After a highly competitive selection process, the John Quincy Adams Society is pleased to announce its Spring 2026 cohort of Marcellus Policy Fellows. This is the Society’s twelfth cohort of fellows. The Fellows will spend the next eleven weeks learning from top experts on foreign policy as they develop a think tank style policy analysis on a pressing issue facing U.S. strategy. They will also be trained to produce supporting materials to make their work more likely to have impact, culminating in production of an op-ed and a one-page policy memorandum. Past fellows have gone on to work at a number of prominent foreign policy institutions in government, academia, the media, and think tanks. You can read the bios of our Spring 2026 Fellows below.
Jack Burns is a special assistant at the U.S. War Department. He holds an MA in Asia-Pacific Studies from National Chengchi University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Alabama. His work experience includes internships in the office of Senator Bernie Moreno and at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies. He is an American Moment fellow. His policy interests focus on China, Taiwan, and the broader Indo-Pacific Region.
Camila Manrique is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park double majoring in International Relations and Public Policy. Most recently, she was an HS-POWER research intern at the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate under the International Cooperative Programs Office. Camila’s policy paper will focus on the 2025 NSS “Trump Corollary,” assessing the criticisms and evaluating its impact on the future direction of U.S. foreign policy.
Rachel Rochford is a junior at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. She is pursuing a major in International Politics with a concentration in International Security Studies, a minor in Justice and Peace Studies, and a certificate in Diplomatic Studies. Rachel is interested in the intersection of security, diplomacy, and community as they relate to conflict prevention and reconciliation. She also studies Russian and French.
Taylor Coplen is a PhD candidate in the History of Science at Harvard University, where he studies technology, infrastructure, and development competition in Cold War Southeast Asia. His policy analysis draws on applied historical research to examine why technical systems rarely transmit political influence in linear or predictable ways, and what this implies for contemporary U.S. competition with China in the Global South.
David Dichoso is an M.A. candidate in Asian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a research intern with the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security. He previously served as a U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery officer in Okinawa, Japan, worked as a Diplomatic Assistant at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., and holds a B.A. in Global Affairs with a minor in Japanese language from George Mason University. His research will examine the decisive arena of U.S.-China great-power competition in the Pacific Islands. He will explore institutional governance and service provision as key contributors to winning rather than traditional military power.
Juanita Caballero is Program and Executive Assistant in the Office of the President at the Inter-American Dialogue. She previously interned with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Wilson Center, and the U.S. House of Representatives, supporting work on foreign policy issues related to the Western Hemisphere. She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a B.A. in Government and Public Policy from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.
Siddhanth Ravi is a graduating senior at Fordham University studying History and Political Science with a minor in Environmental Studies. After graduating in May, he plans to pursue a career in public policy, particularly as it intersects with foreign policy and law. His research interests include South Asian history and politics and U.S. immigration history. His policy paper will focus on Arctic security policy in response to geopolitical rivalries, arguing that effective U.S. policy in the Arctic should recognize that climate change itself creates the security risks that lead to competition and points to an understanding of security as collective and shared.
Catherine Day is a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she concentrates on international security policy and is pursuing a Certificate from the Harriman Institute. She holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Boston College and is proficient in Russian and fluent in Serbian. She previously served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kosovo, leading community economic development and education initiatives. As a Marcellus Policy Fellow, she plans to argue for a strategic reassessment of U.S. involvement in the Balkans.
Matthew F. MacKenzie is a Policy Analyst at Americans for Prosperity and holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University, where he focused on U.S. foreign policy and transatlantic relations. His forthcoming paper will examine the distinction between burden-sharing and burden-shifting within the transatlantic alliance, focusing on the policy steps Europe can take to assume greater operational responsibility for its own defense. Outside of his professional work, his interests include Roman history, philosophy, and golf.
Mustafa Mayar is a graduate student in Global Studies at Bard College and an intern at Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute. He also supports a New York State government office on strategic initiatives. His research interests center on U.S. grand strategy, great-power competition, and the national security tradeoffs shaping U.S. foreign policy.
Suruchi Rajan is a recent graduate of George Washington University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Anthropology. She was a Henry Wallace Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, working with the New Internationalism team to advance a U.S. foreign policy centered around diplomacy, international law, and human rights. She conducted research on U.S. arms development and sales across the Middle East, analyzing cost and production capabilities of weapons systems and military bases. As a Marcellus Policy Fellow, she will examine the Trump administration’s renewed pursuit of coercive regime change in Venezuela and Iran, assessing its long-term costs to U.S. national security interests and whether a strategy of restraint may produce more favorable outcomes.
Julian Daniel is a graduate of Yale University, where he studied Political Science and History, and has previously worked on pro-democracy programs in Southern and East Africa with the National Democratic Institute. His research interests center on the interconnected issues of good governance and civilian security in the Global South, particularly Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. As a Marcellus Policy Fellow, his research will focus on security issues in West Africa and their implications for US foreign policy.
C.J. Miller is a J.D. Candidate at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, concentrating in National Security Law & Policy and Administrative Law & Government Regulation. He is currently a Commander Support Staff Clerk in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and an intern with a federal agency in Washington, D.C. He serves as an Articles Editor on the George Mason Law Review, a Research Assistant for Professor Michael Greve, and an Alexander Hamilton Student Fellow at the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State. In his policy analysis, C.J. will argue that the United States should abandon its efforts to rebuild military access in the Sahel and instead consolidate toward an offshore posture that prioritizes remote surveillance, regional diplomatic partnerships, and strategic economic engagement.
Cameron Tobias is a Master of International Affairs degree candidate at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service. His primary focuses of study are grand strategy and defense policy, as well as American diplomacy. His topic proposal concerns the Western Hemisphere and the means by which the United States may preserve peace with her immediate neighbors.
Conor Kelleher is an Army Reserve Officer currently on Active Duty Orders in Washington, D.C. As a civilian, he has worked in defense contracting and consulting. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame where he received his B.A. in English and Economics in 2019. In his policy analysis, Conor aims to explore the problems stemming from an ill-defined U.S. counternarcotics policy and strategy and argue how a different, clearer and more sensible approach to drugs can improve the U.S. homeland and support U.S. strategic interests in the Western Hemisphere.
Linda Gayle is an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania studying international relations and Russian & Eastern European studies, with particular interests in peacemaking processes and conflict resolution, as well as challenges of democratic development. Previously, Linda interned as a research assistant at a public policy advocacy organization in Argentina and studied abroad at Kazakh National University. As Marcellus Policy Fellow, she plans to examine emerging dynamics in contemporary U.S. peace brokering.