world as part of a military family and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2006 to 2014. She teaches classes on U.S. history and relations with Latin America and serves as faculty coordinator for the Latin America concentration. Her book, Policing on Drugs: The United States, Mexico, and the Origins of the Modern Drug War, 1969-2000 is forthcoming with Oxford University Press.

Alicia Fawcett is a multicultural technologist, open-source analyst and international expert on cyber policy, digital geo-interference, disinformation and cybersecurity. She currently works as a Senior Cybersecurity expert at McKinsey & Co, advising on a range of global cyber and data privacy issues. In addition, she serves as a Foregin Interference and Disinformation Research Fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington D.C. Alicia is deeply passionate about global technology ethics, and her career is credited with vast professional experience encompassing work within both public and private sectors. She received her MA in International Economic Relations and Diplomatic Studies at The University of Economics, Prague and her BA in Economics and Asian Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. She speaks Mandarin Chinese, German, Italian and French.

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Anne Marshall is an associate professor of history at Mississippi State University, where she has taught since 2006. 

She received her B.A. in History at Centre College of Kentucky and her MA and PhD in History at the University of Georgia.

Her first book was  Creating a Confederate Kentucky: The Lost Cause and Civil War Memory in a Border State (University of North Carolina Press, 2010).  She is currently writing a biography of the colorful anti-slavery reformer Cassius Marcellus Clay, who served as Lincoln’s minister to Russia during the Civil War.  She has also authored numerous articles, which have appeared in journals including the Journal of the Civil War Era and Slavery & Abolition

She became the Executive Director of the U.S. Grant Association and Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library in March 2022.

Ben Taylor seems to run into scammers a lot. Most people ignore them. He likes to get to know them. Follow him on my journey to expose internet scams and make good men out of the people behind them.

Brock Murphy was born in Plano, Texas and grew up on a ranch in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. His family raised and competed on American Quarter horses and in 2012, Brock launched his first company raising Texas longhorn cattle - turning a $1,500 investment into over $100,000 in just a few years. After graduating from Saxony Lutheran High School, Brock attended Texas A&M University, where he majored in Agricultural Economics. Shortly after leaving the government realm, Brock took a role at SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas. Officially in December 2022, Brock shifted to his own company, Parent ProTech, which he co-founded with two friends to help families and schools navigate technology to keep children safe. He is spearheading their national expansion now as its President and Operator.

Carolyn Hoover is the granddaughter of two Japanese American incarcerees. In 2020, she graduated from Duke University with a degree in Public Policy and Global Health and she is now an investment banking analyst at Rothschild and Co. When she was in high school, she was selected by the Japanese government to serve as a student ambassador between Japan and the United States, and since then has served as a delegate and American Executive Committee member for the Japan America student conference. She also created a brief documentary on her family’s incarceration experience that was aired at the Smithsonian. Carolyn has served as a legislative intern for Congressman Honda and worked for a year at the Department of Commerce both locally in D.C. and abroad in Paris, France at the American Embassy. In addition to representing her country internationally as a civil servant and ambassador, she has also represented Team USA at ITU Multisports World Championships. 

Christian is a policy analyst at the Eno Center for Transportation, a nonpartisan think tank renowned for its global impact on transportation policy and research. He previously held leadership roles serving as an executive board member for the DC Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) Chapter and a member of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). He has presented research at both local and national conferences on transit-oriented development and is a staunch advocate for strengthening urban design and sustainable mobility.

Christian earned his Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies from Towson University and a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University’s George Bush School of Government and Public Service.

• Washington State University, Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program, PhD, 2015
• Washington State University, Political Science, MA, Global Justice and Security Studies (Emphasis in Bioterrorism), 2009
• Washington State University, Political Science, BA, Global Politics, 2008

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Rural Health
• Health Access and Quality
• Border Health 
• Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Epidemics and Pandemic

David is a Pittsburgh native who moved to DC 3.5 years ago to pursue politics and digital media but ended up fulfilling his true dream of creating a business. David went to the University of Pittsburgh in Film Studies. He worked on the Hill for 3 years mainly working for his home member of Congress as Digital Director. 

