Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Fellow, National Security Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Vince Vitkowsky chaired the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society’s International and National Security Law and Policy Practice Group for over a decade. He is also a Fellow at the National Security Institute of George Mason University Law School. Vince spent 45 years in private practice, primarily in AmLaw 100/200 firms and their spin-offs. His practice included domestic and international commercial arbitration and litigation, as well as cyber risks and liabilities. Vince's current focus is on national security policy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. He has often written and spoken on national security and other public policy issues. Among other affiliations, Vince has been an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Law and Counterterrorism of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and Co-Chair of the Committee on Interventions and Trial Observations of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin
John Yoo is the Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also the Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
His most recent book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Supreme Court, co-authored with Robert Delahunty, was published in 2023. Professor Yoo’s other books include Defender-in-Chief: Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power; Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War; Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Welfare; and Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George Bush.
He is a co-author of volumes 1 and 2 of R. Rossum, G. Tarr, V. Munoz & J. Yoo American Constitution Law (Routledge, 2026), and a co-editor of the eight-volume series on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, We Hold These Truths, with Yuval Levin and Adam White of the American Enterprise Institute.
Professor Yoo has published more than 100 articles in academic journals on subjects including national security, constitutional law, international law, and the Supreme Court. He also regularly contributes to the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and National Review, among others.
Professor Yoo has served in all three branches of government. He was an official in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked on national security and terrorism issues after the 9/11 attacks. He served as general counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and federal appeals Judge Laurence Silberman. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership, Seoul National University, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Keio University, Trento University, the University of Chicago, and the Free University of Amsterdam.
Professor Yoo supervises the Public Law and Policy Program and the California Constitution Center. He also serves on the boards of Founding Forward, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Ulysses Grant Institute, the Federalist Society’s Separation of Powers and Federalism Division, the Universidad Cientifica del Sur Law School, and the Asia-Pacific Law Institute at Seoul National University. He is a winner of the Federalist Society’s Paul Bator award and the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Originalism Lectureship.
Professor Yoo graduated from Yale Law School and summa cum laude from Harvard College.
Senior Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
Margaret Harker litigates for a public interest law firm. She has significant experience in government investigations and litigation, having served in the three branches of our government. Previously, she led complex Congressional investigations for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform—including the only government-wide investigation into federal agencies’ strategy (or lack thereof) to counter Chinese Communist Party political warfare against America.
Prior to her time on Capitol Hill, Harker served in the U.S. Department of Justice. She was an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Eastern District of Virginia. She was a Trial Attorney in the National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with an emphasis on the administration and enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Harker clerked for the Honorable Henry E. Hudson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Honorable Randolph A. Beales, Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Earlier in her career, she studied in Beijing, China, and worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s China Center.
Writer and Editor, Tablet Magazine
Park MacDougald is Editor and Senior Writer at The Scroll, Tablet’s daily afternoon newsletter, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and a former recipient of the Novak Fellowship from The Fund for American Studies. His writing has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, New York Magazine, The Washington Examiner, and UnHerd.
Fellow, National Security Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Vince Vitkowsky chaired the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society’s International and National Security Law and Policy Practice Group for over a decade. He is also a Fellow at the National Security Institute of George Mason University Law School. Vince spent 45 years in private practice, primarily in AmLaw 100/200 firms and their spin-offs. His practice included domestic and international commercial arbitration and litigation, as well as cyber risks and liabilities. Vince's current focus is on national security policy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. He has often written and spoken on national security and other public policy issues. Among other affiliations, Vince has been an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Law and Counterterrorism of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and Co-Chair of the Committee on Interventions and Trial Observations of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Senior Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
Margaret Harker litigates for a public interest law firm. She has significant experience in government investigations and litigation, having served in the three branches of our government. Previously, she led complex Congressional investigations for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform—including the only government-wide investigation into federal agencies’ strategy (or lack thereof) to counter Chinese Communist Party political warfare against America.
Prior to her time on Capitol Hill, Harker served in the U.S. Department of Justice. She was an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Eastern District of Virginia. She was a Trial Attorney in the National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with an emphasis on the administration and enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Harker clerked for the Honorable Henry E. Hudson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Honorable Randolph A. Beales, Court of Appeals of Virginia.
Earlier in her career, she studied in Beijing, China, and worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s China Center.
Writer and Editor, Tablet Magazine
Park MacDougald is Editor and Senior Writer at The Scroll, Tablet’s daily afternoon newsletter, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and a former recipient of the Novak Fellowship from The Fund for American Studies. His writing has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, New York Magazine, The Washington Examiner, and UnHerd.
