The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is delighted to welcome the 2025-26 class of Woodhouse Public Policy Fellows. Over the next nine months, 20 young professionals will study the principles of fusionism through discussion and debate. This year’s Fellowship will focus on the question, “What is conservatism?” through monthly seminars with many of the leading public intellectuals in the conservative movement. The cohort will study postwar conservative thought and examine how scholars including F.A. Hayek, Russell Kirk and Frank Meyer sought to resolve the tensions between freedom and order in public policy.
Fellows met for the first time in September for an orientation and welcome reception with TFAS alumni who returned to TFAS headquarters to welcome the new class. The next day, Fellows attended their first session, a panel discussion on “The History of the Conservative Movement” with Matthew Continetti, Novak ’08, of the American Enterprise Institute, TFAS Senior Scholar Donald Devine and Samuel Goldman of the University of Florida.
This fall, Fellows will travel to Mecosta, Michigan, for a retreat at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, the ancestral home of Russell Kirk. The retreat will examine Kirk’s influential work, “The Roots of American Order,” which traces how western civilization inculcated norms, virtues, and ideas that gave shape to the American Founding. Sessions will be led by Dr. Bradley Birzer, professor of history and the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, and Dr. David Corey, professor of political science in the honors program at Baylor University. During the seminar, Fellows will debate the beliefs and laws which have shaped American society and whether these can be a source of cultural renewal in the country.
Upcoming events include:
- November 18 – “Hayek & the Constitution of Liberty” with Anne Bradley, The Fund for American Studies
- December 9 – “The Political Thought of William F. Buckley Jr.” with Matthew Continetti, Novak ’08, American Enterprise Institute
- January 13 – “Frank Meyer’s Defense of Freedom” with Richard Reinsch, Civitas Institute
- February 20-22 – Spring Retreat: “Recovering American Ideas on Liberty at 250,” Philadelphia, PA
- March 10 – “The Enduring Tension” with Donald Devine, The Fund for American Studies & Stephanie Slade, Novak ’16, Reason
- April 14 – “Röpke & the Humane Economy” with Samuel Gregg, American Institute for Economic Research
- May 12 – Closing Dinner
To learn more about this year’s Fellows, read their biographies below.
Alexandra Adair
Legislative Aide – Senator Joni Ernst
Alexandra Adair currently serves as a legislative aide in the Senate, focusing on health care and education policy. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in public health and minoring in neuroscience. Alexandra came to Washington, D.C., to work for a consulting firm dealing with food additive regulation. She attended the John Jay Institute and also participates in the Philos Project’s Leadership Institute, which connects Christians to their Hebraic roots through positive engagement in the Near East. During her time on the Hill, Alexandra has engaged with educational programs in a variety of arenas, including the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s Jean Bethke Elshtain Fellowship in Foreign Policy, the Health Reformers Academy and the Conservative Partnership Institute’s Intrepidus Fellowship. Alexandra intends to continue her work on the Hill while participating in educational programs like the Woodhouse Public Policy Fellowship that challenge her to apply and defend her worldview, leading to a deeper understanding and a more expansive appreciation of the principles upon which she stands.
Kathrine Bedard
Special Assistant — U.S. Department of Treasury, OCC
Kathrine Bedard is a special assistant at the U.S. Department of Treasury, OCC. She previously worked as a government relations assistant at The Heritage Foundation. Kathrine graduated magna cum laude from Clemson University in May 2025, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in economics and a minor in public policy and political and legal theory. At Clemson, Kathrine was in the Lyceum Scholars Program within the Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism, a great-books education program which studies the moral, political and economic foundations of a free society. Kathrine earned general honors and departmental honors through her senior thesis entitled, “Measuring the Impact of K-12 Education Savings Accounts on Non-Public School Enrollment in Arizona.” She is an alumna of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy D.C. Scholars Program and Young Americans for Freedom and she is a contributor to the New Guard Press.
Abigail Carr
Strategic Engagement – Palantir Technologies
Abigail Carr is a recent graduate of Harvard College, where she earned her A.B. in government, graduating magna cum laude with department distinction. Abby’s professional experience spans various legal and policy institutions, such as the American Enterprise Institute, Alexander Hamilton Society and the Ronald Reagan Institute. She has also contributed to the Federalist Society’s research initiatives and spent her undergraduate summers at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center, the U.S. Senate and the London School of Economics. Beyond academics, Abby was an athlete on Harvard’s varsity swimming team, qualifying for the 2021 Olympic Trials and winning the 2022 Ivy League individual 200 meter butterfly championship. Abby is presently working in strategic engagement on the government affairs team for Palantir Technologies.