- lives in navy yard

- recently engage / planning a wedding with the love of my life

- waiting table at Mission Navy Yard to pay the bills

- quit the Hill in March when I launched CNCT

- spend my free time reading, doing anything active (hiking, basketball, swimming, yoga, etc..), love spending time with my friends and diving deeper into my church community

Born in Communist Albania, Dr. Elida Dakoli overcame the political persecution of her family to become an international concert pianist, entrepreneur and human rights activist. 

Driven by her passion for music, she began her musical studies at the age of six, despite restricted access to instruments in her country. As an entrepreneur and educator, Dr. Dakoli has championed an entrepreneurial approach to artistic careers as the Founder and Professor of the Entrepreneurship in the Arts program at Dallas Baptist University where she also serves as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Board. She is the Executive Director of the Dallas Institute of Musical Advancement (DIMA) which she founded in 2017, an after school music program offered at the most elite Dallas schools. 

In recent years, she has collaborated with the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC). Dr. Dakoli currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children.

Elizabeth Lane an Assistant Professor of Political Science a North Carolina State University. She earned her PhD from Michigan State University in American politics and research methods in 2019. Her research centers on the intersection of race, gender, and judicial behavior at the United States Supreme Court. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the American Political Science Association. Her research has appeared in the Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, American Politics Research, Journal of Law and Courts, and Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, and was featured by The London School of Economics Phelen Center Blog and Vox.

Dr. Emma Humphries joined iCivics as Chief Education Officer in February 2016.

Emma began her career in education as a classroom teacher in north Florida where she taught all levels of American government, American history, and economics.

Emma has degrees in political science and education and was awarded a James Madison Fellowship in 2004. She was a founding member of the iCivics Teacher Council (now Educator Network), and has been spreading the good word about iCivics since 2010. Emma lives on Saint Simons Island, GA with her husband, Michael, and their daughters, June and Julia. When she’s not reading the Federalist Papers or tormenting the rest of the iCivics team with weather reports, she enjoys jogging away her worries and attending music festivals with her husband and friends.

In 2014, I attended an invite only school board trustee committee meeting where graphic Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curriculum was introduced. This curriculum presented ways that children as young as kindergarten should be taught about topics like masturbation. I was appalled. Shortly after that, the Clark County School District (CCSD) introduced this curriculum to the community, and outrage ensued. Parental pushback was so intense, the superintendent ultimately pulled the curriculum. Shortly after that, a group of parents who had attended those district meetings gathered and began to discuss the need for an organized effort to expose the usurpation of parental rights. That evening Power2Parent was born with the mission to inform, organize, and mobilize parents and community members to protect parental rights.

After our first year, I was appointed President of Power2Parent and we formally organized our small board.

Francisco Kilgore is a storyteller. Over the past five years he has lived on three continents and worked in four languages across nonprofits and media trying to understand and better communicate peoples' experiences.

Francisco believes that everyone has a story, and that every story is interesting if you ask the right questions. Through his radio show, Hello Sonoma!, he created almost 100 hour-long weekly radio episodes exploring this principle, researching and interviewing people in eight countries. 

Before journalism, Francisco developed and augmented services for community members experiencing homelessness for the county and city of Sonoma in California. 

He recently graduated with a masters at Columbia School of Journalism where he honed his storytelling skills and hope to bring his stories to wider audiences.

