Benjamin Sanford

Ben joined Becket as a paralegal in 2023 shortly after graduating from the University of Dallas with a B.A. in philosophy. He supports Becket’s attorneys and clients by cite checking legal briefs, tracking cases, and assisting with miscellaneous tasks.

In his free time, Ben enjoys playing guitar, reading, and trying his best not to get injured practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu.

Josiah Duran

Josiah joined Becket in 2023 as a member of the operations team. Since then, he has been helping to keep things running smoothly at Becket’s DC headquarters. He graduated from Patrick Henry College with a BA in Government in 2015 and from University of Dallas with an MA in Philosophy in 2018. 

Josiah likes to spend his free time reading Virginia Woolf and trying to write books like hers. 

Lily Mullen

Lily Mullen joined Becket in 2023 as a Donor Relations Assistant. Previously, she worked at the Institute for Humane Studies where she supported the development operations team.

In her free time, Lily enjoys training in Judo and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, dabbling in watercolors, and sharing her passion for raising backyard chickens. She originally hails from New Jersey.

Grace Hammel

Grace joined the Becket team as a paralegal in January of 2023. Grace supports Becket’s attorneys and clients by cite checking legal briefs, tracking cases, and with numerous other tasks.

Before coming to Becket, Grace worked at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America on the Government Affairs team where she worked on the federal policy team and assisted the Vice President of Political Affairs.

Grace is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she received degrees in History and Theology and played on the women’s tennis team. In her free time, Grace loves to play tennis, watch Boston sports, and study Irish History.

Matthew Krauter

Matthew joined Becket as a paralegal in May of 2022. Matthew supports Becket’s attorneys and clients by cite checking legal briefs, tracking cases, and with numerous other tasks.

Before Becket, Matthew interned as a Research Associate for the Federalist Society where he researched developments related to state attorneys general and state courts. He also interned for the Champaign County Public Defender’s Office and a congressional campaign. Matthew has continued to study American legal-political thought through programs with the Hertog Foundation, The American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation.

Matthew graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in legal studies and philosophy. On campus, he gained editing and writing experience as a senior columnist for the Daily Illini, researched antitrust & digital platforms as a staff writer for the Undergraduate Law Review, served as president of the Illini College Republicans and was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa. His senior thesis, The RFRA Arrowhead: Understanding State Level Religious Liberty, empirically evaluated the effect of state legislation on religious liberty litigation.

In his free time, Matthew enjoys playing chess, hiking, watercolor painting, running and staying connected with his brothers through videogames.

Leigh Brown

Leigh joined Becket’s paralegal team in 2021, shifting her editor’s eagle eye toward legal material. With an undergraduate degree in English from BYU, she has accumulated a wide array of editing experience. Her extra-fine-tooth comb has scoured material ranging from a book about a POW’s escape from Japanese imprisonment during WWII to course material for becoming a technical project manager.

The fan that flamed her passion for religious liberty came in the form of hundreds of adult refugees she taught over a period of several years—students who humbly and sincerely desired to practice their religion and who often came up against roadblocks in their religious expression. She is now happy to be a part of a team that is making life easier for friends like hers.

Playing with her nieces and nephews (18 in total) is her all-time favorite activity. She loves trees and walks in the woods. And crossword puzzles and books are her go-tos when she gets downtime.

JeRevienne Mitchell

JeRevienne joined Becket in 2021 as administrative officer. She graduated from American University in 2017 with a B.A. in international relations, with a focus on foreign policy.

While at AU, JeRevienne worked as administrative assistant at the Center for Israel Studies, helping with programs and events aimed at studying Israeli politics, culture, history, and contributions.

Prior to joining Becket, JeRevienne was the associate manager of a local music store, where she also worked as a piano teacher.

Originally from South Carolina, DC is about as far north as you’ll find JeRevienne since cold weather is her nemesis. Some of her favorite places to be are by the ocean or exploring a new city. She loves baking bread and desserts and enjoys running (to sustain the baking habit).

Monica Dewey

Monica graduated from Christendom College in December 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics. She joined Becket in the summer of 2020 as an administrative intern and transitioned to a full-time office assistant in December of the same year.

Monica has worked as a data analyst at a New York-based emergency billing company and as an administrative assistant to an estate foundation. During a semester abroad, Monica had the opportunity to study language, art, and architecture at the Patristic Institute in Rome, Italy.

Monica is number five of ten siblings. She enjoys spending summers on Cape Cod with her family, rock climbing with her brothers, horseback riding with friends, and listening to hours of Simon and Garfunkel on vinyl.

Mary LaFave

Mary joined the Becket development team in 2020 as a donor relations associate. Prior to Becket, she interned at the National Taxpayers Union in Washington, D.C., and spent two years working for the Institute for Justice in Arlington, VA, as a development associate.

Before migrating out East, Mary graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. While in school, she was involved in the Intercollegiate Studies Institute Honors Program, attending various conferences nationwide, and ultimately co-founding a campus chapter geared toward promoting rhetoric appreciation by analyzing rhetorical devices in classic speeches.

