The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) is pleased to announce the unanimous election of Dean Woodley Ball to its board of directors. Mr. Ball currently serves as Executive Director of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, a Vermont-based non-profit dedicated to educating the American public about the values and accomplishments of America’s 30th president. Dean graduated cum laude from Hamilton College in 2014 with a BA in history.
Mr. Ball spent four years with AHI during his matriculation at Hamilton College. He served as President of the AHI Undergraduate Fellows Program and organized as well as participated in a wide variety of programming.
After graduation from Hamilton College, he worked at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York City. From 2014 to 2018, he served as the Deputy Director of the Institute’s State and Local Policy department, covering issues affecting cities and states such as housing, infrastructure, public safety, pensions and public finance, and K-12 education. He also managed special projects for the Manhattan Institute, including its Hayek Book Prize and Lecture, its engagement with Latin American cities, and a variety of other initiatives.
In 2018, Mr. Ball became Interim Director of the Adam Smith Society, a Manhattan Institute project aimed at educating the next generation of business leaders about the benefits of capitalism. With thirty-three chapters at elite business schools, nine young professional chapters, and over 13,000 people having been involved with the program, it is among the largest such networks in the world. In 2019, he was named Director of the Society.
AHI board member James Schoff welcomed the addition of Mr. Ball. “Dean Ball is a fine example of a young man who took seriously the meaning of a traditional liberal arts education. He immersed himself in great books and in doing so, developed a remarkably versatile set of skills. They enabled him to succeed and make valuable contributions at a young age to the worlds of education and public policy.”
“I am thrilled that Dean Ball has become a member of the AHI’s board, said AHI Charter Fellow Douglas Ambrose. As a student, Dean displayed a razor sharp intellect, a genuine spirit of curiosity, and a respect for evidence and reason over cant and ideological posturing. Most of all, he demonstrated enormous courage in the face of intimidation and threats, defending academic freedom and the right to think for himself even in the most hostile of campus climates. After graduating from Hamilton, Dean brought his formidable talents to the Manhattan Institute. In his years at MI, and especially as the Director of MI’s Adam Smith Society, Dean sought to promote honest discussions about the central social, political, economic, cultural issues that shape the present and future course of our society. His recent move to become Executive Director of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation testifies to his belief that we as citizens and as a nation can learn much from neglected aspects of our history, such as the achievements and character of Calvin Coolidge. I am confident that he will bring his energy, his love of learning, and his unwavering commitment to honest and vigorous inquiry to the AHI’s Board of Directors.”
“Dean Ball made his mark at AHI during his undergraduate career,” observed AHI President Robert Paquette. “AHI nurtured him, to be sure, but because of his qualities, he made AHI better as well. Our first encounter will tell you something about him. During the fall semester, 2010, when Mr. Ball was a freshman, he audited a special course, designed largely for adult professionals, called “The Making of American Scripture.” The course explored the evolving relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution from the founding to the Fourteenth Amendment. Mr. Ball not only attended the classes (taught by me and two other professors), he participated actively in the discussions. The quality of his contributions was such that the adults in the room were quite impressed. When they learned he was a first- semester freshman, their jaws dropped.”
Welcome home Dean Ball!
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