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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.

Matthew Jean-Baptiste

Office Services Coordinator

Matthew Jean-Baptiste is the Office Services Coordinator at National Review Institute, where 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.

Karlene Maharaj

Database Administrator

Karlene Maharaj is the Development Operations Coordinator at National Review Institute, responsible for managing the direct mail program, providing financial reporting and campaign analysis, and assisting the development staff in outreach, logistics, marketing, follow-up, and events. Karlene has worked in the development arena for almost 10 years. Her passion for fundraising began when she worked for an organization that served veterans and their families, a mission very close to her own story. Throughout her career, she has worked vigorously to connect donors to the stories of “why one gives” and to the messaging of an organization’s mission.

As both a wife and mother, Karlene pursued her academic goals online, attending the School of Professional Studies, CUNY in New York for her B.A. in Business Administration. Her personal and professional affiliations include sitting on the board of her children’s private school PTA since 2008, first as the PTA president and then as the Parent Teacher Liaison. She has also been a participating member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP).

Nicholas Mosvick

Manager, Buckley Legacy Project (Made possible by the Apgar Foundation), Regional Coordinator, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program, Philadelphia

Nicholas Mosvick serves as the Buckley Legacy Project Manager at National Review Institute. He was previously a Senior Fellow in Constitutional Content at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota, where he studied history and political science, before getting his J.D. and M.A. at the University of Virginia in legal history in 2010 and his PhD in US history from the University of Mississippi in 2019. His research interests include nineteenth century American constitutionalism, the Lochner Era, the history of American military conscription, and originalism and the common law. He is currently under contract with the University of Kansas Press to publish his first book, Legalizing the Draft: Jacksonian Constitutionalism, the American Civil War, and the Legitimization of Military Conscription. He lives with his wife Lindsey and two sons Connor and Lincoln in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

Hattie Murray

Development Assistant

Hattie Murray is the Development Assistant at National Review Institute. Hattie was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She received her B.A. in Politics and Pre-Law with a minor in Philosophy from Palm Beach Atlantic University. There she was chosen as a Freidheim Fellow to research the constitutionality of the federal government’s use of nominally private entities to censor free speech. She has also been involved with The Fund for American Studies as a leadership scholar in their Washington D.C. program, where she interned with American Council of Trustees and Alumni, and in their international program in Prague.

Alexander Norton III

Student Outreach Coordinator

Alexander Norton III works as the Student Outreach Coordinator at National Review Institute. He has worked advance and outreach for political campaigns and most recently worked at Leadership Institute as a field representative where he organized college students and planned speaker events throughout New York. Alexander was born in Okinawa, Japan and raised in Las Vegas, NV, and he studied at the University of Utah and McGill University. He now lives in New York, NY. In his free time, Alexander enjoys reading, attending classical music concerts, and learning about foreign cultures and languages – particularly French.

Aramis L. Perez

Manager, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program

Aramis L. Perez is NRI’s Future of Freedom Fellow managing the Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program. He joins NRI after completing the Burke to Buckley Fellowship in his hometown of Miami in 2022 and serving as City Coordinator there in 2023. His prior experience includes managing communities, communications, and education for businesses and non-profit organizations, as well as university administration. Aramis is a lifelong learner with a strong interest in conservative social and political thought. He holds an AB in Government from Harvard and is a Professional Fellow to the Abigail Adams Institute in Cambridge.

Sherri Rowton

Regional Development Lead, Southeast

Sherri Joullian Rowton is NRI’s Regional Development Lead for the Southeast. She joined NRI after retiring from her alma mater, Auburn University, where she spent over two decades as a development officer with the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Her career in fundraising began at The Dallas Arboretum as its membership manager. Sherri is involved in several community organizations, including the Opelika Historic Preservation Society and East Alabama Youth for Christ. She is based in Opelika, Alabama, and she and her husband Philip are parents to two sons, both of whom are current Auburn students.

Lydie White

Board of Trustees Liaison

Lydie White is the Board of Trustees Liaison, responsible for updating, coordinating with, and providing information to NRI’s board. Previously, she worked as the Director of Finance and Operations at NRI, overseeing internal operations, accounting, and event planning and providing administrative assistance directly to NRI’s president. Prior to joining NRI, Lydie worked in operations and finance for the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Originally from Georgia, Lydie earned her B.A. in History from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina and her J.D. from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She and her husband, John Anderson, reside in Georgia.

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.

