Chuck DeFeo
Chief Executive Officer
Chuck DeFeo is the Chief Executive Officer of National Review, Inc. and National Review Institute. His innovative use of digital media, technology, and data in various media, advocacy, and political ventures is recognized for the impact and growth it has created. For the decade prior to joining National Review, Chuck led the vision and strategy for i360, a Koch Industries owned company, whose grassroots and advocacy products are used by Americans for Prosperity and more than 10,000 right-of-center organizations. He designed the first digital campaign for an incumbent President of the United States, oversaw data and technology projects for the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Justice in 2001, and built the first unified data, technology, and digital marketing team within the Republican National Committee. He lives in northern Virginia with his wife and four children.
Adam Novak
Chief Development Officer
Adam Novak serves as Chief Development Officer at National Review Institute, bringing with him two decades of experience in philanthropy. A Western Pennsylvania native, Adam got his start in fundraising while earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh—around the same time he picked up his first copy of National Review. He later served as a major gifts officer at Duquesne University, where he also completed a master’s degree, before joining the conservative movement full-time with roles at The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. A second-generation fundraiser, Adam considers it the privilege of a lifetime to help carry forward the mission of National Review. His favorite book by William F. Buckley Jr. is Miles Gone By, a memoir that reminds us liberty is not only worth defending—it’s the key to a life well lived.
Jack Pura
Major Gifts Officer: Northeast and Midwest
Jack was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He earned a degree in Business Administration and Sports Marketing from Fairfield University. Jack also interned with NBC Sports on coverage of the Rio Summer Olympics and after college began his career in sales at an aircraft supply company before returning to NBC to work in Advertising Sales and Partnerships.
While at NBC, Jack discovered National Review Institute’s Burke to Buckley program and became an alumnus of its Spring 2024 New York City session. Today he brings that same drive and focus to his role at NRI, where he works to engage and energize conservatives in New York City and across the country.
Jason Wise
Regional Development Lead: Northwest
Jason Wise is the Regional Development Lead for the Northwestern United States, managing and facilitating donor outreach and development. Having read National Review since the early days of the website, his association with the magazine started in 2002 when he sailed the Mediterranean on what was to become the first of many NR cruises—now up to 17. He served as an NRI trustee from 2005 to 2015. Prior to joining NRI, Jason worked as an equity trader in the hedge fund industry for 19 years in San Francisco, New York City, and Connecticut. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington. He now lives in his hometown of Seattle.
Noelle Carter
Major Gifts Officer: Southeast
Noelle Carter serves as a Major Gifts Officer at National Review Institute. She is based in DC but was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN where her father served as Indiana Attorney General from 2001-2009. Her childhood involved campaign parades and commercials, and sparked her love for conservative politics and policy.
Noelle has worked in DC for numerous political and policy organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, Republican Governors Association, Republican State Leadership Committee, Governor Haley Barbour’s firm BGR Group, and got her start in fundraising on Jeb Bush’s campaign in 2015. She attended Georgetown University and is currently working on her MA in Government at Hillsdale in DC.
Stephanie Cates
Regional Development Lead: Southwest
Stephanie Cates is NRI’s Regional Development Lead in the Southwest. Based in Phoenix, she fosters relationships with NRI friends and donors throughout the Southwestern U.S. Prior to NRI, Stephanie spent 24 years directing the marketing and communications for a consumer packaged goods manufacturer in Spokane, Washington.
Stephanie is excited to meet new people who are equally passionate about promoting the conservative movement, while being closer to family in Arizona and Southern California. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, wine tasting, and exploring the unique beauty of the desert Southwest. She graduated from Grove City College with a B.A. in Communications, and laments that she missed having William F. Buckley Jr. as her commencement speaker by one year.
Hattie Murray
Development Assistant
Hattie Murray is the Development Assistant at National Review Institute, joining the organization after her graduation in 2024. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she earned her B.A. in Politics and Pre-Law, with a minor in Philosophy, from Palm Beach Atlantic University. There, as a Freidheim Fellow, Hattie conducted research on the constitutionality of the federal government’s use of nominally private entities to censor free speech. Hattie completed two programs with The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). As a Leadership Scholar in TFAS’s D.C. program, she interned in Washington, D.C. with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. She also participated in TFAS’s international program in Prague, where she studied Politics and Economics of the Free Society at Charles University.
After graduating in 2024, Hattie relocated to New York City, where she now resides in Williamsburg. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the neighborhood’s vibrant restaurant scene, attending performing arts events, and visiting museums—particularly The Met, where she is a member.
Matthew Jean-Baptiste
Office Services Coordinator
Matthew Jean-Baptiste is the Office Services Coordinator at National Review Institute, where he manages reception and provides administrative support. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a BA in Communications from Brooklyn College and has a wealth of office-support experience. He enjoys music and sports and currently resides in Brooklyn.
Lynn Gibson
Senior Adviser, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program
Lynn Gibson serves as a Special Adviser to the Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program—a multi-session program that consists of in-person meetings around the country, as well as two levels of virtual courses. Her professional career has spanned the academic, governmental, nonprofit, and private sectors. She currently works for a small family foundation. Her previous employers and/or consulting clients have included the National Math and Science Initiative, The Philanthropy Roundtable, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Senate, The Heritage Foundation, and her alma mater, Grove City College. Lynn has a B.S. in Biology from Grove City College and a Master’s degree in Student Personnel from Slippery Rock University. She is from Youngstown, Ohio.
For more information on the B2B Program, please contact lynn@nrinstitute.org or complete the form below.
Helena Ramírez Richardson
Coordinator, Miami Burke to Buckley Program
Helena Ramírez Richardson is a national coalition builder and outreach strategist who spent a decade shaping youth and Hispanic engagement in the conservative movement. At The Heritage Foundation, she built campus and young-professional programs and launched The Academy, reaching more than 1,000 emerging leaders in its first year. A former strategist at The LIBRE Initiative and a Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree, Helena now advises liberty-focused organizations while raising her four children in South Florida. Born in San Juan and raised in Miami, she is fluent in Spanish and an alumna and former University Trustee of Florida International University.
Helena can be reached at miami@nrinstitute.org.