Senior Staff
Marisa Lemma Editor-In-Chief Marisa Lemma is a second year Master of Public Policy student at the Batten School. She graduated with a BA in Government from the College of William & Mary in 2020. Marisa is extremely passionate about equity and currently works as a Data Fellow at the UVA Equity Center, working to make data more accessible to the community. She is also the author of The Marching Women: Inspiring Stories from Young Women in Public Policy, a book about ways to get involved in policy and make meaningful change in your community. As Editor-in-Chief, Marisa is excited to help amplify the voices of such a passionate and talented staff. |
Ethan Betterton Managing editor Ethan is a second-year MPP candidate from Franklin County, Virginia. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 2020 with a BA in Foreign Affairs and English. His policy interests are diverse, but he is especially interested in the intersection of foreign and technology policy. As Managing Editor, Ethan is responsible for creating the VPR journal and looks forward to making it VPR's best journal yet. |
Claire Berg Director of operations Claire Berg is a second-year Master of Public Policy candidate at the Batten School. In June 2020, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Political Science. Claire is an aspiring professor, and hopes to expand access to higher education. As Director of Operations, she works alongside the Operations Team to plan VPR's annual National Journal Conference. |
Ella Jensen Director of Communications Ella Jensen is a 4th year in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy double majoring in Public Policy and Global Public Health with minors in Spanish and Urban Planning. Ella is from Lexington, Kentucky and is very interested in health policy, specifically the effects of social determinants on health and ensuring health equity. She is very excited to work alongside the talented editorial staff, broadcasting their work through social media channels to reach its broadest audience possible. |
Connor Eads Podcast host |
Charlie Bruce Academical Director Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. |
Caleb Tisdale Third rail editor-in-chief Caleb Tisdale is a 2nd year MPP and serves as the Editor-In-Chief of The Third Rail. He joined VPR as a member of The Third Rail Editorial Board last year and was elected Editor-In-Chief last May. He is passionate about foreign policy, particularly nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. |
Taylor Jones Associate Director of Communications Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. |
Journal Editors
Eli Smolen Eli Smolen is a fourth year undergraduate student from Fairfax, Virginia, double majoring in Public Policy and Global Security & Justice. In the Batten School, he serves as a member of the Batten Equity Collaborative and the Batten Undergraduate Council's Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Previously, Eli has worked as a legislative aide for Speaker Filler-Corn of the Virginia House of Delegates and as a field organizer for the Dr. Cameron Webb Campaign for Congress. He is excited to bring his passion for equity to the VPR team and looks forward to creating an accessible platform for readers to learn and share their thoughts on a robust range of policies. |
Lauren O'Neil Lauren O’Neil is a third-year from Richmond, Virginia studying within the Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law program. Lauren’s primary academic interests include the ethics of capital punishment in the American context and the impact of judicial policymaking on criminal-legal systems. In addition to her involvement with the Virginia Policy Review, Lauren serves as a student researcher at the University’s School of Law Special Collections Library, as a volunteer at the Legal Aid Justice Center, as a News Editor with the Cavalier Daily, and as a tour guide with the University Guide Service. When not involved on-Grounds, Lauren enjoys walking around the Downtown Mall, reading rom-com novels, and trying out new vegan ice cream flavors. |
Casey Wilson Casey Wilson (she/her) is a first year MPP student at Batten. She received a BA in Political Science from Roanoke College in spring 2021, where she completed research on dimensions of political ideology and party alignment, usage of public-private partnerships in swim lesson implementation, and how the First Lady of the United States influences public policy generation. Her policy interests include education, health, and electoral policy. She looks forward to helping others discover and understand policy issues they have not considered before while working with VPR. |
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Molly Hayes Molly is a third year student from Alexandria, Virginia majoring in Leadership and Public Policy with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. Molly is an editor for the Third Rail and is passionate about criminal justice reform. She hopes to attend law school after graduation. |
Ellie Murphy Ellie Murphy is a first year MPP candidate from Oxford, PA. She graduated in May 2021 from Olivet Nazarene University with a B.S. in International Business & Political Science with a minor in Spanish. She is passionate about affordable housing equality and access. With experiences at NASA and on Capitol Hill, she has developed a love for working hands-on with public policy. Having served as National President for Phi Beta Lambda, she led the student-run business organization of over 250,000 members worldwide, and helped develop the strategic plan for the organization. |
Jonathan Dove Jonathan is first year MPP post-grad and serves as an editor for VPR. He is an active duty Army officer with eight years of service in the Infantry and Military Intelligence branches. Jonathan grew up in Martinsville, VA and attended Radford University, obtaining Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Criminal Justice. Jonathan is interested in national security policy and U.S.-Asia relations. |
Cassie Bailey Cassie Bailey is a fourth year undergraduate student in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy with a double major in Global Security and Justice and a minor in Sociology. She is originally from Needham, Massachusetts and is passionate about education policy and criminal justice reform. As an editor for the Third Rail, Cassie is looking forward to publishing articles on important and relevant policy issues. |
Molly Brind'Amour Molly Brind'Amour is a second-year MPP from Rochester, NY. A graduate of University of Richmond, Molly has her Bachelor's in Journalism and Politics, Philosophy, Economics and Law. Prior to coming to Batten, Molly worked in Richmond as an Americorps VISTA, and is a resident expert on RVA coffeeshops. |
Julia Stamper Julia Stamper is a dual-degree student with Batten’s Master of Public Policy and the University of Virginia School of Law. She has a BA in Political Science from East Carolina University and her research interests center around the growing political polarization of the American public and ways to mitigate that polarization. Julia hopes to use her MPP and JD concurrently to both help policymakers design policies that better account for the impact they have on individuals’ day-to-day lives and to help individuals who have been adversely affected by policy externalities seek remedy and compensation. |
Matthew Trice A native of Arlington, VA, Matt graduated from the University of Virginia in 2018 with a B.A. in Government and minor in Psychology. He went on to work as a federal contractor for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) where he provided security exercise and evaluation training for public and private sector stakeholders. Upon graduation from the Frank Batten School of Public Policy and Leadership, Matt hopes to work at the US Department of State engaging in the subject matters of national security and emerging technologies. |
Paul Cederoth Paul Cederoth is a 2nd-year Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Virginia, specializing in environmental and space policy issues. Healso completed a History degree at the University of Virginia, with minors in Economics and Astronomy. Paul is passionate about connecting policy experts and industry professionals for their mutual benefit, and hopes to invite greater awareness of policy issues at the Virginia Policy Review. He is currently conducting research for a senior fellow at a New York-based think tank on topics such as pharmaceutical development and pandemic preparedness policy. |