George C. Edwards III is University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies Emeritus at Texas A&M University.  He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Oxford.  A leading scholar of the presidency, he has written or edited 27 books on politics and policymaking.  He was editor of Presidential Studies Quarterly for 24 years and general editor of the Oxford Handbook of American Politics series.  Professor Edwards has served as president of the Presidency Research Section of the American Political Science Association and held senior appointments at Oxford, the University of London, Sciences Po-Paris, Peking University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

It’s not often that you find an athlete, engineer, musician, and a former Miss America all in one. Grace Stanke breaks misconceptions surrounding nuclear energy through social media, public engagements, and educational workshops. During her year as Miss America 2023, Grace was named the “New Face of Nuclear Energy” by the Wall Street Journal and was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Energy. While completing approximately 270,000 miles of travel, she finished her undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since passing on the title of Miss America, Grace continues to travel to advocate for peaceful purposes of the science of the atom.

“I’m not looking to change the entire world on my own - all I need to do is make the one connection that will start a chain reaction.”  

Hannah grew up in Ormond Beach, Florida, and first attended college at Daytona State College. After earning her AA degree, she attended the University of Florida (UF) where she completed her bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Women's Studies. She continued her studies at UF where she earned her master's degree in Gender, Sexualities, and Women's studies. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Administration at UF.

Hannah has a deep passion for the community college mission as it centers access, equity, and community responsiveness. This passion stems from her personal experience as a community college student, so she aspired to a career in the community college space. She began working as an Admissions Specialist at Santa Fe College and fell in love with helping students reach their goals. She is excited to continue to help West Valley Students students live happy, healthy, and successful lives.

Ian Easton is a senior director at the Project 2049 Institute in Virginia and the author of "The Final Struggle: Inside China’s Global Strategy" and "The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan's Defense and American Strategy in Asia." He previously served as a visiting fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs in Tokyo. He holds an M.A. in China Studies from National Chengchi University in Taiwan and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He studied Mandarin Chinese at Fudan University in Shanghai and National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei.

A native to Arizona, Jacqueline competed for the title of Miss Arizona 6 times before capturing the title in 2019.  During her time as the longest reigning Miss Arizona, she was nominated as one of the Most Influential Women in the Arizona because of her work with Lady Leaders, which has held partnerships with three major universities, two U.S. Senators, three non-profits, and numerous businesses.  At Miss America 2020, Jacqueline was named a top 5 finalist for the Women in Business Scholarship Award. 

During her time as the spokeswoman of Arizona for the Miss America Organization, she gained unparalleled communications and PR experience in front and behind the camera. This experience led her to become the youngest Deputy Press Secretary of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the largest law enforcement agency in the world. She is now a Press Secretary for a member of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Career officer in the Directorate of Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency, serving mostly overseas in clandestine operations.  Served as Chief of Counterintelligence at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia.  Overseas assignments in the U.S.S.R., Austria, and Mexico.  Foreign languages: French, German, Russian, and Spanish.

Recipient of the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Counterintelligence Excellence Medal, the Donovan Award, and several distinguished achievement awards.

Assigned by the CIA to the George Bush School of Government and Public Service in College Station, Texas, as an officer-in-residence in December 1997.

Author of “The Ten Commandments of Counterintelligence,” “Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying,” and “To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence.”

Jeffrey Crean is a Professor of History at Tyler Junior College. He received his Ph.D. in History from Texas A&M University in 2017. His research interests include the interaction of U.S. foreign relations with domestic politics, as well as war and public opinion. He has previously published articles in War & Society and Diplomacy & Statecraft, among other journals, along with book chapters for The Vietnam War in Popular Culture and Peace, War, and Partnership:

Congress and the Military since World War II. He is also the Book Reviews Editor for the Journal of American-East Asian Relations.

His first book, The Fear of China: An International History, will be published by Bloomsbury Press in January 2024.

Jennie Taylor is a highly sought-after motivational speaker for topics such as resilience, grief, patriotism, military service, family dynamics, and living a purposeful life. She has spoken across Utah, in California, Arizona, Georgia, Manhattan, and Washington, DC. Jennie has been interviewed by Time Magazine, Fox News, CNN, NBC’s Today Show, and more. A high school teacher with a Masters in Education by trade, Jennie is also the mother of seven children, ages 4 to 16, and the Gold Star Widow of Utah Army National Guard Major Brent Taylor.

