Announcing the newest members of the Claremont family
Dear John,
We are delighted to announce the newest members of the Claremont family: the 2025 Lincoln Fellows.
This year's impressive group of Lincoln Fellows will spend ten days with the Claremont Institute's Senior Fellows and other distinguished scholars to study American politics and political thought with an emphasis on the statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln.
Thank you for your continued support in making this program—and all of our programs—a success. Please join us in welcoming this year's fellows.
Sandra Asuncion is the Director of Government Affairs at American Principles Project, where she works with both state and federal legislators to promote pro-family priorities. She has testified before state legislatures and worked with broad coalitions to help expose and exterminate the predatory industries that prey on worried parents and vulnerable children. Sandra received a B.A. from Thomas More College of Liberal Arts and an M.A. from Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship. Recently married, she and her husband live in Manassas, Virginia.
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, crime, national security, faith, and culture. As a military spouse, she has reported extensively on military families and veterans, as well as the often-overlooked emotional and logistical burdens of deployments. Prior to being a journalist, she worked as a data analyst at the National Republican Congressional Committee. Jasmine holds a Master of Public Policy and a B.A. in Political Science and French from Mills College, with additional studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Jasmine, her husband LtCol James Baehr (USMC), and their infant son James Jr. live in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Micah Bock serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications at The Department of Homeland Security. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Congressman Lance Gooden. In the Trump Administration and during his time on Capitol Hill, Micah utilized close relationships with national media, local press, and industry experts to build national narratives, navigate complex political crises, and consistently deliver effective communications products to decision makers at both the federal and state level. A graduate of Patrick Henry College, he earned a B.A. in Strategic Intelligence in National Security in 2020. In addition to his professional achievements, Micah is an avid traveler, amateur photographer, and enjoys long walks on the beach while scrolling X.
Kyle Brosnan is the Vice President of Legal at The Oversight Project, where he leads a team of lawyers dedicated to exposing government corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse. Previously, he served as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations for Senator Ron Johnson, in senior roles at the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security in the first Trump Administration, on the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and at The Heritage Foundation. Kyle has a B.A. and J.D. from George Washington University.
Mark DiPlacido is a Policy Advisor at American Compass specializing in issues related to trade, financialization, and broader economic policy. He worked in the first Trump Administration at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under Ambassador Robert Lighthizer. Mark also served as Deputy Policy Director for the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign, in government relations at The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, and as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate. He graduated from Yale University in 2015 with a B.A. in history and was born and raised in Erie, PA.
Jerome Greener serves as Executive Vice President at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served as the State Director for Americans for Prosperity, Texas, where he mobilized grassroots communities to employ campaign tactics for state and federal policy advocacy. Jerome also served as Senior Advisor for Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC dedicated to elect policy champions throughout the country. A San Antonio native, he studied Politics and Business Administration at the University of Dallas.
Jon Hartley is a Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a Research Fellow at the UT-Austin Civitas Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and an Affiliated Scholar at the Mercatus Center. He is the host of the Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century podcast, a member of the Canadian Group of Economists, and founding chair of the Economic Club of Miami. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago (B.A. in Economics and Mathematics with Honors), The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.), and the Harvard Kennedy School (M.P.P.). He is also an economics Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University. Jon has previously worked at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and in various policy/governmental roles at the World Bank, IMF, U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He has also contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, and National Review Online, among many other outlets. Jon was named to the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 Law & Policy list and the 2017 Wharton 40 Under 40 list.
Samuel Lair serves as the Legislative Director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation and is also the Director of the Center for American Education. Within these roles, he assists in developing state-level education reforms targeted at reviving civics instruction in K-12 education and eliminating DEI from Idaho’s system of higher education. His writing on these topics and others has been featured in The American Mind, The Federalist, and RealClearPolicy. Samuel holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno and is a Ph.D. candidate at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel School of Statesmanship, where he is writing on the political thought and statesmanship of James Monroe.
Alexandra McCandless is the Deputy Communications Director at the White House Office of Management and Budget. She previously served as Communications Director for Congressman Dan Bishop and worked in independent and nonprofit communications roles. Alexandra is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Robert Ordway is a Senior Policy Advisor for Indiana Governor Mike Braun. He previously served as Deputy Legislative Director to then-Senator Braun and as a Director at the American Legislative Exchange Council. Robert is a board member of the Indiana Society of Washington and the Custom Tailors & Designers Association in New York City. He is currently working on his first book, Millrat, a memoir from the multiethnic working class. The book centers around life lessons from his dad’s battle with ALS and his own experiences growing up on “the color line” on the fringe of Gary, Indiana.
Daniel Sprouse is a U.S. Army Infantry Officer with over 10 years of service and is currently assigned to the Pentagon as a General Omar Bradley Fellow. He has led soldiers in combat and training environments across several theaters, including multiple deployments to Afghanistan. Daniel has commanded two Stryker Companies, facilitated security force assistance in the Pacific, and conducted special operations raids with the 75th Ranger Regiment. He earned his B.S. from the United States Military Academy and Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University. Daniel is originally from Fishers, Indiana, and now lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and son.
Amber Todoroff is the Deputy Policy Editor at Open the Books, a nonprofit focused on government transparency. Her investigative journalism has made national headlines and engendered federal response on issues ranging from the woke capture of schools serving the children of military service members, to ethically dubious royalties paid out to researchers at the National Institutes of Health, to billions of dollars paid out to radical universities from federal and foreign funders. She holds a B.A. from the University of Florida and received an M.Sc. from Oxford University on the Frost Scholarship.
Emma Waters is a Policy Analyst in the Tech Policy Center at The Heritage Foundation. Her work focuses on family, biotechnology, and reproductive medicine. She is a co-author of “A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right” statement at First Things. Her first book, The Jael Generation, will be released with Skyhorse Publishing in 2026. Emma graduated Valedictorian at Lee University with a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at The Catholic University of America. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.
Noah Weinrich serves as a speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Previously, he served as Director of Media and Public Relations at The Heritage Foundation, overseeing Heritage's public messaging, managing a team of bookers and editors, and advising Heritage leadership on media strategy. He also served as Director of Communications for Heritage Action, Heritage's advocacy arm, and for Sentinel Action Fund, a conservative super PAC. He previously worked as a Staff Writer at Pinkston Group, a public relations firm in Virginia. He holds a B.A. in Politics from Hillsdale College. A native of Athens, Georgia, he now lives in Maryland with his wife and two young children.
Join us in shaping the next generation of conservative leaders prepared to defend the American way of life in this critical hour.
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