Julia Cataneo
Research and Editorial Associate – American Enterprise Institute
Julia Cataneo is a research and editorial associate in the Economic Policy Studies department at the American Enterprise Institute. Originally from New Jersey, she graduated from the Honors Program at Loyola University Maryland in 2022 with degrees in economics and theology, as well as a minor in Italian. She subsequently earned her master’s degree in theological studies from Loyola. At the American Enterprise Institute, Julia participated in the 2021 Summer Honors program and later returned to AEI as an Editing Services intern before joining the institute full time. As a research associate, she assists James Pethokoukis in the production of the Political Economy and Faster, Please! podcasts, the publication of the Faster, Please! Substack and oversight of the institutional AEIdeas blog. She now prides herself on having turned her podcast obsession into a vocation.
Maria Copeland
Donor Relations Associate – Philanthropy Roundtable
Maria Copeland is joining Philanthropy Roundtable as a donor relations associate. Previously, she served on the faculty of a classical Christian school in Centreville, Virginia, where she taught upper-level courses in composition, literature and rhetoric. A former journalist, Maria interned at the Leadership Institute and edited for The Dallas Express. She now writes for assorted publications in her free time and is an assistant editor for The Marginalia Review of Books. Originally from Northern Virginia, she received her bachelor’s degree in media arts and design, with a concentration in journalism, in 2022 from James Madison University in the Shenandoah Valley, where she was a Dingledine-Bluestone Scholar. Maria’s interests concentrate on liberal arts education, philosophy, sacramental theology, and early modern, medieval and Russian literature.
James Diddams
Managing Editor – Providence Magazine
James Diddams is the managing editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy. His writing has appeared in Christianity Today, First Things, Providence, Mere Orthodoxy, Law & Liberty, The American Conservative and the Acton Institute’s Religion & Liberty Online. His work has also been republished by RealClearBooks, RealClearDefense, RealClearReligion, RealClearHistory, RealClearWorld and RealClearPolicy. He graduated with honors from Wheaton College in Illinois, triple-majoring in philosophy, art history and economics, with minors in mathematics and political science.
Autumn Dorsey
Visiting Fellow – Heritage Foundation
Autumn Dorsey is a policy researcher and technologist working at the intersection of emerging technology, national security and the human person. She holds a bachelor’s degree in government and computer science from Harvard University, where she wrote her thesis on the intersection of data privacy and detecting child sexual abuse material online. Autumn was also a research assistant at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, where she analyzed how software engineers think about ethics and how this would shape future technology and policy. After graduating, Autumn was a software engineer and campaign strategist intern at Numinar, a political tech startup, where she worked on the 2024 election. Currently, Autumn works at the Heritage Foundation where she is focused on semiconductors, China’s artificial intelligence capabilities and conservative futurism. She is particularly interested in how the United States can turn its technological edge into a lasting geopolitical advantage while preserving the family unit.
Christian Alejandro Gonzalez
Ph.D. Candidate in Political Theory – Georgetown University
Christian Alejandro Gonzalez is a Ph.D. candidate in political theory at Georgetown University. He is writing his dissertation, titled On Moral Judgments in History, which explores whether we should morally judge the past. His academic interests lie at the intersection of political theory, historiography and moral philosophy, with a focus on the nineteenth century. Christian often writes about conservative political thought and enjoys reviewing popular books in the fields of history, politics and philosophy. His writing has appeared in publications such as National Review, National Affairs and City Journal. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Christian moved to Miami at the age of 9 and grew up there. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University.
Alex Hibbs
Research Assistant – American Enterprise Institute
Alex Hibbs is a research assistant in the Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies department at the American Enterprise Institute, where he supports the work of Jonah Goldberg and Christine Emba, among others. He previously served as an editor at National Affairs and Ad Fontes and was the founding editor of Christo et Doctrinae, a student journal of Christian thought. Alex is an alum of Furman University’s Tocqueville Center, the ISI Journalism Fellowship and Providence Magazine’s Elshtain Fellowship in Christian Realism. Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in religion from Furman and lives in Virginia with his wife and daughter.
Alexander Hughes
Press Assistant – Senate Finance Committee
Alexander Hughes is a press assistant at the Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID). He recently graduated with honors from Harvard College with a degree in government. While an undergraduate, he helped restart the Harvard Salient, a conservative campus newspaper, and served as its editor-in-chief. He previously interned with the House Select Committee on the CCP and with National Review, and was a John Aroutiounian Fellow at the Abigail Adams Institute, which offers supplementary humanistic education to the greater Boston area. His senior thesis on Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural, the product of a lifelong interest in Lincoln’s rhetoric and statesmanship, earned the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize.
David McGarry
Research Director – Taxpayers Protection Alliance
David B. McGarry is the research director at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, where he writes about economics and the law. Beginning his career as a telecommunications and tech policy reporter, his research has often focused on technology’s relationship to politics, prosperity and civil society. His work has appeared in publications including The Hill, Reason, Law & Liberty and National Review. He was formerly a contributor and fellow with Young Voices and appears regularly on television, radio shows and podcasts nationwide to offer analysis about the policy debates of the day. A native of Los Angeles, he studied classical voice at California State University, Northridge and has performed across the U.S. and in Europe. He is currently a master’s student at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus.