Mr. Kaskin was a member of the Senior Executive Service for over 25 years. Mr. Kaskin retired with 37 years of government service as the duties of Director, Strategic Mobility and Combat Logistics Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (N-42), in June 2012.  He was rehired as a Senior Advisor, Maritime, to support the Navy Secretariat’s investigation of the business case for Dual Use Vessels on America’s Marine Highway which he completed June of 2014. He is now a part-time Senior Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses.

He was recently appointed as a Member of the National Academies Marine Board.  He was awarded the SES Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive in 1999 and 2009 and Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Medal in 2012.   

Dr. Kateryna Shynkaruk is a Senior Lecturer at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in Washington DC, where she teaches courses in East European Politics, European Security, and in International Relations Theory. Dr. Shynkaruk is a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She has over 15 years’ experience of working in academia, with think tanks and diplomatic missions. Her research interests cover Eastern Europe, Ukraine’s foreign and security policy, and the role of ideas and culture in International Relations. She holds a Ph.D. in Global Political Affairs (2011) from National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. Dr. Shynkaruk has over 30 publications on the topics of post-communist transformations in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe. 

Prior to joining the Tax Foundation in April 2018, Ms. Loughead worked for a U.S. senator and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she advised on tax policy during the consideration and enactment of the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. A graduate of the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University, Ms. Loughead holds a degree in English and Business Administration, as well as a paralegal certificate from Georgetown University.

Originally from Belvidere, Illinois, Katherine now lives in Washington, D.C., where in her spare time she can be found taking flying trapeze classes or reliving her gymnastics days at the local YMCA.

Kirbie joined Eno in the fall of 2023, bringing years of experience in government relations, public policy, and state and local government. Originally from the Houston area, Kirbie attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee for her undergraduate degree where she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Politics and Spanish. Upon graduation, she spent a brief time working within the Tennessee Legislature and with a campaign-focused digital media firm before returning to Texas to complete a Master of Public Service and Administration at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

After obtaining her master’s degree, Kirbie most recently worked in government relations for Texas A&M’s Engineering Agencies.

Kristin Strobel has been a government affairs professional for the past fifteen years. She joined the multi-client, bipartisan lobbying firm, the BGR Group, in January 2017. In that capacity she used her many years of state government experience to assist clients in areas as diverse as executive policy, legislative debates and regulatory issues. Kristin served as Policy Director for the Attorney General of Ohio, Mike DeWine. She testified for the office on legislative initiatives before the Ohio state legislature and collaborated with border state Attorneys General and their legislatures on policy initiatives. She also served as Senior Advisor on Special Taskforces and Policy Subcommittees for the Ohio Attorney General. 

A native of Ohio, Kristin graduated from Ohio University in 2007, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Geography. She achieved her Master of Arts degree in Political Science (American Politics) in 2008. 

Leah Roddenberry is the current Miss Florida 2021, author,  and founder of “Be a LeadHER”, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences. Leah is a member of the Florida Blue Key, the oldest and most prestigious leadership honorary society in the state of Florida. 

In addition to her collegiate studies, Leah is heavily involved in her UF and local community. She started “Be a LeadHER: Igniting the Spark Within” as a result of her own struggle with self-confidence during her youth. Leah believes that young women deserve to be taught the foundations of leadership and courage so they can learn how to tackle any situation they may face. Her goal is to lead by example and ignite the spark within every young woman, providing them with the opportunity to dream bigger and pursue goals they never thought possible.

Leigh Munsil is the editor-in-chief of the nonprofit San Antonio Report newsroom in San Antonio, Texas.

Previously, she held staff writer, reporter, and editor positions with The Dallas Morning News, POLITICO, The Blaze, and CNN Politics, and most recently was the editor of CNN’s The Point with Chris Cillizza in Washington, DC. 

Munsil holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Arizona State University, where she also studied Spanish and served as editor-in-chief of the university’s daily newspaper, The State Press. 

