Across the Aisle is making it easier for young people to be informed, get involved, and stay engaged.

Ven Gopal leads executive communications at Free the Facts. He previously served on the executive communications team for Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley, the legislative communications team at the criminal justice non-profit REFORM Alliance, and as an intern at the Executive Office of the President. Ven was part of Free the Facts’ inaugural class of Ambassadors and Scholars. He holds a master’s degree in economics from CUNY John Jay College and a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Connecticut.

TaylorAnn is a graduate of Black Hills State University in South Dakota. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in international studies, communications, and environmental sciences. Prior to joining Free the Facts, TaylorAnn worked on policy for senators in the Wyoming State Senate and the U.S. Senate.

Kalie is a recent Wells graduate who majored in Criminal Justice with a minor in creative writing. She interned at the Senator's Office of Ithaca during the Spring of 2024 and was recently a Scholar at Free the Facts. She is currently a Leadership Programs Coordinator and works closely with students in the Midwest.

Ana hails from Nicaragua, where she worked on cultural initiatives promoting Central American literature. She specializes in creating communication strategies that foster understanding between communities and highlight diverse voices. Ana holds a Master’s in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University. She is passionate about leveraging innovative technology to empower civic engagement and inspire informed, meaningful participation in society. At Free the Facts, she is the Associate for Creative Projects, helping streamline communication to ensure that creative and marketing efforts on key policy issues effectively engage young Americans.

Taylor Hourigan earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Colorado State University, where she was a trained facilitator with the CSU Center for Public Deliberation. She holds a master’s degree in political communication from the University of Maryland. Before joining Free the Facts full-time, Taylor participated in the Scholar program. She is an avid college sports fan and her teams are the Colorado State Rams, Maryland Terrapins, and Kentucky Wildcats.

Tom Church is a policy fellow at the Hoover Institution. He studies health care policy, entitlement reform, income inequality, poverty, and the federal budget. Church received his master’s degree in public policy with honors from Pepperdine University and a bachelor's degree in mathematics and political science from the University of Michigan.

Thomas Fodor is the Policy Director at Free the Facts, where he helps develop the organization’s educational materials. Starting as a student leader in the Ambassador Program, he joined the team as a Scholar after graduating. Over his six years with the organization, he held varying roles before transitioning into policy. Thomas is a graduate of Carson-Newman University, where he studied political science and philosophy.

Matthew Spence, PhD, is Global Head of Venture Capital Banking and Managing Director at Barclays, and a professor of practice at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor Law School and Thunderbird School of Global Management. He has also taught at Stanford and Yale. Prior to entering the private sector, Spence served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy, where he was the principal advisor to three Secretaries of Defense for U.S. policy towards the Middle East. Spence has also worked at the White House on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Economic Affairs and as Senior Advisor to two National Security Advisors. A Marshall Scholar and Truman Scholar, Spence received his doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, J.D. from Yale Law School, and master’s and bachelors degree from Stanford University. He lives in Sausalito with his wife Audrey, and three dogs and five chickens.

Lindsay Hayes has served as a writer and communications consultant in the White House and the U.S. Senate, for a Cabinet-level agency, and on two presidential campaigns. Hayes received her master's degree and Ph.D. in political communication from the University of Maryland, where she taught communications courses for over a decade. She also holds a bachelor's degree in political science and communication from Boston College.

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Lanhee J. Chen, Ph.D. has worked in government, politics, the private sector, and academia. A veteran of several high-profile presidential campaigns, Chen previously served as a presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed member of the Social Security Advisory Board—an independent, bipartisan panel that advises the president, Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security on matters related to the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. He was also a senior appointee at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Chen is currently the David and Diane Steffy Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University; and an affiliate of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He is also a Senior Counselor at the Brunswick Group, a global critical issues business advisory firm.

Julius L. Chen, Ph.D. is a health economist and Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. Chen’s research evaluates the innovative value-based care delivery and payment models that are being developed by Medicare, state Medicaid agencies, and self-insured employers. He also teaches graduate-level courses on healthcare finance and provider payment systems. Chen earned his B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley; received his M.S. and Ph.D. in applied economics and managerial science from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; and is pursuing his Ed.M. in education leadership at Harvard University. He also served as a California Senate Fellow from 2010-2011.

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Jason Marcella has worked in advertising and marketing for the past 20 years. He is experienced in all aspects of visual design, from branding and promotion to motion graphics and photography. His client list is diverse, including real estate developers, defense contractors, banks, tech companies, and the Virginia Lottery.

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Gabe first attended a Free the Facts Social Security presentation in 2018 and immediately applied to become an Ambassador for his campus. After participating in the organization’s Internship and Scholar Programs, he joined the team full-time. Gabe has worked with a variety of organizations to develop data-driven programs and strategy. Holding a bachelor's degree in ACS biochemistry from Southern Oregon University, Gabe is a native Oregonian, raised in Portland, and remains an avid fan of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Over her years of involvement with Free the Facts, Erica has served as an Ambassador, Intern, Scholar, and now Coordinator in the Leadership Programs Department. Her current role includes working directly with students in the Ambassador cohort and managing admissions to the program. Erica studied economics, mathematics, and environmental science at Brigham Young University, and spent much of her time during those years working on Great Salt Lake water rights issues and historical record linking through machine learning.

Prior to joining Free the Facts, Camden Stuebe served as President of the Independent Journal Review, overseeing the company’s business and editorial operations. Stuebe’s career at IJR spanned more than three years and included a variety of roles, among them being Chief of Staff. Through these positions, she acquired experience in organizational strategy and operations, management and talent development, digital media, editorial operations, and content development. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Beloit College, where she double-majored in political science and psychology.