Hi, I’m Conner

Shaped by my family’s and my lived experiences, I am a researcher and aspiring education policymaker committed to the project of upholding liberal democracy during this moment of global democratic stress. My mission is to champion policies that ensure citizens have the civic and economic capacities necessary for successful participation in democratic life.

My research and writing have spanned a range of themes in democracy. At Harvard, my research centered around American Political Development, political realignment, and understanding the evolution of American Democracy: Past, Present, and Future. My senior thesis exploring the political development of my home region in Washington State received multiple prizes, including the James Gordon Bennett Prize for best undergraduate essay or senior thesis in Government. As a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands, my research focused on education policy, neoliberalism, and the case for treating civic education as a national security issue. My writing has also appeared in outlets, including newspapers of record such as The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, and The Royal Gazette, where I have examined the relationship between education policy and democracy.

Professionally, my work has similarly centered around upholding liberal democracy through education policy. Since 2020, I have worked as the Campaign Manager/Political Director for State Senator Drew Hansen, championing policies that increase access to education for underserved communities. I co-founded a civic education nonprofit with a conservative high school student called America Undivided, passing a bill in the California State Senate. I currently work as a special education paraeducator in Idaho and as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve.

I graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and History, where I was named a John Harvard Scholar and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. I received a Master of Science in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Groningen.ic Digital Solutions