Born to illiterate working-class parents in China’s western Sichuan province just before Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Lily Tang Williams grew up experiencing extremely poor living conditions, food rationing, social chaos, and Communist indoctrination.

In 1988, Lily Tang Williams decided to attend university in the U.S., leaving her faculty position with only $100 in her pocket and $1200 in debt to her American sponsor, a Fulbright professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a Master’s degree in Administration and Planning from the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.

During this time of hard work, and raising her family, Lily began her journey of discovery of liberty and representative democracy. She began traveling the country as a professional speaker sharing her story about the horrors of Socialism and Communism, inspiring people to value their American heritage and their freedoms and opportunities.

Born and raised in North Texas, Santora has a special place in her heart for the Lone Star State, but her interests have carried her to both coasts of the United States and various regions of the world. Lucy Santora is an Analyst for Simon Everett in New York City. Her work focuses on strategies for governments and private entities engaged in cyberspace and ICT who are seeking to promote security and increase economic development. She attended the University of Southern California, from which she earned a Bachelors of International Relations and Masters of Public Diplomacy. Outside of her vigorous foreign affairs involvement, Santora wrote her first book which takes a non-partisan approach to voting rights and trends in the United States. The work, titled Ballot Boxing, is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. When she’s not indulging her professional passions, Santora can be found hiking, looking for the best pizza, or between the pages of an adventure novel.

My four-year stint as the Scholar in Residence at the Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier has enabled me to steep myself in the political ruminations of America’s most intellectually profound statesman.  Although most of my recent endeavors have focused on American politics, I have been unwilling to relinquish my broader training in political philosophy.  That is why, when given my first opportunity to develop a course entirely to my own specifications at the University of Virginia, I chose to combine an education in Aristotelian rhetoric with an exploration of the ways that the enduring principles of political persuasion were engrafted into America’s constitutional order.  I hope always to continue these investigations, both within the pages of the Great Books of Western civilization and within the classroom.

Since 2016, Mark Welsh has served as Dean of the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M where he oversees the School’s mission to prepare students to become principled leaders and public servants – following the lifelong example set forth by President George H.W. Bush.

During his distinguished military career, he served as the 20th Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 2012 – 2016. As Chief of Staff he was the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 664,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President. He has received numerous awards and decorations during his military career.

https://www.iammrbeat.com/

Spc. Maura Spence, a Katy, Texas native and an intelligence analyst with 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, won first place in the Miss Colorado 2021 pageant, June 8, 2021.

Now known as Spc. Colorado by her unit’s executive officer, Spence is scheduled to attend the Miss America 2022 pageant in December 2021 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Michael E. Fossum ‘80 currently serves as a Vice President of Texas A&M University, the Chief Operating Officer of the Galveston Campus, and the Superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. Fossum joined Texas A&M following his retirement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – Johnson Space Center in 2017. Fossum is a veteran of three space flights with more than 194 days in space and more than 48 hours in seven spacewalks during his 19 years as an astronaut.

Fossum was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and grew up in McAllen, Texas. He is married to his Aggie sweetheart, the former Melanie J. London ‘80. They have four children and eight grandchildren.

Michael Green is an associate professor of history in UNLV's Department of History. He earned his B.A. and M.A. at UNLV and his Ph.D. at Columbia University. He teaches history courses on nineteenth-century America and on Nevada and Las Vegas, for the history department and the Honors College.

Green is also active in writing and speaking in the community. He writes "Nevada Yesterdays" for Nevada Humanities and KNPR, and "Inside the Beltway" for a newsletter, Nevada’s Washington Watch. He lives in Las Vegas, but not in Las Vegas (and he can explain why), with his wife, Deborah Young, former director of scholarship and tribute giving at UNLV, in a home owned by their two cats.

Hello, I am Pat Yaro.

People are interested in politics but many don’t have time to study the underlying meaning of the headlines they read on the internet or watch on TV.

In my blog, I explain and analyze current issues for those who want to know more about politics.

