ARLINGTON, Va. — The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to welcome the second class of fellows participating in the John Stuart Mill Fellowship. Launched in September 2023, the Mill Fellowship is a one-year program for entrepreneurs to study the philosophical underpinnings of big ideas relating to markets, politics and society.
The fellowship was developed with support from Brendan McCord, the Mercatus Center’s first Entrepreneur in Residence, along with Virgil Storr, Vice President, Academic and Student Programs at Mercatus. McCord was also a member of the inaugural class of fellows and is the founder and chair of the recently launched Cosmos Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting human flourishing in the age of AI.
“I partnered with Mercatus to create this fellowship because I believe there is incredible value in studying the principles of human progress,” said McCord. “It was a life-changing experience for me to immerse myself in the readings and discussions and I applaud the next class for taking this step to invest in ideas.”
Mill Fellows come together three times throughout the year to participate in colloquia exploring key ideas that continue to influence contemporary policy debates and societal development. The discussions will center around the works of influential thinkers such as John Stuart Mill, Adam Smith, Alexis de Tocqueville, Montesquieu, F. A. Hayek, and James Buchanan.
Reflecting on the fellowship's successful inaugural year, Storr said, “I was impressed by the enthusiasm our first cohort of Mill Fellows brought to the program and their interest in expanding their intellectual frameworks. They were able to find important links between the ideas we explored and their amazing entrepreneurial endeavors. Heading into the second year, I am looking forward to introducing this new group to a wide range of philosophers and delving into how they can use these ideas to improve society.”
The full list of incoming fellows is below. is To learn more about all Mercatus Center fellowships and programs, visit Mercatus.org. Applications for most programs open in the fall. For more information about the Mill Fellowship or to request a media interview, please contact Matthew Boyer at 703-993-8094 or [email protected].
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John Stuart Mill Fellows for 2024-2025
Brett Bivens, Director of Research, July Fund
Jordan Blashek, Co-Founder and Managing Director, America's Frontier Fund
David Calder, Partner, Tower Arch Capital
Kate Kavanaugh, Founder, Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe
Miles Fisher, Co-Founder, Metaphysic
Kevin Fishner, Owner, Radius Butcher & Grocery
Chris Goulakos, Managing Partner, Balius Partners
Andrew Kelley, Director, Marine Corps War College, United States Marine Corps (DOD)
Valentina Milanova, Founder & CEO, Daye
Hari Sundram, CEO, WriteWise
Anastasia Uglova, Specialist Leader, Deloitte
Lisa Wallace, Cofounder & Co-CEO, Assemble