Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ms. Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born Dutch-American human rights activist, best-selling author, and former member of the Dutch Parliament. She has advocated for the rights of Muslim women and has called upon the Islamic world to embrace democratic values of freedom and self-determination from which human flourishing can arise. As campuses explode with virulent antisemitic support for Hamas terrorism, Ayaan’s message, based on her personal escape under harrowing circumstances from radical Islam, is urgently important.

George Will

Dr. Will is a writer and political commentator whose twice-weekly column has appeared in the Washington Post since 1974. His books cover subjects ranging from baseball to statecraft, and he is the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Glenn Loury

Dr. Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences in the Department of Economics at Brown University. He is one of the nation’s leading social critics on the topics of racial inequality, the black family, affirmative action, and identity politics. Dr. Loury’s podcast, “The Glenn Show,” is one of the nation’s most vibrant forums for fearless discussion of the urgent issues of our times.

John Bolton

Ambassador Bolton served as assistant to the president and national security advisor under President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2019. He was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006 and served in high-level positions in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. His incisive commentary on world affairs and America’s role has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other major newspapers.

Bernard-Henri Lévy

Mr. Lévy is a French philosopher, novelist, filmmaker, and playwright. For 50 years, he has covered the world’s “forgotten wars,” both independently and on behalf of the French government. He is the creator of many renowned documentaries, including three films on the war in Ukraine: Why Ukraine, Slava Ukraini, and Glory to the Heroes, the last of which will be released in December. In November 2023, he is on the front lines in Gaza and has rallied the West to support Israel’s struggle against terrorism.

Marty Kotis, trustee of the University of North Carolina (UNC)–Chapel Hill and former member of the UNC Board of Governors

Marty Kotis serves as a trustee for the University of North Carolina (UNC)–Chapel Hill and is the founder and CEO of Kick Ass Concepts, which develops high-end commercial real-estate and concepts. Mr. Kotis has brought his entrepreneurial energy and activator style to UNC–Chapel Hill’s board, helping to initiate proactive reforms, including spearheading the board’s unanimous decision to establish at the university the School of Civic Life and Leadership. This new school will have its own dean and faculty and an ideologically balanced collection of course offerings to help students explore American civic principles with the freedom of expression, intellectual diversity, and open inquiry that such studies require. Mr. Kotis holds an M.B.A from the University of North Carolina–Greensboro and a B.S. in business from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Dr. Erec Smith, associate professor of rhetoric and composition at York College of Pennsylvania and co-founder of Free Black Thought

Erec Smith is an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at York College of Pennsylvania and visiting scholar of politics and society at the Cato Institute. He is also one of the founders of Free Black Thought, a website and journal dedicated to spotlighting viewpoint diversity among black intellectuals. Professor Smith became a leader in the academic freedom movement when he argued that a keynote address delivered at a recent conference in his discipline exhibited the kind of performative politics that fails to effect real change and challenged the speaker’s claim that teaching standardized English to students of color is an act of white supremacy. He developed this argument further in A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment, a book that dissects the over-reliance of anti-racist initiatives on identity politics and victimization and offers an alternative based on self-empowerment. Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in language, literacy, and rhetoric; an M.A. in English from the University of Illinois Chicago; and a B.A. in English from Ursinus College.

Karrin Taylor Robson, founder and president of Arizona Strategies and former member of the Arizona Board of Regents

Karrin Taylor Robson is a founder and president of Arizona Strategies, a premier land use strategy firm, and has worked with national organizations representing major landowners and stakeholders across the country to advance balanced federal environmental law and policy on endangered species acts and wetlands issues. In June 2017, she was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to the Arizona Board of Regents, which is responsible for the governance of the state’s public universities. She also serves as the chair of the Joe Foss Institute, a board officer of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, a board member of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and invisionAZ, and a member of the Civic Leaders Group for the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As a regent, she helped launch the Regents’ Cup, a debate competition for students at Arizona’s public universities that promotes rigorous, respectful discourse and celebrates free speech and democratic engagement. Ms. Robson holds a J.D. from Arizona State University College of Law and a B.A. in history from Arizona State University.

Dr. Abigail Thompson, distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of California–Davis and co-founder and secretary of the Association for Mathematical Research

Abigail Thompson is a distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of California–Davis and a co-founder of the Association for Mathematical Research. In a 2019 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, entitled “The University’s New Loyalty Oath,” she chastised the University of California system’s new hiring process for privileging some intellectual viewpoints over others, a violation of the university’s stand against McCarthy-era loyalty oaths. Professor Thompson argued that the rubric for assessing applicants’ diversity statements was not ideologically neutral, infringing on academic freedom and threatening intellectual diversity. ACTA honored her with its 2019 Hero of Intellectual Freedom award for this bold challenge. She holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Rutgers University.

