2016 Lincoln Fellows

Jessica Anderson is the grassroots director of Heritage Action for America. As grassroots director, Ms. Anderson oversees Heritage Action’s Sentinel Program and the team of 12 regional coordinators and 3 grassroots associates throughout the country. Prior to her work at Heritage Action, she was the outreach coordinator for the John W. Pope Civitas Institute and is also a graduate of the Koch Associate Program. In 2015, Red Alert Politics named Ms. Anderson one of “30 Under 30” conservative leaders in politics, and in 2016, Newsmax listed her as one of “30 Most Influential Republicans 30 and Under.” Ms. Anderson holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida.

David Bahr is the assistant literary editor at the Weekly Standard, where he writes on politics, public policy, and culture. He has been published in the Weekly Standard, the American Conservative, the Washington Free Beacon, the New Criterion, Commentary, and the Hedgehog Review. Prior to joining the Weekly Standard, Mr. Bahr worked in corporate public relations, where he designed and managed communication strategy. He holds a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College.

Christopher Barkley is senior policy advisor to Senator Ben Sasse. As a policy advisor, Mr. Barkley provides Senator Sasse with strategic and policy counsel on domestic and foreign policy matters. Prior to working for Senator Sasse, he was the deputy staff director at the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and staff director for Senator Tom Coburn for the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Mr. Barkley holds a B.A. in Political Science from Mary Washington College.

Guy Benson is the political editor of Townhall.com and co-author of End of Discussion, published in 2015. Mr. Benson anchored the Guy Benson Show from February 2008 to September 2015 and regularly guest hosts the nationally-syndicated Hugh Hewitt Show. He is a Fox News contributor and also has appeared on Fox Business Network and MSNBC. He has been published in National Review. In 2013, Mr. Benson was named one of the top “30 Under 30” conservatives in America by Red Alert Politics, and in 2015, Forbes magazine named him to its “30 Under 30” Law & Policy roster. He holds a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Murray Bessette is the director of programs and publications at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC). Dr. Bessette designs and implements a series of summer seminars to support high school teachers in the delivery of communism-related curricula and establishes VOC college programs. Prior to joining VOC, he was a tenured associate professor of government at Morehead State University, specializing in political philosophy, national security, counterterrorism, and intelligence studies. Dr. Bessette holds a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Alberta and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University.

Brian Ferguson serves as an officer in Naval Special Warfare. During his seven years on active duty, he worked on several efforts to understand the role of accelerating technology on the modern battlefield. Mr. Ferguson has been heavily involved in innovation efforts across national security and defense and remains passionate about building effective 21st-century security organizations. Prior to his service in the Navy, he worked as a special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. While serving in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Ferguson helped formulate policy on defense and national security matters related to the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and special operations. He holds a B.A. in Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs from Miami University and an M.Sc. in International Economy from the London School of Economics. Mr. Ferguson also attended executive programs at Singularity University and the Santa Fe Institute on Complexity.

Elisha Krauss is the co-host of The Morning Answer, the second most listened-to morning talk show in Southern California. Additionally, Mrs. Krauss is the director of outreach for PragerU, where she handles media outreach, radio campaigns, and marketing initiatives for the organization. She was previously director of grassroots and initiatives for Truth Revolt, a project of the David Horowitz Freedom Center and was a senior producer of The Sean Hannity Show. Mrs. Krauss attended The King’s College where she studied education in politics and the media.

Rob Luther is counsel to Senator Jeff Sessions on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he advises Senator Sessions on judicial nominees and constitutional law matters. Prior to working for Senator Sessions, Mr. Luther completed a two-year clerkship with Judge Daniel Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He has also taught civil and appellate practice as an adjunct professor of law at William & Mary Law School. The Heritage Foundation and Hillsdale College recently selected Mr. Luther as a James Madison Fellow. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Commerce from Hampden-Sydney College and a J.D. from Ohio Northern University.

Marie Meszaros is a policy analyst for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Ms. Meszaros works on educating the public about issues that have significant fiscal policy impact. Prior to working at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, she was a legislative assistant to Congressman Mark Sanford. There, Ms. Meszaros managed a large domestic issues portfolio, including health, tax, budget, insurance, and labor and employment. She is also a co-founder of ReNew, an undertaking of young conservatives and libertarians organized to encourage candidates and policymakers to offer innovative policy solutions to Americans outside traditional Republican constituencies. In 2015, she was chosen for The Heritage Foundation’s Congressional Fellowship Program and is also an alum of the Leonine Forum Fellowship. Ms. Meszaros holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of South Carolina and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

Arthur Milikh is associate director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics at The Heritage Foundation. Mr. Milikh writes and speaks on America’s founding principles and manages the Center’s research agenda, focusing on constitutionalism, the American Founding, and progressivism. His work has appeared in the Public Discourse, City Journal, the Daily Signal, National Review, and World Affairs. Prior to joining Heritage, Mr. Milikh worked at the House Committee on Armed Services and at the Hudson Institute. He holds a B.A. from Emory University, where he studied political science and philosophy, and an M.A. from the University of Chicago, where he studied political philosophy.

Paul D. Miller is the associate director of the Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin. He previously served as director for Afghanistan and Pakistan on the National Security Council staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was also an intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and served in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army. Dr. Miller is the author of Armed State Building (2013) and American Power and Liberal Order: A Conservative Internationalist Grand Strategy (2016). His writings have been published in Foreign Affairs, Survival, the Journal of Strategic Studies, Orbis,the American Interest, First Things, Books and Culture, and elsewhere. He holds a B.A. in Government from Georgetown University, a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in International Relations from Georgetown University.

Rob Satrom is a senior policy advisor at the Counterterrorism Bureau of the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Satrom is responsible for advising senior U.S. government officials on counterterrorism policy and programs. Prior to working at the State Department, he worked for Concordis International, a nonprofit organization that works alongside and in support of official peace processes in conflict-affected areas. Mr. Satrom worked in conjunction with the African Union in planning pre-negotiation talks on the Darfur crisis in Sudan. In 2010 and 2012, he was awarded the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award, and in 2014, he received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University.

Michael Schuttloffel is the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, where he serves as the Kansas Catholic bishops’ lead advocate on all public policy matters. Mr. Schuttloffel played pivotal roles in bringing school choice to Kansas and securing passage of the Kansas Preservation of Religious Freedom Act. Prior to working at the Kansas Catholic Conference, he served as an advisor to Texas Governor Rick Perry and was legislative director for a senior member of the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from Villanova University and an M.A. in Political Science from Fordham.

Brittan Specht is the policy director at the House Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest member organization in Congress and the conservative policy shop for the Republican conference. Mr. Specht oversees RSC policy staff and approves all Legislative Bulletins and other legislative analysis and communications products. Prior to working at the RSC, he was deputy chief of staff, legislative director, and financial analyst to Congressman Tom McClintock, as well as an associate with the Eurasia Group. Mr. Specht holds a B.A. in American Politics, International Relations, and Philosophy from Tulane University and is a C.F.A. charterholder.