Fellow, National Security Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Vince Vitkowsky chaired the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society’s International and National Security Law and Policy Practice Group for over a decade. He is also a Fellow at the National Security Institute of George Mason University Law School. Vince spent 45 years in private practice, primarily in AmLaw 100/200 firms and their spin-offs. His practice included domestic and international commercial arbitration and litigation, as well as cyber risks and liabilities. Vince's current focus is on national security policy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. He has often written and spoken on national security and other public policy issues. Among other affiliations, Vince has been an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Law and Counterterrorism of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and Co-Chair of the Committee on Interventions and Trial Observations of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Fellow for China and Technology, American Enterprise Institute
Ryan Fedasiuk is a Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he writes on the intersection of U.S.-China relations, technology, and national power. He is cross-appointed between AEI's Foreign and Defense Policy Studies program and the Center for Technology, Science, and Energy. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, where he teaches open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods.
From 2022-2024, Ryan was an Advisor for U.S.-China Bilateral Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where he helped launch the Office of China Coordination and served as the U.S. government’s main point of contact with the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Before that, he was a Senior Research Analyst with the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), leading open-source investigations into military applications of AI and U.S. security posture in East Asia.
Ryan’s investigations into U.S. and Chinese technological power have been featured in reporting by The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Associated Press; and his commentary has appeared in POLITICO, Foreign Policy, Defense One, and War on the Rocks, among other outlets.
Ryan holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, where he also studied Mandarin. He received his B.A. in International Studies and Russian language from American University.
Partner & Chair, National Security Practice, Wiley Rein LLP
Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin
John Yoo is the Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also the Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
His most recent book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Supreme Court, co-authored with Robert Delahunty, was published in 2023. Professor Yoo’s other books include Defender-in-Chief: Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power; Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War; Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Welfare; and Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George Bush.
He is a co-author of volumes 1 and 2 of R. Rossum, G. Tarr, V. Munoz & J. Yoo American Constitution Law (Routledge, 2026), and a co-editor of the eight-volume series on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, We Hold These Truths, with Yuval Levin and Adam White of the American Enterprise Institute.
Professor Yoo has published more than 100 articles in academic journals on subjects including national security, constitutional law, international law, and the Supreme Court. He also regularly contributes to the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and National Review, among others.
Professor Yoo has served in all three branches of government. He was an official in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked on national security and terrorism issues after the 9/11 attacks. He served as general counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and federal appeals Judge Laurence Silberman. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership, Seoul National University, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Keio University, Trento University, the University of Chicago, and the Free University of Amsterdam.
Professor Yoo supervises the Public Law and Policy Program and the California Constitution Center. He also serves on the boards of Founding Forward, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Ulysses Grant Institute, the Federalist Society’s Separation of Powers and Federalism Division, the Universidad Cientifica del Sur Law School, and the Asia-Pacific Law Institute at Seoul National University. He is a winner of the Federalist Society’s Paul Bator award and the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Originalism Lectureship.
Professor Yoo graduated from Yale Law School and summa cum laude from Harvard College.
Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, The White House
Ryan Baasch serves as the Deputy Director of President Trump's National Economic Council (NEC), and as Deputy Assistant to the President on Economic Policy, where he focuses on cutting-edge technology issues at the frontier of AI regulation, space commercialization, and telecommunications networks. Before joining NEC, Ryan occupied multiple positions in the Texas Attorney General's office where he supervised all of the office's offensive civil litigation and maintained a heavy appellate caseload touching First Amendment and technology issues. Ryan began his career as a law clerk to Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson and spent five years at a large law firm in Washington D.C. and New York.
Justice, Supreme Court of Tennessee
Justice Sarah Campbell was confirmed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2022. She previously served as an Associate Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and as an associate at the law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Campbell earned her law degree from Duke University School of Law, a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee, where she received the Torchbearer Award. She served as a law clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the United States Supreme Court and Judge William H. Pryor Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Deputy General Counsel for Administrative Law, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Michael Carlson is Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon’s Project Kuiper, where he leads a legal team advising on regulatory issues and strategic initiatives related to satellite communications and broadband deployment. Prior to joining Amazon, he served as Deputy General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission, overseeing the Office of General Counsel’s Administrative Law Division.