Dr. Steven McGuire, ACTA’s Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom

As ACTA’s Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom, Steven McGuire leads our Campus Freedom Initiative. He frequently writes and speaks on free speech and academic freedom in the context of contemporary campus issues. Prior to joining ACTA, Dr. McGuire was director of the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good and associate teaching professor in the Augustine and Culture Seminar Program at Villanova University. His academic research focuses on the history of political thought, in particular on the theme of modernity and its critics. He is the co-editor of several academic publications, andhis writing has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Broad and Liberty, RealClearPolitics, Inside Higher Ed, The Public Discourse, Church Life Journal, Modern Age, Perspectives on Political Science, and the Political Science Reviewer. Dr. McGuire holds a Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America, an M.A. from the University of Saskatchewan, and a B.A. from the University of Lethbridge. He was a Bradley Fellow, an ISI Richard M. Weaver Fellow, and a 2021 Claremont Institute Lincoln Fellow.

Matthew Hendricks—Founder, Perspective Data Science

Dr. Matthew Hendricks is the founder of Perspective Data Science, a data consultancy firm that provides organizations, particularly those in the education sector operating on small budgets, with state-of-the-art analytics. He works with institutions to help them make better policy decisions that promote financial stability and improve student outcomes. Dr. Hendricks previously served as chair of the Department of Economics and associate professor of economics at the University of Tulsa, where his scholarship focused on labor economics, applied econometrics, and education policy. His research on the impact of changes in base salaries on teacher productivity was published in the Journal of Public Economics and Economics of Education Review. Dr. Hendricks holds a B.S. in economics from St. John’s University and a Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Minnesota.

The Honorable George “Hank” Brown—Former President, University of Colorado, and Former U.S. Senator

The Honorable Hank Brown served as president of the University of Colorado from 2005–2008. He was then named to the Quigg and Virginia S. Newton Endowed Chair in Leadership at the University of Colorado–Boulder and was an adjunct professor in the law school. Over his distinguished career in public service, he has served as the president of the University of Northern Colorado (1998–2002); as a member of the Colorado Senate (1972–1976); and as a member of both the U.S. House of Representatives (1981–1991) and the U.S. Senate (1991–1997). He led the university to record growth in enrollment, donations, and diversity and spearheaded the largest increase in state funding in the school’s history. Dr. Brown is one of 22 signatories to ACTA’s Governance for a New Era report, which calls on college trustees to work with faculty and presidents to form effective responses to ever-increasing tuition costs, outsized administrative expenditures, and the erosion of academic freedom. He received a B.S. in accounting from the University of Colorado, a master’s degree in law from George Washington University, and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law, and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Robert C. Dickeson—Cofounder, Academic Strategy Partners

Dr. Robert C. Dickeson is cofounder of Academic Strategy Partners, now the Academic Strategy Consortium, which provides expert consultation to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve institutional leadership, systems and processes, governance, planning, enrollment management, performance analytics, and financial standing. A national leader in higher education, Dr. Dickeson served as president of the University of Northern Colorado from 1981 to 1991. He has chaired blue-ribbon commissions appointed by three governors in two states; has been an officer of 80 corporate, government, foundation, and public affairs organizations; and served as commissioner from Colorado to the Education Commission of the States. As co-founder and Senior Vice President of Lumina Foundation for Education, he led the national effort to control college costs. He is the author of more than 200 publications in the fields of higher education leadership and policy and public administration. Dr. Dickeson’s book, Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services, is based on his extensive consulting experiences serving several hundred two- and four-year colleges and corporations ranging from hospitals to bank holding companies. Dr. Dickeson holds an A.B., M.A., and Ph.D. in political science and public administration from the University of Missouri–Columbia.

Alice Lee Williams Brown—Principal, AWB & Associates

Alice Lee Williams Brown taught at Appalachian State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Ohio University, and the University of Kentucky prior to leading the Appalachian College Program at the University of Kentucky. After 10 years, the Program became the non-profit Appalachian College Association housed in Berea, KY. For the next 15 years, Dr. Brown raised over $50 million to provide fellowships for faculty and research experiences for students at 35 small private colleges across the five states of central Appalachia. Since retiring as President Emerita from that association, she has received funding from various foundations to research colleges that closed or almost closed and the importance of trusteeship. Her research has resulted in the publication of 15 articles, three books, and a confidential report on the almost closing of Sweet Briar College. She reviews proposals for the Skelly Foundation and the US Department of Education, has served on the boards of the Southern Education Foundation, Colby-Sawyer College, HERS, the Association of Collaborative Leadership, Teaching Learning Technology, the Appalachian Studies Association, and has advised non-profit organizations and private colleges. She earned her B.S. and M.A. from Appalachian State University and her Ed.D. from the University of Kentucky.

Anna Sillers—Data Analyst Fellow, ACTA

Anna Sillers serves as the data analyst fellow in ACTA’s Trustee & Government Affairs Department where she oversees HowCollegesSpendMoney.com. She is responsible for examining education data related to college spending and tuition to understand how spending can hurt or help students and led the quantitative research for ACTA’s The Cost of Excess. Prior to joining ACTA, she was an associate consultant for Manhattan Strategy Group, where she served as a researcher and data analyst for the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor. She holds a B.A. in economics from Mount Holyoke College and an M.P.P. from Georgetown University.