Daniel Stid is the Executive Director of Lyceum Labs. He previously served as the founding director of the Hewlett Foundation’s U.S. Democracy Program. From 2013-22, Daniel led $180 million in grantmaking to shore up U.S. democracy in a time of polarization. Earlier in his career, he was a partner at The Bridgespan Group, where Daniel advised nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders; a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group; and a Congressional Fellow on the staff of House Majority Leader Dick Armey. He is the author of The President as Statesman: Woodrow Wilson and the Constitution. In his blog, The Art of Association, Daniel explores the interplay between civil society and democracy in America. He has a B.A. from Hope College, an M.Phil. in politics from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University.
In keeping with our belief in the critical importance of viewpoint diversity and our lean and agile operating model, we have assembled an advisory board that we rely on for counsel, networking, and feedback in our ongoing work.
Ben Ginsberg served as national counsel to the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney presidential campaigns and played a central role in the 2000 Florida recount. He also served as national counsel to the Romney for President campaign. He is currently the Volker Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and co-chair of the Election Official Legal Defense Fund.
Didi Kuo is the Associate Director for Research and Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. She is a scholar of comparative politics, with a focus on democratization, corruption and clientelism, political parties and institutions, and political reform.
Layla Zaidane is the President and CEO of the Millennial Action Project. She joined MAP in 2016, and previously also served as Executive Director and COO. A nationally recognized expert on youth engagement, Layla has been featured in outlets including Forbes, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, and Refinery29.
Oren Cass, is the executive director of American Compass and author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America (2018). He is a contributing opinion writer for The Financial Times and previously served as Domestic Policy Director for Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Rachel Kleinfeld is a Senior Fellow in the Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She also serves as a trustee of the National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House, and on the advisory board of Protect Democracy. From 2011 to 2014, she sat on the Foreign Affairs Policy Board after being appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ruy Teixeira is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute, and co-edits “The Liberal Patriot” blog on Substack. Before joining AEI, he was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress from 2003 to 2022. He is also the coauthor of The Emerging Democratic Majority (2002), named one of The Economist’s best books of the year.
Lauren Harper is the Founder and CEO of CityBright, a political and communications consulting firm. She is also the Co-Founder of The Welcome Party and WelcomePAC, which work to grow and sustain a big-tent Democratic party. Lauren previously served as South Carolina State Director for former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and as Policy and Communications Advisor for Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin. She is a board member of SC Women in Leadership.
Sarah is the Executive Director of DDTI, and in this capacity provides guidance and support to Daniel and the Lyceum Labs team. Sarah is also the President and CEO of Longwell Partners, a full service communications firm focused on “building uncommon coalitions for a common purpose.” A long-time political strategist and former board chair of the Log Cabin Republicans, Sarah lives in Washington, D.C. with her family. She is a graduate of Kenyon College.