Connor Merk
Special Assistant – U.S. Department of Education
Connor Merk ’22 serves as a special assistant at the U.S. Department of Education. He recently graduated from Pepperdine University’s master of public policy program, where he was the Class of 2025 Tocqueville Scholar. In 2023, he graduated summa cum laude from the Batten Honors College of Virginia Wesleyan University, where he studied business and political science. His prior experience includes a congressional internship, the Mercatus Center’s Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship, The Fund for American Studies Public Policy and Economics track, serving as editor-in-chief of his undergraduate newspaper, and volunteering with the Lions Club.
Nancy O’Gara
Operations Assistant – Hudson Institute
Nancy O’Gara is an operations assistant at the Hudson Institute. She was previously a fellow at the John Jay Institute, a residential ecumenical program focused on the intersection of theology and political theory. Prior to that, she interned for the Honorable Judge Laura Cordero on the D.C. Superior Court. She also worked for Hudson Institute Political Studies for several summers. Nancy graduated from the College of William & Mary with degrees in government and english. In college, she taught and studied in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Madrid, Spain.
Alexander Raikin
Visiting Fellow – Ethics and Public Policy Center
Alexander Raikin is a visiting fellow in the Bioethics and American Democracy Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His research focuses on the dignity of human life and end-of-life issues, especially on its impact on the field of medicine and broader ethical questions of social belonging. His writing has been widely cited in major publications such as The Atlantic and The New York Times, and in academic journals in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and France. He has written cover stories for National Review and The New Atlantis, while his other bylines include City Journal, Plough, The Hill, The Hub and the Washington Free Beacon. Alexander graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in public policy. He is a proud member of Kesher Israel synagogue and lives with his wife in Washington, D.C.
William Rampe
Policy Analyst – Institute for Energy Research
William Rampe is a policy analyst at the Institute for Energy Research, where he researches and writes about free-market perspectives on energy and environmental policy. Previously, he interned with the Cato Institute, Reason Magazine, the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Enterprise Institute in various editorial and media-related roles. He also participated in the Koch Associate Program last year and is a Don Lavoie fellow with the Mercatus Center. Originally from Pennsylvania, Will attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where he received his bachelor’s degree in government with minors in history and economics. Now living in Washington, D.C., he enjoys exploring the city, watching sports and learning to play golf in his free time.
Jacob Salas
Coalitions Manager – American Enterprise Institute
Jacob Salas is a manager on the coalitions team at the American Enterprise Institute, where he conducts state-level outreach for AEI and its Housing Center. He is also pursuing a master of public policy with a specialization in international relations at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy. Prior to joining AEI, Jacob worked on the Campus Free Expression Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He is a graduate of Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, where he developed an interest in liberal education, politics and the study of statesmanship. Jacob was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona.
Max Streeter
Strategy Analyst – Deloitte
Max Streeter is currently a strategy analyst for Deloitte’s government and public services practice. He supports national security leadership in integrating private sector technology into broader operational objectives. Prior to joining Deloitte, Max gained experience working in defense technology firms, start-ups and think tanks. Max graduated from the University of St. Andrews and pursued a double-major in economics and modern history. Academically, he is interested in the formation of institutions, early-modern European history and the history of economic thought and finance. Outside of work, Max enjoys running, hiking, cycling, exploring and disappearing into the mountains whenever he gets the chance.
Gabrielle Valencia
Administrative Assistant – Thomistic Institute
Gabrielle Valencia is an administrative assistant at the Thomistic Institute, where she helps advance its mission of bringing Catholic intellectual tradition into the public square. She previously worked as an independent consultant with Pipe Creek Consulting, supporting general operations and op-ed production for various nonprofit clients. In 2024, she served as events coordinator for Hudson Institute Political Studies, and in 2023 she interned with the Georgia Justice Project. Gabrielle is an alumna of both the Hudson Institute Political Studies Program and the American Enterprise Institute’s Summer Honors Program. A recent graduate of Davidson College with a degree in political science, she was recognized with multiple awards for her leadership in religious and spiritual life.
Makenna Vendt
Partner Relations Coordinator – Conservative Partnership Institute
Makenna Vendt is a partner relations coordinator at the Conservative Partnership Institute. At CPI, she supports the president, COO and vice president of programs while contributing to the strategic goals of the development team. Makenna is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where she earned a triple major in economics, ethics and public policy, and political science, alongside a minor in international relations and a certificate in political risk analysis. Before joining CPI, Makenna served as the executive assistant and deputy scheduler to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. She has also completed a wide range of political, legislative and research internships, including positions at The Heritage Foundation, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Iowa Legislature.
Jace White
Director of Federal Affairs – National Right to Work Committee
Jace White is the director of federal affairs at the National Right to Work Committee. He grew up in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville, Illinois, and graduated from George Mason University in 2020 with a degree in economics. He founded the Polemicus Society, a group of policy professionals dedicated to honing their pro-free market debate skills.