The Foley Institute’s Fellows program engages scholars and practitioners from across disciplines and professional fields who share a commitment to public service, bipartisan collaboration and civility. Fellows take an active role in shaping their engagement, proposing activities such as co-authoring briefs or commentary, presenting at Institute-branded events, contributing to research projects, or mentoring students, in partnership with the Institute. The scope and terms of each Fellow’s engagement are determined individually in discussion with the institute upon selection. Drawing Fellows from fields spanning political science, economics, technology, law, and beyond reflects the Institute’s belief that sound public policy depends on interdisciplinary perspective and nonpartisan rigor.
Foley Fellows 2026-2027
Carah Ong Whaley
Dr. Carah Ong Whaley is a nationally recognized expert on democracy, elections, and civic engagement. At Better Choices for Democracy, she leads research and public education on election systems designed to give voters more meaningful choices and to improve political representation and accountability. She is also a lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. Carah’s research examines how political actors and institutions shape public access to and participation in policymaking and democratic decision-making. Her recent work explores election reform, public confidence in elections, civic learning, and the governance of artificial intelligence.
She has designed and taught courses on making elections better, artificial intelligence, campaigns and elections, state and local politics, and political and civic engagement. Her teaching combines rigorous scholarship with experiential learning to foster the development of civic knowledge, skills and agency.
J.D. Rackey
Dr. J.D. Rackey is associate director of the Structural Democracy project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. The project seeks to strengthen American democracy by building effective, responsive institutions that foster debate, build broad coalitions, and deliver results. His research primarily focuses on the politics and procedures of the U.S. Congress with an emphasis on congressional capacity and modernization. He is also the current president of the National Capital Area Political Science Association.
He previously served as professional staff with the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and is a former American Political Science Association Public Service Fellow. Rackey is also a frequent adjunct professor at Georgetown University and George Mason University teaching a variety of courses in American politics.
Kim Wyman
Kim Wyman is a nationally recognized leader in election administration. She served as Washington Secretary of State and is only the second Republican woman in state history to be elected to statewide office. Notably, five of the nine years she served in the role, Wyman was the only Republican elected to statewide executive office on the West Coast.
The respect she earned as a collaborator willing to work across party lines to serve her state resulted in Secretary Wyman’s Presidential appointment in 2021 to serve as the Senior Election Security Advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. She later served as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
She began her 30-year career in elections as the Thurston County Elections Director and served as the elected Thurston County Auditor. A graduate of California State University Long Beach, Wyman earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy State University. She currently works as the Vice President of Government Affairs for Liberty Vote.