Mr. Carlson has also served as an attorney in the U.S. intelligence community, advising on legal and policy issues related to national security, and as a corporate strategist at Microsoft, where he focused on emerging technologies and global regulatory trends. He teaches Communications Law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.
He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and clerked for Judge Deborah Cook on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and four children.
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Brendan Carr is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. He previously served as the senior Republican Commissioner and as the FCC’s General Counsel. Nominated by both President Trump and President Biden, Carr has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times.
Described by Axios as “the FCC’s 5G crusader,” Carr has led the FCC’s work to modernize its infrastructure rules and accelerate the buildout of high-speed networks. His reforms cut billions of dollars in red tape, enabled the private sector to construct high-speed networks in communities across the country, and extended America’s global leadership in 5G.
Chairman Carr is also focused on expanding America’s skilled workforce—the tower climbers and construction crews needed to build next-gen networks. His jobs initiative promotes community colleges and apprenticeships as a pipeline for good-paying 5G jobs. He is recognizing America’s talented tower crews through a series of “5G Ready” Hard Hat presentations.
Chairman Carr leads a groundbreaking telehealth initiative at the FCC. The Connected Care Pilot Program supports the delivery of high-quality care to low-income Americans and veterans.
Chairman Carr’s time outside of Washington helps inform his approach to the job. He regularly hits the road to hear directly from community members and learn how changes in federal policies could help improve their lives.
Chairman Carr brings nearly 20 years of private and public sector experience in communications and tech policy to his position. Before joining the FCC as a staffer back in 2012, he worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP in the firm’s appellate, litigation, and telecom practices. Previously, Chairman Carr clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for Judge Dennis Shedd. After attending Georgetown University for his undergrad, Chairman Carr earned his J.D. magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law where he served as an editor of the Catholic University Law Review.
Vice President, Technology Policy & Regulation, Lockheed Martin Government Affairs
Jennifer A. Warren is currently Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy for Lockheed Martin Corporation. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading the corporate team’s engagement and strategy across the Executive Branch, Independent Agencies and Intergovernmental Bodies across a broad business, regulatory and public policy portfolio.
Her responsibilities also include leading corporate relationships with Intergovernmental Bodies, such as ITU, CITEL, ICAO, UN Office of Outer Space Affairs, and major trade associations; Ms. Warren is the former Chair (twice) of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), and currently serves on the Boards of the SIA, US ITU Association, and the Professional Services Corporation, and as the co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Telecommunications and E-Commerce Committee. She also participates on the ITI Space Enterprise Council and the US Chamber Space Council.
Ms. Warren has broad private sector engagement across government, having been a member of the Department of Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC), FAA Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee, Department of State International Telecommunications Advisory Committee (now International Digital Economy & Telecommunications Advisory Committee), and NASA Advisory Committee/Regulatory Policy Committee, as well as served on the FCC’s WRC Advisory Committee.
From 1991-1996, Ms. Warren held several senior roles in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, including as Assistant Chief in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Senior Legal Advisor in the International Bureau. In 1991, she graduated from Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.), where she subsequently served as an Adjunct Professor in International Communications Regulation and Policy for close to 20 years. She is also a graduate of Georgetown University (B.S. in Languages), and a member of the Illinois State and D.C. Bars, the Federal Communications Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Her civic activities include the Boards of the George Washington Legacy Foundation and Gadsby Tavern Museum Society in Old Town Alexandria, and the Foundation of the National Archives & Records Administration.
Ms. Warren lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband Ed, and their puppy - Madison.
Executive Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel, First Liberty Institute
Mike Berry serves as Executive Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. Mike returned to First Liberty after serving as Chief Counsel to United States Senator Ted Cruz.
Prior to working on the Hill, Mike spent many years in public interest litigation including with First Liberty from 2013-2024. Prior to that, Mike served for seven years as an attorney with the U.S. Marine Corps, leaving active duty in 2013. Among his numerous positions within the Marine Corps, Mike deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and he served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the United States Naval Academy. Mike continues to proudly serve our nation as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.
Mike earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, and he earned his law degree from The Ohio State University.