I graduated from Corvinus University with a Bachelor’s degree, and I hold a Master’s degree from the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University.

Paul grew up on the family farm in rural southeastern Fairfield County. He attended The Ohio State University, earning a B.S. in Social Studies Education. While at Ohio State, Paul was elected undergraduate student body president. He later earned his master’s degree in History Education from Xavier University.

In 1985, Paul entered the classroom as a high school social studies teacher at Washington Court House High School where he remained until his retirement. Paul was the varsity wrestling coach, leading his team to two southeast division II sectional wrestling titles.

Paul has been the recipient of numerous state and national teaching awards. Since retiring, Paul has continued to work with social studies teachers and created educational content for the Ohio World War I Centennial, The Black History Bulletin, and the National Park Service. Paul and his wife Kathleen live in Washington Court House.

Phil Katsaros was appointed a Board Member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board by Governor Steve Sisolak in April 2019. He recently completed his term on January 28, 2023.

Katsaros has over 25 years of gaming industry experience, having served in a variety of positions and leadership roles during that time, including time spent as a regulator with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.  Much of Katsaros’ career has been focused on the international and online gaming sectors, where for example, he led efforts on a number of fronts for IGT’s international land-based business during a period of record growth.  All told, Katsaros has gaming industry experience in over 70 international markets.

Poppy MacDonald is the President of USAFacts, the non-partisan, non-profit civic initiative and source for well-visualized data on the American people and how we are doing as a nation – leading an effort to help Americans ground their democratic debate in facts.  MacDonald served as president and chief operating officer of POLITICO USA, National Journal’s publisher and president, as well as chief revenue officer, POLITICO Pro’s executive director of business development, overseeing the launch of Politico’s first paid subscription model, and as a partner at Gallup Inc., where she launched the World Poll and led the health care practice.  MacDonald began her career serving members of Congress representing her Pacific Northwest hometown on both the Senate and House sides of Capitol Hill – and is happy to be back, enjoying Seattle and surrounds with her husband and two children.

Rachel Rohrbach is a recent law school graduate who is currently working as a prosecutor in Florida. Rachel attended Liberty University School of Law and graduated in May 2023. Prior to law school, Rachel attended Marshall University and graduated in 2018 with degrees in accounting and political science. Throughout college and after college, Rachel interned in a wide variety of places, mostly in politics, including internships in the Trump White House in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Capitol Hill, and some other financial-related internships. After graduating college, Rachel went on to work for the Department of Defense and earn her Master’s of Business Administration. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys spending time with her dog, Libby, her family and friends, being outside, and taking group fitness classes. She is always happy to help people looking for advice related to internships, resumes, or career planning.

Sarah Selip has nearly a decade of experience in political public relations, coalition building, and strategic communications, which has given her a deep understanding of the media landscape. She has worked closely with prominent figures in the Republican movement, including on state, House, Senate, and presidential campaigns. 

With her extensive background in conservative politics, Sarah is well-equipped to shape public perceptions and foster positive relationships between clients and the media. Her work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fox News, Newsweek, New York Post, and the Washington Examiner.

As a former congressional communications director, Sarah spent the last four years helping members of Congress effectively communicate their legislative agenda and priorities by raising their media profiles nationwide and within their districts.

Sinc Harris is LMI’s client relations executive for the defense sector. He retired as a rear admiral after a 34-year career in the U.S. Navy. His service culminated as the vice director for operations to chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his distinguished career, he led joint, combined, multinational, and interagency organizations both at sea and ashore across all aspects of defense, including full-spectrum operations, program management, strategic planning, and execution. He also commanded the U.S. Fourth Fleet, leading U.S. naval forces assigned to the U.S. Southern Command. 

