2015 Lincoln Fellows

Owen Brennan is a co-founder and partner at Madison McQueen, a communications agency that promotes liberty, limited government, and the rule of law through video production and multi-media messaging. He served as a speechwriter to Mayor Rudy Giuliani during the renaissance of New York City through the attacks of September 11th and then as a policy director on Giuliani’s presidential campaign. Mr. Brennan has also worked as a special assistant to the commissioner of the FDNY, a producer for The O’Reilly Factor, and as a writer and associate producer for Joe Scarborough. He holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Oregon.

Tim Chapman is chief operating officer at Heritage Action. Prior to joining Heritage Action, he was the chief of staff to Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner, director of Heritage’s Center for Media and Public Policy, and deputy director of Heritage’s Senate Relations. Mr. Chapman worked at Townhall.com and for former U.S. Senators Jim DeMint, Don Nickles, and Tim Hutchinson. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Gordon College.

Joseph Clark is general counsel and parliamentarian for the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Prior to working for the Financial Services Committee, he worked for the House Judiciary Committee and clerked for the Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Clark holds a B.A. in Government from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Edward Corrigan is group vice president for policy promotion at The Heritage Foundation. Mr. Corrigan oversees Heritage’s coalition relations, young leaders, lectures and seminars, and Capitol Hill education programs. Prior to working at Heritage, Mr. Corrigan served as the executive director of the U.S. Senate Steering Committee. In 2011, Mr. Corrigan received the Weyrich Award for Capitol Hill Staffer of the Year. He holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Emily Domenech is the professional staff member for the Energy Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She previously served as the legislative director for U.S. Representative Randy Neugebauer, as the federal liaison for the State of Texas, and as a policy advisor for Rick Perry’s presidential campaign. Emily also served in the Department of Defense (2007-2011) and in the Department of Energy (2006-2007). She holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College.

Caroline Espinosa is the director of communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). Prior to working for TPPF, she was the deputy director of communications for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, communications director for the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, and the press secretary for former U.S. Senator Gordon Smith. She holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University. She will receive her M.S. in Management from Excelsior College in December 2015.

J.P. Freire is the communications director for U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch. He previously worked as the communications director and speechwriter for U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas, as foreign policy communications strategist for Rick Perry’s presidential campaign, as the associate editorial page editor for the Washington Examiner, and as the managing editor for the American Spectator. In 2009 he was named the CPAC Journalist of the Year. He is a National Review Institute Washington Fellow, a Heritage Foundation Madison Fellow, and a Foreign Policy Initiative Future Leader. He holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University and is currently attending the Naval War College’s Fleet Seminar Program for a master’s in International Studies.

Matthew Grinney is communications advisor to Senator Mike Lee. He researches and writes on a wide range of policy topics, focusing particularly on constitutional issues and the legislative reforms included in Senator Lee’s Conservative Reform Agenda. Before joining Senator Lee’s staff, Mr. Grinney worked as a research assistant in the Center for Principles and Politics at The Heritage Foundation, where he wrote for the Daily Signal and researched the history of American political thought. Mr. Grinney earned an M.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied political philosophy, worked as a teaching assistant, and wrote a thesis examining the writings and diplomatic career of Alexis de Tocqueville. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Emory University.

Bradley Hillstrom is the CEO of Transparent Media Company, a full service media financing company with expertise in all areas of film, television and digital media finance, content development, production, and distribution. Prior to working for Transparent Media Company, he was president of Hillstrom Equities and Hillstrom Entertainment. In 2002, Mr. Hillstrom joined the Marine Corps, serving in Iraq as a member of F.A.S.T. Company (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Teams) for two tours of duty. Additionally, he was a member of the 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment, where he was awarded a medal for bravery in combat. He received an honorable discharge in April 2007.

Patrick Poole is a counter-terrorism consultant and the national security and terrorism correspondent for PJ Media. He is an internationally recognized subject matter expert on domestic terrorism, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the global jihadist movement. Mr. Poole regularly briefs members of Congress and conducts lectures and training for numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. He has also served as a guest lecturer for the Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College. His research articles have appeared in the Middle East Review of International Affairs, the Journal of International Security Affairs, and the Middle East Quarterly. He holds a B.A. from Ohio State University.

Ilya Shapiro is a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review. Before working at the Cato Institute, Mr. Shapiro worked as an associate at Patton Boggs LLP and Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP. At the personal invitation of General David Petraeus, he traveled to Iraq in 2007 to provide technical advice on issues relating to the development of legal institutions for the Multi-National Force-Iraq. He holds an A.B. from Princeton University, an M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Kyle Smith is a film critic and columnist for the New York Post, where, in addition to film, he writes on economics, politics, foreign policy, social science, and books. Before joining the New York Post, he was an editor for People magazine and a reporter for the Associated Press. In addition to writing two novels, Mr. Smith has written pieces for the Weekly Standard, the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, New York Magazine, National Review, and the New Criterion. He also served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Germany and Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. He holds a B.A. in English from Yale University.

William Smith is the chief of staff for U.S. Representative Gary Palmer. He previously served as chief counsel for the Senate Budget and Senate Judiciary Committees. Mr. Smith was also the executive director of congressional relations for Americans for Limited Government and an associate at Starnes & Atchison LLP, where he specialized in labor and employment defense. He holds a B.A. in Telecommunications and Film from The University of Alabama, an M.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law.

Jennifer Stefano is the vice president of Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Prior to becoming vice president, Ms. Stefano was the regional director and Pennsylvania state director for Americans for Prosperity. She is an Emmy-nominated reporter and is a regular guest commentator on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, MSNBC, and CNN. Her work has been profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, and Forbes. She holds B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University.