Hugh S. and Winifred B. Cumming Memorial Professor of International Affairs, University of Virginia
Dale Copeland is Professor of international relations, with a focus on IR theory (security studies and international political economy). His research interests include the origins of economic interdependence between great powers; the logic of reputation-building; bargaining and coercion theory; the interconnection between trade, finance, and militarized behavior; and the impact of the rise and decline of economic and military power on state behavior. His most recent book is Economic Interdependence and War (Princeton UP, 2015), which was the winner of the International Studies Association Best Book Award for 2017. The book was the subject of two recent symposia, the first in the International Security Studies Forumin Spring 2016 (with Benjamin Fordham, Richard Maass, and Patrick Shea), and the second in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research, Fall 2018 (with Timothy McKeown, Sherry Zaks, and Erik Gartzke). Prof. Copeland is also the author of The Origins of Major War(Cornell UP, 2000) as well as numerous articles in journals such as International Security,Security Studies, and the Review of International Studies. He is currently completing a book for Princeton University Press on commerce and American foreign policy from the founding of the republic to the present era, and is developing a new book project on the conditions under which states can use coercion and bargaining to achieve their ends without war. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including MacArther and Mellon Fellowships and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.
Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis, Defense Priorities
Jennifer Kavanagh is a senior fellow & director of military analysis at Defense Priorities.
A political scientist by training, Kavanagh has spent her career studying U.S. national security and defense policy. Kavanagh’s research focuses on U.S. military strategy, force structure and defense budgeting, the defense industrial base, and U.S. military deployments and interventions.
Previously, Kavanagh was a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She also worked as a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where she led projects for defense and national security clients. She served for three years as director of RAND’s Army Strategy program. Her work has been published in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Washington Quarterly, Lawfare, Los Angeles Times, and War on the Rocks, among other outlets.
Kavanagh received an AB in Government from Harvard University and a PhD in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University.
Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law and Faculty Director of International Programs, Hofstra University School of Law
Professor Ku’s primary research interest is the relationship of international law to constitutional law. He has also conducted academic research on a wide range of topics including international dispute resolution, international criminal law, and China’s relationship with international law. He teaches courses such as U.S. constitutional law, U.S. foreign affairs law, transnational law, and international trade and business law. Since 2014, he has served as the faculty director of international programs, overseeing Hofstra Law’s study abroad, exchange and LL.M. programs. Professor Ku also teaches Constitutional Law in our online degree programs: Master of Laws in American Law and Master of Arts in American Legal Studies. He has also been selected as the John DeWitt Gregory Research Scholar and as a Hofstra Law Research Fellow. He is a member of the American Law Institute.
He is the co-author, with John Yoo, of Taming Globalization: International Law, the U.S. Constitution, and the New World Order (Oxford University Press 2012). He also has published more than 40 law review articles, book chapters and symposia essays. He has given dozens of academic lectures and workshops at major universities and conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia.
He co-founded the leading international law weblog Opinio Juris, which is read daily by thousands worldwide. His essays and op-eds have been published in major news publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the NYTimes.com. He has been frequently interviewed for television news programs and quoted in print and electronic media. He has also signed or submitted amicus briefs to national and international courts and served as an expert witness in both domestic and international proceedings.
Before joining the Hofstra Law faculty, Professor Ku served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and as an Olin Fellow and Lecturer in Law at the University of Virginia Law School. Professor Ku also practiced as an associate at the New York City law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, specializing in litigation and arbitration arising out of international disputes. He has been a visiting professor at the College of William & Mary Marshall- Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia; a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in Law at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, China; and a Taiwan Fellow at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a member of the New York Bar and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.
Senior Research Fellow, China and National Security Policy, Asian Studies Center
Aformer deputy national security advisor to the Vice President, The Honorable Steve Yates returns to Heritage after two decades as an analyst and practitioner of politics, policy, media, and national security affairs.
As Senior Research Fellow for China and National Security in the Heritage’s Asian Studies Center, Yates leads the effort to define, amplify, and execute a comprehensive strategy to contain the malign influences of the Chinese Communist Party, strengthen and rebalance alliances, and put American families, jobs, and sovereignty first.
Yates comes to Heritage from the America First Policy Institute, where he launched the China Policy Initiative. He previously served as President of Radio Free Asia and Professor in the Practice of International Business and Politics at Boise State University. Before opening D.C. International Advisory in 2006, Yates served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for National Security Affairs from 2001 through 2005. Yates served as chairman of the Idaho Republican Party from August 2014 to April 2017 and as co-chair of the 2016 Republican Platform Subcommittee on National Security.
From 1996-2001, Yates was a senior policy analyst at Heritage and received the prestigious W. Glenn and Rita Ricardo Campbell Award. The honor goes to the staff member determined to have made “an outstanding contribution to the analysis and promotion of the free society.”