Stephen Perkins is a conservative strategist and activist who develops movements and the leaders that advance them. As the American Conservation Coalition’s Vice President of Grassroots Strategy, he oversees the organization’s grassroots programming, strategy, and growth. In this role, he empowers the field team, staff, and local activists to grow as leaders in the conservative environmental movement. Stephen also oversees the annual ACC Summit, which brings together 300 students and young professionals for a weekend of education, training, and motivation. Originally from Houston, he currently resides in Fort Worth, TX with his dog, Hudson. He is a passionate traveler and enjoys exploring America’s natural beauty through camping and hiking.

As ACI’s Vice President of Policy and Research, Tirzah writes on a wide variety of technology and regulatory-related issues. Prior to coming to ACI Tirzah worked for the premier policy think tank in Pennsylvania where she focused on economic and fiscal policy.

Additionally, she has experience working with think tanks around the globe and has been fortunate to witness firsthand the positive impacts policy can have in individuals’ lives. 

Tirzah brings an interdisciplinary approach to policy having received her B.A. in Anthropology from Eastern Oregon University, her M.A. in International Studies from the University of San Francisco and having professional experience in economic research departments across various think tanks.

Trent Spoolstra is the Associate Regional Director for the Midwest office of the Anti-Defamation League in charge of young leadership development and Jewish community relations.  He leads the region’s young leadership class called Glass Leadership Institute, assists with the ADL Associate Board, sets up adolescent training sessions to counter antisemitism, and runs the region’s Signature Synagogue Program.  Before coming to ADL, Trent worked in AmeriCorps-VISTA and was a high school history teacher in Texas.  He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Notre Dame and a master's degree in international affairs from the Bush School of Government & Public Service-Texas A&M.

Valerie Durham has served as the executive conference director for FreedomFest since 2015, bringing together her background as a libertarian, marketing and project manager, and professional dance artist. Training as a dancer since the age of three in ballet, jazz and modern, Valerie is one of a few master artists in the world who specializes in the art of Isadora Duncan, known as mother of modern dance. Valerie has performed professionally in New York as well as around the United States and in Europe. She is the founder of the Isadora Duncan International Symposium and spearheaded the first digital archive of Isadora Duncan's life and legacy. With a master of fine arts degree in dance and a bachelor’s degree in public relations with an economics minor, Valerie has worked in marketing for Phillips Publishing, Inc and run her own business in marketing, multimedia and project management, and has served as the chair of the Libertarian Party in Montgomery County, MD.

Wesley Hunt was born and raised in Houston, TX in a military family and is a proud alumnus of St. John’s School.  Upon graduation from St. John’s, Wesley accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

In 2004, he received his commission in the U.S. Army and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Leadership and Management with a Field of Study in Mechanical Engineering.  After West Point, Wesley spent eight years in the Army as an Aviation Branch Officer and AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter pilot.

Wesley’s service included one combat deployment to Iraq, and two deployments to Saudi Arabia where he served as a Diplomatic Liaison Officer. While in Saudi Arabia, Wesley served as a liaison officer representing the U.S. Government in missions involving the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Corps.

Upon completion of his military service, Wesley attended Cornell University and earned an MBA, MPA, and MILR.

Dr. William Norris is currently an associate professor of Chinese foreign and security policy at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University where he teaches graduate-level courses in Chinese domestic politics, East Asian security, and Chinese foreign policy. Dr. Norris has been an associate with the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington D.C. where his work examined the potential for a conventional US-China conflict to escalate to the nuclear realm. He was also a postdoctoral research associate at the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs and a fellow in the Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program, a joint program created by the two universities to foster the study of China’s foreign relations. He completed his doctoral work in the Security Studies Program in the Department of Political Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Williamjames Hoffer teaches a number of subjects including legal, economic and military history all with a view towards understanding how governments change and are affected by change with a focus on the United States. As both a lawyer and historian, he combines a number of different techniques not necessarily to find answers, but to start asking good questions. He brings this perspective to his research as well, which concentrates on political and legal history in the modern U.S. though future projects will look earlier. He believes that universities are the greatest contributors to human advancement and is very pleased to be a small part of that effort.