Originally from Butte, Montana, Mary enjoys hiking, running along the Potomac River, and is currently undergoing Pilates instructor training. When she’s not moving, Mary likes sipping tea, reading, and eating anything Funfetti flavored.

Keenan McFadden

Keenan McFadden joined Becket in June 2019 and became External Relations Manager in July 2020.

Before coming to Becket, Keenan graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in political science and minors in Constitutional Studies and history. At Notre Dame Keenan was a Tocqueville Fellow for inquiry into religion and public life, and a Sorin Fellow with the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. During her senior year, Keenan served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Irish Rover, an independent student paper dedicated to preserving the Catholic identity of Our Lady’s University. Keenan has interned at the Pontifical Academy for Life in Rome and with Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan.

Keenan and her husband Sean live in Alexandria, Virginia with their Irish Setter puppy, Chauncey.

Megan Donley

Megan Donley joined Becket in 2018. Prior to Becket, Megan worked as a staff attorney in the United States Court of Federal Claims where she provided general counsel to the Clerk of Court on operations and case intake, coordinated the court’s pro bono program, and served as liaison to both the court’s Advisory Council and the Court of Federal Claims Bar Association. She got her start at the United States Court of Federal Claims as a law clerk to the Honorable Eric G. Bruggink, whom she served from 2012 to 2015.

Megan graduated summa cum laude from Regent University School of Law, where she was Articles Editor of the Law Review.  She was also a Blackstone Fellow.  Megan studied political science at Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she first developed her love of political philosophy, American history, and the Founders’ “Great” or “Grand Experiment.”

Megan enjoys making music with her husband, playing with her son, and hiking with the family dog.

Meg Schilling

Meg joined Becket’s paralegal team in 2018 bringing four years of paralegal experience from various firms in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Prior to entering the paralegal field, Meg was a Reading and English teacher in a public school. She received her paralegal certification from the National Association of Legal Assistants in 2015 and gained experience in areas of real estate, wills & trusts, trademarks, and estate administration.  Meg loves the oxford comma, formatting word documents, and submitting briefs to the Supreme Court (which happens a lot around here).

Originally from Pennsylvania, Meg grew up in a musical family with pianos (mother), banjos (father), and several instruments in between (siblings). Meg currently sings with the Cathedral Choral Society which performs regularly at the National Cathedral. She takes her role as aunt to eight nieces and nephews very seriously.

Eric Hines

Eric Hines joined Becket in 2017. Prior to Becket, Eric served as the director of U.S. Equities for Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA) in New York. During his seven years on Wall Street, Eric cultivated relationships with corporate executives and institutional investors across a variety of sectors and global regions, establishing the U.S. Equity business as an important unit of the Bank of Tokyo. He has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Nebraska.

Eric and his wife Megan live in Omaha, NE with their son, Henry.

Marie Peralta

Marie joined Becket in 2009 to assist our founder, Seamus Hasson. Since then she has worn various hats at Becket, supporting efforts in litigation, operations, development, and communications.

Before joining Becket, Marie interned as a reporter for newspapers in Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Washington, D.C. She also received a grant to research information laws in India, and worked summers at the U.S. Embassies in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. She graduated summa cum laude in journalism from Brigham Young University, with a minor in Japanese.

Marie enjoys traveling, cooking with her husband, and making her son and daughter smile.

Lucy Nolan

Lucy Nolan joined Becket as a development associate in October 2012. Prior to Becket, Lucy worked in various DC-area nonprofit organizations, in positions ranging from administrative to policy research. She earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in Southern California.

Outside of work, Lucy enjoys learning languages and traveling. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and now lives in northern Virginia with her husband and children.

Julie Riggs

Julie re-joined Becket in the fall of 2011 as Director of External Relations. Julie was with Becket from 1996-98 during which time she launched the very first Canterbury Medal Dinner among various other development feats.

After college, Julie’s passion for politics and American history prompted a move to Washington, D.C. There, she landed an internship with The Heritage Foundation, thus beginning a successful 35-year career in the non-profit sector, where she has gained extensive expertise in fundraising and event planning. Julie has since been affiliated with many prominent free-market organizations, including the Cato Institute, the Institute for Justice, and the Cascade Policy Institute. In addition, she has participated in grassroots politics, and is no stranger to gathering signatures, phone banks, and political campaigns. She even admits to marching in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Julie earned a B.A. in Political Science and Secondary Education from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Julie’s passion for limited government and liberty are a driving force in her life. Julie lives in Venice, Florida with her husband Marty.

Hyewon Kraemer

In her role as the Director of Development at Becket, Hyewon implements the infrastructure needed to grow Becket’s budget through the solicitation of major gifts, special events, and individual and foundation support. Prior to her time at Becket, Hyewon worked for several national nonprofits managing annual giving, major gifts, institutional relationships, and event planning. Hyewon graduated from Emory University with a Bachelors in History and received her Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University. She participated in the John Jay Institute fellowship, a program in theology and political philosophy. Having lived in three countries and seven states, Hyewon now makes her home in Northern Virginia with her husband and three children.