He received a master’s degree in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
In October 2023, Steve lost his beloved daughter Christina to fentanyl poisoning. To honor her memory, he and his family are tireless advocates for upholding the hundreds of thousands of families affected by this scourge. They dedicate their lives to stopping and holding accountable those responsible for bringing it into our country, communities, and homes.
United States Senator, Tennessee
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn was sworn in to the Senate in January 2019. Marsha Blackburn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, and is currently serving her first term representing the state of Tennessee. Before her election to the Senate, Marsha represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.
Marsha’s public service is dedicated to promoting opportunities for women and making America a more prosperous place to live. Marsha’s leadership philosophy is based on her experiences in the private sector as a small business woman and author, as well as being a mother and grandmother.
Marsha went to college on a 4-H scholarship and worked her way through school selling books for the Southwestern Company as one of their first female sales associates, and later as one of their first female sales managers.
She then became Director of Retail Fashion and Special Events for the Castner Knott Company, which was a Nashville-based regional department store. Later, Marsha founded her own business, Marketing Strategies, which focused on the retail marketplace, as well as electronic and print media.
Marsha began her career in public service in 1995 when she was named executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission. In 1998, she was elected to the Tennessee State Senate. In the state legislature, she earned a reputation for fiscal responsibility and government accountability by identifying waste and offering realistic solutions to Tennessee’s budget challenges.
While serving in the Tennessee Senate, Marsha led a statewide grassroots campaign to defeat a proposed state income tax. The tax was defeated, and Marsha’s leadership earned her a reputation as an anti-tax champion. In 2014, the people of Tennessee passed an amendment to the state constitution to expressly prohibit a state income tax – a fitting cap to a 14-year battle.
In 2002, Marsha was elected to represent the people of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District based on her record in the state legislature. She brought her Tennessee values to Washington, DC, and became a leader in the fight for small, efficient federal government that is accountable to its citizens. As a Congressman, Marsha was often selected by her colleagues to lead the charge for principled conservativism. Her congressional career was also noted for her Chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, as well as bipartisan expertise in defending songwriters’ and performers’ rights.
Marsha is a member of numerous charitable organizations and is an active member of her church, Christ Presbyterian.
Marsha and her husband Chuck live in Williamson County, Tennessee. They have two children, Mary Morgan (Paul) Ketchel and Chad (Hillary) Blackburn, and two grandsons. Originally from Laurel, Mississippi, Marsha is a graduate of Mississippi State University.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Andrew Gould is a partner at Holtzman Vogel and focuses his practice on Appellate, Commercial Litigation and Constitutional Law.
Prior to joining the firm, Andrew was a Justice to the Arizona Supreme Court from 2016 to 2021. After retiring from the bench in 2021, he worked as a Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute litigating religious liberty cases throughout the United States. He also served as a Judge on Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals from 2011 to 2016 where he authored over 400 opinions, and served as a Judge of the Superior Court in Yuma County for 11 years.
Founder, CEO, State Armor
Michael Lucci is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of State Armor, which he created to develop and enact state solutions to global security threats. Mr. Lucci believes that a whole-of-government American response is needed to counter unprecedented global threats and ensure a free and peaceful 21st century. State Armor advances state policies to protect state critical infrastructure, build the supply chains of freedom, and cease malicious foreign influence operations. At State Armor, Mr. Lucci synthesizes a unique understanding of global affairs with deep experience in state policymaking. He works with both state and federal leaders to achieve State Armor’s mission.
Mr. Lucci has worked in state policy politics for more than a decade. He has been a Senior Policy Advisor to State Policy Network and a Senior Tax Advisor to Platte Institute. Mr. Lucci previously served as a presidential appointee on the Federal Services Impasse Panel and as the Chief of Policy to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. He has been the Vice President of State Projects at Tax Foundation and the Vice President of Policy at Illinois Policy Institute. Mr. Lucci is a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame and lives in Texas with his family.
Senior Fellow, Law and Justice, America First Policy Institute
Chad Mizelle serves as a senior fellow for law and justice at AFPI. Mizelle most recently served as chief of staff and acting associate attorney general at the Department of Justice (DOJ). He previously served as acting general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he managed more than 2,200 lawyers and directed all legal activities related to the agency's broad mission. Before that, he was chief of staff at DHS. Mizelle also served at the White House as associate counsel to the president and at the DOJ as counsel to the deputy attorney general.
Mizelle clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit. He received his J.D. from Cornell Law School and his B.A. from the University of Florida. He lives in Florida with his wife and children.
