Arlington, VA – The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to announce the fourth cohort of fellows selected for its John Stuart Mill Fellowship.
The John Stuart Mill Fellowship, launched in 2023, offers technology, business, and social entrepreneurs an opportunity to explore the philosophical foundations of a free society. Drawing on the writings of thinkers such as John Stuart Mill, Adam Smith, Alexis de Tocqueville, F. A. Hayek, and James Buchanan, fellows examine fundamental questions about the nature of markets, the limits of politics, the importance of institutions, and the pathways to human flourishing.
“A free society depends on people who solve problems from the bottom up: entrepreneurs, philanthropists, educators, civic leaders. Doing that well takes philosopher-builders, people who understand the promise of markets and the limits of politics and can turn first principles into first prototypes,” said Brendan McCord, founder of Cosmos Institute and a Mercatus Center board member, who codeveloped the fellowship.
“We developed the Mill Fellowship to give fellows the time and the intellectual community to examine fundamental questions about the human good and what it takes for free people to govern their own lives. I'm excited to welcome this new class and see what they go on to build.”
The fellowship builds on the Mercatus Center’s decades of experience fostering intellectual communities and developing talent.
“The ideas that we are committed to teaching at the Mercatus Center are more than just theoretical concepts to be taught in classrooms. They are principles that undergird our society. Past Mill Fellows report that they are using the ideas and frameworks they encountered during the fellowship in their businesses, organizations, and communities,” said Virgil Storr, senior vice president of research and programs at the Mercatus Center and a Mercatus Center board member.
“That is why we think the Mill Fellowship is so critical. The fellowship provides a dedicated space for technology, business, and social leaders to examine the key ideas about liberty and prosperity carefully, challenge their own assumptions, and learn from and alongside one another. I am thrilled to welcome this remarkable group of people into our intellectual community.”
The 2026–2027 fellowship year also marks the first year of Liberty Fund’s support for the fellowship. A private educational foundation established to enrich the understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of a society of free and responsible individuals, Liberty Fund shares the Mercatus Center’s commitment to fostering rigorous intellectual engagement with the ideas and institutions that sustain a free society.
“Liberty Fund has long believed in the importance of bringing people together to discuss and explore fundamental questions about liberty and responsibility. We have long shared this mission with Mercatus,” said Sean Shelby, president and CEO of the Liberty Fund. “We are excited to support the Mill Fellowship, a program that engages entrepreneurs and leaders in technology and in civil society who are confronting these questions on the ground, in their everyday work.”
The 2026–2027 John Stuart Mill Fellows
- Mona Alsubaei, Founder
- Faris Bseiso, Co-founder and CEO, Cipher Music
- Claudia Cummings, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Philanthropy Roundtable
- Claire Fiddian-Green, President and CEO, Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation
- Darren Keller, CEO, Brown Legacy Group
- Josef Loeffler, Managing Director, Blue Star
- Bohan Lou, Partner, Chemistry
- Ross Matican, Investor, Halcyon Ventures
- Ilya Rekhter, CEO, Megawatt
- Gil Rubinstein, Partner, NeoStrategies
- Zoe Schlag, CEO, Common Trust
- Kinjal Shah, Investor, BCAP
- Julie Squire, Senior Partner and Head of Emerging Approaches, Bellwether
- Avni Patel Thompson, Owner and CEO, Kidsbooks
- Matt Whiteside, Owner, Force for Good Companies