FRANNIE BLOCK
Project: China’s Capture of American Minds
Frannie Block is an investigative reporter at The Free Press, where she covers the forces shaping American life, from foreign influence in U.S. politics and national security to institutional overreach and due process failures. She began her career covering breaking news at The Des Moines Register.
FAITH BOTTUM
Project: The Building of America: Structure, Infrastructure, and the Soul of the Nation
Faith Bottum is an assistant editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal, where she was also the 2021–22 Joseph Rago Memorial Fellow for Excellence in Journalism. Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Commonweal, The Federalist, University Bookman, the Free Beacon and other publications. Faith graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines with a bachelor of science in civil engineering.
GILBERT GUERRA
Project: Assimilating Apart: Becoming American in Times of Fracture
Gil Guerra is a senior policy analyst for immigration and security at the Niskanen Center and a contributing writer at The Dispatch, where he writes on immigration and Latin American politics. His work has appeared in The Dispatch, City Journal, Foreign Policy, Americas Quarterly and The Hill. Gil was also a 2020-21 TFAS Public Policy Fellow. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Swarthmore College and a master’s degree in global security and borders from Queen’s University Belfast, where he was a US-Ireland Alliance Scholar.
MARY JULIA KOCH
Project: Gen Z Conservatism: Movement or Mirage?
Mary Julia Koch is an associate editor for The Wall Street Journal Opinion’s Free Expression newsletter, where she writes about culture and politics. Previously, she was a staff reporter at The New York Sun, and her work has appeared in The Free Press, Air Mail and The Republic. She graduated from Harvard College in 2023, where she was a John Harvard Scholar and served as editor-in-chief of the student weekly newspaper.
GRAYSON LOGUE
Project: Follow the Science vs. Do Your Own Research: The Future of Public Health in an Era of Distrust
Grayson Logue is a staff writer at The Dispatch where he covers politics and policy ranging from public health to immigration. Prior to The Dispatch, he worked in political risk consulting and as an assistant editor at Providence Magazine. Grayson studied politics, philosophy and economics at The King’s College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Edinburgh. He and his wife, Audrey, live in Philadelphia. Grayson is an alumnus of TFAS European Journalism Institute in 2024.
JOHN SAILER SHELTON
Project: Cracked Foundations: How American Philanthropy Lost Its Way
John Sailer is a senior fellow and director of higher education policy at the Manhattan Institute. His work regularly appears in The Wall Street Journal and City Journal. He previously worked for the National Association of Scholars.
LIZ WOLFE
Project: City Without Children
Liz Wolfe is an associate editor at Reason, where she writes the daily Reason Roundup newsletter and makes short documentaries. Her work has been published in outlets such as Playboy, Pirate Wires, The Atlantic and National Review. From 2023 to 2025, she co-hosted the interview show, Just Asking Questions. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and has two sons (one deceased).