Research Director, Civitas Institute
Michael Toth is the research director at the Civitas Institute, where he focuses on the legal and policy developments reshaping global markets, from energy to emerging technology. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Bloomberg, among other major outlets. A graduate of Stanford and the University of Virginia, his analysis is informed by his firsthand experience as general counsel to several early-stage companies, where he navigated the complex regulatory environments at the core of today’s policy debates.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Fellow for China and Technology, American Enterprise Institute
Ryan Fedasiuk is a Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he writes on the intersection of U.S.-China relations, technology, and national power. He is cross-appointed between AEI's Foreign and Defense Policy Studies program and the Center for Technology, Science, and Energy. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, where he teaches open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods.
From 2022-2024, Ryan was an Advisor for U.S.-China Bilateral Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where he helped launch the Office of China Coordination and served as the U.S. government’s main point of contact with the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Before that, he was a Senior Research Analyst with the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), leading open-source investigations into military applications of AI and U.S. security posture in East Asia.
Ryan’s investigations into U.S. and Chinese technological power have been featured in reporting by The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Associated Press; and his commentary has appeared in POLITICO, Foreign Policy, Defense One, and War on the Rocks, among other outlets.
Ryan holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, where he also studied Mandarin. He received his B.A. in International Studies and Russian language from American University.
Partner & Chair, National Security Practice, Wiley Rein LLP
Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin
John Yoo is the Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also the Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
His most recent book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Supreme Court, co-authored with Robert Delahunty, was published in 2023. Professor Yoo’s other books include Defender-in-Chief: Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power; Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War; Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Welfare; and Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George Bush.
He is a co-author of volumes 1 and 2 of R. Rossum, G. Tarr, V. Munoz & J. Yoo American Constitution Law (Routledge, 2026), and a co-editor of the eight-volume series on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, We Hold These Truths, with Yuval Levin and Adam White of the American Enterprise Institute.
Professor Yoo has published more than 100 articles in academic journals on subjects including national security, constitutional law, international law, and the Supreme Court. He also regularly contributes to the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and National Review, among others.
Professor Yoo has served in all three branches of government. He was an official in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked on national security and terrorism issues after the 9/11 attacks. He served as general counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and federal appeals Judge Laurence Silberman. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership, Seoul National University, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Keio University, Trento University, the University of Chicago, and the Free University of Amsterdam.
Professor Yoo supervises the Public Law and Policy Program and the California Constitution Center. He also serves on the boards of Founding Forward, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Ulysses Grant Institute, the Federalist Society’s Separation of Powers and Federalism Division, the Universidad Cientifica del Sur Law School, and the Asia-Pacific Law Institute at Seoul National University. He is a winner of the Federalist Society’s Paul Bator award and the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Originalism Lectureship.
Professor Yoo graduated from Yale Law School and summa cum laude from Harvard College.
Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, The White House
Ryan Baasch serves as the Deputy Director of President Trump's National Economic Council (NEC), and as Deputy Assistant to the President on Economic Policy, where he focuses on cutting-edge technology issues at the frontier of AI regulation, space commercialization, and telecommunications networks. Before joining NEC, Ryan occupied multiple positions in the Texas Attorney General's office where he supervised all of the office's offensive civil litigation and maintained a heavy appellate caseload touching First Amendment and technology issues. Ryan began his career as a law clerk to Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson and spent five years at a large law firm in Washington D.C. and New York.
Justice, Supreme Court of Tennessee
Justice Sarah Campbell was confirmed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2022. She previously served as an Associate Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and as an associate at the law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Campbell earned her law degree from Duke University School of Law, a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee, where she received the Torchbearer Award. She served as a law clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the United States Supreme Court and Judge William H. Pryor Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Deputy General Counsel for Administrative Law, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Michael Carlson is Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon’s Project Kuiper, where he leads a legal team advising on regulatory issues and strategic initiatives related to satellite communications and broadband deployment. Prior to joining Amazon, he served as Deputy General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission, overseeing the Office of General Counsel’s Administrative Law Division.
Mr. Carlson has also served as an attorney in the U.S. intelligence community, advising on legal and policy issues related to national security, and as a corporate strategist at Microsoft, where he focused on emerging technologies and global regulatory trends. He teaches Communications Law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.
He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and clerked for Judge Deborah Cook on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and four children.
