Named for a longtime U.S. Ambassador to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Max Kampelman Fellows represent the next generation of American leaders in security policy, human rights, and strategic communications.
Connor Lewis, Policy Fellow, recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Political Science and French. From the fall of 2023 through the spring of 2024, he studied as a Boren Scholar in the Russian Overseas Flagship Program in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Prior to his arrival at the Commission, Connor worked as an intern at the Brookings Institution’s Center on the United States and Europe, as well as with the U.S. Russia Foundation, where he worked primarily on the Media & Free Enterprise portfolio. Connor also serves as the managing editor for Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. He is proficient in both Russian and French. His research interests include Russian foreign policy, transatlantic security, and national identity in Europe and Eurasia.
Matthew Matava, Policy Fellow, recently graduated from American University’s School of International Service with a B.A. in International Studies. His degree concentrated on Peace and Global Security in Europe. In the Spring of 2025, Matthew began pursuing a Master’s in Security Policy at George Washington University. Before joining the Helsinki Commission, he most recently served as a foreign policy intern at the American Legislative Exchange Council. He has previously interned in a Member Office at the U.S. House of Representatives and has gained experience working at NGOs such as Promote Ukraine in Brussels, Belgium and Ukraine Defense Support. Matthew’s research interests include transatlantic policy, human rights, democratization, and Russian interference in the contested post-Soviet space.
Caden Umansky, Communications Fellow, recently graduated from American University’s School of International Service with a B.A. in International Studies. While at American University, Caden participated in the European Union in Action program and completed capstone research on Russian nationalism. Before joining the Commission, he completed internships on the Hill with Rep. Scott Peters and Rep. Juan Vargas. In his free time, when he’s not spending time with his cat, Caden loves to travel.
Tyler Elijah Jacobs, Intern, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Intelligence and Security Studies with a minor in International and Military Affairs at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Upon graduation from The Citadel, Tyler will commission into the United States Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant to serve as an Intelligence Officer. Prior to joining the commission, Tyler was an Intern for Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. His research interests are within the military dimension to include conflict prevention, counter terrorism, and operational intelligence.
Alexander John Paul Lutz, Intern, is currently pursuing his Master of Arts in Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (MAERES) at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He also holds a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) from Harvard Divinity School, where his area of focus was Religion, Ethics, and Politics, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Mercer University, where he majored in International Affairs, Political Science, and History, and minored in Religion and Public Diplomacy. Before joining the Commission, Alexander was a Georgian Studies Fellow with the Program on Georgian Studies at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. He has also worked as a Research Fellow with the Georgian Institute of Politics and as a Research Associate with the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity. His research explores the interplay between religious transformation and contests over historical memory, national identity, sovereignty, and legitimacy in the post-Soviet space—interplay that brings into focus fundamental questions about how societies reconstitute conceptions of belonging, meaning, and purpose in the long shadow of imperial and ideological collapse. Vocationally, he hopes to work on religious freedom and human rights issues in the post-Soviet space.
Former Kampelman Fellows
Spring 2025
Ann Olivia Radicioni (Policy)
Sarah Stevens (Communications)
Fall 2024
Isabella Baker (Policy)
Sophia McGrath (Policy)
Justin Moorad (Communications)
Jared Smith (Communications)
Summer 2024
Anthony Hu (Policy)
Ashleigh Grindon (Policy)
Bridgette Lang (Communications)
Angelica Berrios-Nieves (Communications)
Lilja Kjaernested (Intern)
Spring 2024
Kate Riccardelli (Communications)
Grace Jarrett (Communications)
Fall 2023
Catherine Cata (Policy)
Bethany Salas (Policy)
Zachary Stoor (Policy)
Chloé Evans-Svarre (Communications)
Alanna Margulies (Communications)
Kyle Garett (Intern)
Summer 2023
Ian Gilchrist (Policy)
Zachary Stoor (Policy)
Beth Wiesinger (Communications)
Spring 2023
Georgiy Kent (Policy)
Diana Sosa (Policy)
Beth Wiesinger (Communications)
Fall 2022
Christina Oh (Policy)
Ashley Bradway (Policy)
Desiree Winns (Communications)
Summer 2022
Jessika Nebrat (Policy)
Mollie Blum (Policy)
Jennie Piotrzkowski (Communications)
Spring 2022
Ryn Hintz (Policy)
Paulina Kanburiyan (Policy)
Worth Talley (Communications)
Fall 2021
Rowan Baker (Policy)
Nathaniel Haas (Policy)
Arwen Struthers (Communications)
Summer 2021
Rowan Baker (Policy)
Joelle Besch (Policy)
Katya Sankow (Communications)
Spring 2021
Taylor Buck (Policy)
Harrison Nugent (Policy)
Emma Derr (Communications)
Katya Sankow (Communications)
Fall 2020
Zantana Ephrem (Policy)
Michelle Ngirbabul (Policy)
Emma Derr (Communications)
Spring 2020
Erick Boone (Policy)
Courtney Kaufman (Policy)
Mia Speier (Communications)
Fall 2019
Erick Boone (Policy)
Juliet Michaelson (Policy)
Annie Lentz (Communications)
Summer 2019
Andrew Carroll (Policy)
Daniela Ondraskova (Policy)
Annie Lentz (Communications)
Spring 2019
Harrison William Prescott Floyd (Policy)
Alexandre Le Coz (Policy)
Shruti Bhatt (Communications)
Fall 2018
Thea Dunlevie (Policy)
Cade Stone (Policy)
Yena Seo (Communications)
Summer 2018
Felicia Garcia (Policy)
Berke Gursoy (Policy)
Sean McAndrews (Policy)
Teresa Cardenas (Communications)