Ilana Wolf

Accounting and Operations Manager

Ilana Wolf is the Accounting and Operations Manager at NRI. In this role she is responsible for NRI’s accounting and finance, manages human resource-related functions, and supports management and development operations. Ilana came to NRI from Airline Pros in New York City, where she was responsible for all accounting duties for many of their foreign and domestic entities. She has payroll and HR-related experience with former employers. She majored in Accounting at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Ilana lived in Russia and Israel before moving to the U.S. She and her family live in New Jersey.

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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.

Shannon Cagnina

Regional Coordinator, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program, Dallas 

Shannon Cagnina serves as General Counsel for a family office that oversees real estate operating companies and philanthropy. She also serves on multiple values-aligned nonprofit boards. She earned a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College, a J.D. from Boston University, and began her career at an economic consulting firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Shannon loves spending time with her three wonderful children and their families. You might also find her at an exhibit at the Meadows, the Kimbell, or the Dallas Museum of Art. Shannon can be reached at dallas@nrinstitute.org. 

Todd Drake

Regional Coordinator, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program, New York City

Todd Drake has over two decades of experience in the commercial and residential real estate industry. He has built and operated multiple business enterprises, including residential, multifamily, and hospitality assets. Those enterprises encompass the full development cycle from construction to management and eventual sale of the assets. Before embarking on these projects, Todd had the benefit of a background which included consulting for business entities requiring his expertise in underwriting, servicing, and managing commercial real property of various types. His wide-ranging experience includes time as a Financial Consultant at Merrill Lynch, as a restaurant and banquet facility owner, a CMBS loan consultant, as well as various business enterprises. Currently, Todd is a locally elected county legislator, where he works consistently to keep the county make fiscally responsible decisions and to stand athwart and shed light upon the often egregious acts of a government body emboldened by one-party rule. Most recently in business, Todd has focused on the acquisition, refurbishment and operation of traditional Adirondack style cabin and camping resorts in the Lake George & Lake Placid regions of New York State. Todd can be reached at newyork@nrinstitute.org. 

Chris Myers

Regional Coordinator, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program, Chicago

Chris Myers is a partner in Ernst & Young’s merger and acquisition (M&A) consulting practice where he specializes in complex, international M&A transactions. He also serves as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserves based out of Fort Sheridan, IL where he currently supports US European Command. Outside of his day job and his military responsibilities, Myers serves as board chairman of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. chapter, as President of his 207-unit condo board, and as an Adjunct Professor of Management at DePaul University. Politically, Chris is the elected 34th Ward Republican Committeeman and serves as the Director of the Chicago GOP Policy Committee. Chris has been a fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2021), the National Review Institute Burke-to-Buckley Fellowship Program (2019), Leadership Greater Chicago (2019), and World Business Chicago (2017). Myers holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MA in International Relations from American University, a certificate in National Security Studies from the US Naval War college, and a BS in Computer Engineering from Penn State University. He has been actively learning the Polish language since 2017. Chris can be reached at chicago@nrinstitute.org.

Helena Ramírez Richardson

Regional Coordinator, Burke to Buckley Fellowship Program, Miami

Helena Ramírez Richardson is a national coalition builder, outreach specialist, and programming advisor. Helena spent ten years in Washington, D.C. in government affairs, led youth efforts at The Heritage Foundation, and brought Hispanics and Latinos into the liberty movement when at The LIBRE Initiative. She is now a full time mother of three who advises liberty-minded organizations and causes. Helena formerly led the Heritage Foundation’s efforts to develop college campus outreach, young professional engagement, the prestigious internship program, and launched The Academy, a virtual leadership program that reached over 1,000 young professionals in its first year. She also worked at The LIBRE Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting free market principles in the Hispanic community. Helena oversaw coalition building with students, young professionals, and families in North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Helena worked in a boutique government relations firm, and in the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute where she oversaw leadership development and congressional outreach. It was through her work at LIBRE that in 2015, she was named to Forbes “30 Under 30” in Law and Policy. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, grew up in Miami, Florida, and is fluent in Spanish. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Florida International University where she served as a University Trustee representing 44,000 students her graduating year. Helena can be reached at miami@nrinstitute.org.

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Jack Kontarinis

Intern

Jack Kontarinis is a fall 2024 and spring 2025 intern for National Review Institute. He is currently pursuing a Master of History Degree at New York University. He intends to focus his research on contemporary American foreign and domestic policy issues through historical lenses. He earned his BA in History, with Latin Honors, from the University of Colorado Boulder. He published his first paper on the early history of English trade in Southeast Asia in the 17th century through CU Boulder’s Honors Journal. Jack lives in Manhattan and is from Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Prior to working with the NRI and studying at NYU, he bought, handled, and sold crabs and oysters on Tilghman Island, Maryland, during his gap year.