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Brendan Carr is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. He previously served as the senior Republican Commissioner and as the FCC’s General Counsel. Nominated by both President Trump and President Biden, Carr has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times.
Described by Axios as “the FCC’s 5G crusader,” Carr has led the FCC’s work to modernize its infrastructure rules and accelerate the buildout of high-speed networks. His reforms cut billions of dollars in red tape, enabled the private sector to construct high-speed networks in communities across the country, and extended America’s global leadership in 5G.
Chairman Carr is also focused on expanding America’s skilled workforce—the tower climbers and construction crews needed to build next-gen networks. His jobs initiative promotes community colleges and apprenticeships as a pipeline for good-paying 5G jobs. He is recognizing America’s talented tower crews through a series of “5G Ready” Hard Hat presentations.
Chairman Carr leads a groundbreaking telehealth initiative at the FCC. The Connected Care Pilot Program supports the delivery of high-quality care to low-income Americans and veterans.
Chairman Carr’s time outside of Washington helps inform his approach to the job. He regularly hits the road to hear directly from community members and learn how changes in federal policies could help improve their lives.
Chairman Carr brings nearly 20 years of private and public sector experience in communications and tech policy to his position. Before joining the FCC as a staffer back in 2012, he worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP in the firm’s appellate, litigation, and telecom practices. Previously, Chairman Carr clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for Judge Dennis Shedd. After attending Georgetown University for his undergrad, Chairman Carr earned his J.D. magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law where he served as an editor of the Catholic University Law Review.
Vice President, Technology Policy & Regulation, Lockheed Martin Government Affairs
Jennifer A. Warren is currently Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy for Lockheed Martin Corporation. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading the corporate team’s engagement and strategy across the Executive Branch, Independent Agencies and Intergovernmental Bodies across a broad business, regulatory and public policy portfolio.
Her responsibilities also include leading corporate relationships with Intergovernmental Bodies, such as ITU, CITEL, ICAO, UN Office of Outer Space Affairs, and major trade associations; Ms. Warren is the former Chair (twice) of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), and currently serves on the Boards of the SIA, US ITU Association, and the Professional Services Corporation, and as the co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Telecommunications and E-Commerce Committee. She also participates on the ITI Space Enterprise Council and the US Chamber Space Council.
Ms. Warren has broad private sector engagement across government, having been a member of the Department of Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC), FAA Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee, Department of State International Telecommunications Advisory Committee (now International Digital Economy & Telecommunications Advisory Committee), and NASA Advisory Committee/Regulatory Policy Committee, as well as served on the FCC’s WRC Advisory Committee.
From 1991-1996, Ms. Warren held several senior roles in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, including as Assistant Chief in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Senior Legal Advisor in the International Bureau. In 1991, she graduated from Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.), where she subsequently served as an Adjunct Professor in International Communications Regulation and Policy for close to 20 years. She is also a graduate of Georgetown University (B.S. in Languages), and a member of the Illinois State and D.C. Bars, the Federal Communications Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Her civic activities include the Boards of the George Washington Legacy Foundation and Gadsby Tavern Museum Society in Old Town Alexandria, and the Foundation of the National Archives & Records Administration.
Ms. Warren lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband Ed, and their puppy - Madison.
Executive Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel, First Liberty Institute
Mike Berry serves as Executive Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. Mike returned to First Liberty after serving as Chief Counsel to United States Senator Ted Cruz.
Prior to working on the Hill, Mike spent many years in public interest litigation including with First Liberty from 2013-2024. Prior to that, Mike served for seven years as an attorney with the U.S. Marine Corps, leaving active duty in 2013. Among his numerous positions within the Marine Corps, Mike deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and he served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the United States Naval Academy. Mike continues to proudly serve our nation as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.
Mike earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, and he earned his law degree from The Ohio State University.
Hugh S. and Winifred B. Cumming Memorial Professor of International Affairs, University of Virginia
Dale Copeland is Professor of international relations, with a focus on IR theory (security studies and international political economy). His research interests include the origins of economic interdependence between great powers; the logic of reputation-building; bargaining and coercion theory; the interconnection between trade, finance, and militarized behavior; and the impact of the rise and decline of economic and military power on state behavior. His most recent book is Economic Interdependence and War (Princeton UP, 2015), which was the winner of the International Studies Association Best Book Award for 2017. The book was the subject of two recent symposia, the first in the International Security Studies Forumin Spring 2016 (with Benjamin Fordham, Richard Maass, and Patrick Shea), and the second in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research, Fall 2018 (with Timothy McKeown, Sherry Zaks, and Erik Gartzke). Prof. Copeland is also the author of The Origins of Major War(Cornell UP, 2000) as well as numerous articles in journals such as International Security,Security Studies, and the Review of International Studies. He is currently completing a book for Princeton University Press on commerce and American foreign policy from the founding of the republic to the present era, and is developing a new book project on the conditions under which states can use coercion and bargaining to achieve their ends without war. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including MacArther and Mellon Fellowships and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.
Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis, Defense Priorities
Jennifer Kavanagh is a senior fellow & director of military analysis at Defense Priorities.
A political scientist by training, Kavanagh has spent her career studying U.S. national security and defense policy. Kavanagh’s research focuses on U.S. military strategy, force structure and defense budgeting, the defense industrial base, and U.S. military deployments and interventions.
Previously, Kavanagh was a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She also worked as a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where she led projects for defense and national security clients. She served for three years as director of RAND’s Army Strategy program. Her work has been published in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Washington Quarterly, Lawfare, Los Angeles Times, and War on the Rocks, among other outlets.
Kavanagh received an AB in Government from Harvard University and a PhD in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University.
Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law and Faculty Director of International Programs, Hofstra University School of Law
Professor Ku’s primary research interest is the relationship of international law to constitutional law. He has also conducted academic research on a wide range of topics including international dispute resolution, international criminal law, and China’s relationship with international law. He teaches courses such as U.S. constitutional law, U.S. foreign affairs law, transnational law, and international trade and business law. Since 2014, he has served as the faculty director of international programs, overseeing Hofstra Law’s study abroad, exchange and LL.M. programs. Professor Ku also teaches Constitutional Law in our online degree programs: Master of Laws in American Law and Master of Arts in American Legal Studies. He has also been selected as the John DeWitt Gregory Research Scholar and as a Hofstra Law Research Fellow. He is a member of the American Law Institute.
He is the co-author, with John Yoo, of Taming Globalization: International Law, the U.S. Constitution, and the New World Order (Oxford University Press 2012). He also has published more than 40 law review articles, book chapters and symposia essays. He has given dozens of academic lectures and workshops at major universities and conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia.
He co-founded the leading international law weblog Opinio Juris, which is read daily by thousands worldwide. His essays and op-eds have been published in major news publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the NYTimes.com. He has been frequently interviewed for television news programs and quoted in print and electronic media. He has also signed or submitted amicus briefs to national and international courts and served as an expert witness in both domestic and international proceedings.
Before joining the Hofstra Law faculty, Professor Ku served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and as an Olin Fellow and Lecturer in Law at the University of Virginia Law School. Professor Ku also practiced as an associate at the New York City law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, specializing in litigation and arbitration arising out of international disputes. He has been a visiting professor at the College of William & Mary Marshall- Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia; a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in Law at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, China; and a Taiwan Fellow at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a member of the New York Bar and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.
Senior Research Fellow, China and National Security Policy, Asian Studies Center
Aformer deputy national security advisor to the Vice President, The Honorable Steve Yates returns to Heritage after two decades as an analyst and practitioner of politics, policy, media, and national security affairs.
As Senior Research Fellow for China and National Security in the Heritage’s Asian Studies Center, Yates leads the effort to define, amplify, and execute a comprehensive strategy to contain the malign influences of the Chinese Communist Party, strengthen and rebalance alliances, and put American families, jobs, and sovereignty first.
Yates comes to Heritage from the America First Policy Institute, where he launched the China Policy Initiative. He previously served as President of Radio Free Asia and Professor in the Practice of International Business and Politics at Boise State University. Before opening D.C. International Advisory in 2006, Yates served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney for National Security Affairs from 2001 through 2005. Yates served as chairman of the Idaho Republican Party from August 2014 to April 2017 and as co-chair of the 2016 Republican Platform Subcommittee on National Security.
From 1996-2001, Yates was a senior policy analyst at Heritage and received the prestigious W. Glenn and Rita Ricardo Campbell Award. The honor goes to the staff member determined to have made “an outstanding contribution to the analysis and promotion of the free society.”
He received a master’s degree in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
In October 2023, Steve lost his beloved daughter Christina to fentanyl poisoning. To honor her memory, he and his family are tireless advocates for upholding the hundreds of thousands of families affected by this scourge. They dedicate their lives to stopping and holding accountable those responsible for bringing it into our country, communities, and homes.
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