Michael Stern is the creator of PointOfOrder.com, a site that explains and assesses complex legal issues involving Congress. Mike is also a policy advisor to the 501c(3) group, Good Government Now, and he serves on the board of the Committee for a Fiscal Responsibility Amendment. Mike is also a founding member of the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force, and sits on the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council. Previously, he served as a senior counsel in the United States of Representatives. Follow him on Twitter @mls1776.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Terry Ryan is chief executive officer of BLUUM. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Idaho dedicated to ensuring Idaho’s children reach their full potential by cultivating great leaders and innovative schools. Terry has been in public service for more than two decades. He has been a teacher in Poland and conducted research on education policy in Poland and the United Kingdom. He spent more than a decade at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, where he advanced education reform in Ohio. Terry also has co-authored two books on education reform. Presently, Terry is chairman of the board of the Idaho Charter School Network, and serves on Idaho Governor Brad Little’s education task force.Follow him on Twitter @IDTerryRyan.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Ashley Poling is a commissioner on the Postal Regulatory Commission. She was nominated by Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate on Thursday, August 1 for the remainder of a six-year term that expires November 22, 2024. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Poling served as the Director of Governmental Affairs and Senior Counsel to Ranking Member Gary C. Peters (D-MI) on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where she advised Senator Peters on policy issues, negotiated with stakeholders to advance bipartisan legislation, and implemented strategies to advance Senator Peters’ governmental affairs priorities. Ms. Poling also served as Senior Policy Counsel to Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and as Counsel to Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) on their respective Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittees, where she focused on postal reform and federal workforce issues. Ms. Poling holds a J.D. degree from Elon University School of Law and an English degree from The College of William and Mary. She is a native of North Carolina.Follow the Postal Regulatory Commission on Twitter @PostalRegulator.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Cheryl Miller is director of the Hertog Foundation. It is an organization that offers educational programs for outstanding individuals who seek to influence the intellectual, civic and political life of the United States. Previously, Cheryl worked in the executive office of the president, at the New York Times, the American Enterprise Institute and the America’s Future Foundation. Follow the Hertog Foundation on Twitter @HertogFDN.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Andy Rotherham is co-founder and partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a national nonprofit organization working to support educational innovation and improve outcomes for underserved students. He is a contributing editor to U.S. News & World Report and a senior editor at The 74, an education news and analysis publication, and blogs at Eduwonk.com. Andy previously worked in the White House and started two other education organizations. Follow him on Twitter at @arotherham.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Cynthia Richie Terrell is the founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, an organization that advocates for reforms to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States. Cynthia has been in public service for much of her life. She helped found FairVote, a group that is helping update America’s election laws, and she has worked for presidential, congressional, state and local campaigns. Follow her on Twitter @CynthiaRTerrell.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Carlos Mark Vera is executive director and co-founder of Pay Our Interns. It is an organization that seeks to ensure that everyone has equitable access to professional career paths through the implementation of paid internships nationwide. Carlos co-created Pay Our Interns in 2016, and already the group has had great success. In 2019, it convinced Congress to pony up $31 million to pay interns who work for Capitol Hill. Carlos previously interned for Congress and in the White House, worked for the National Association of Secondary Schools Principals and he was a U.S. Army Reservist for eight years. Follow him on Twitter @CarlosAngeles25.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Megan Reiss is a national security policy advisor for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). Megan previously was a senior fellow in national security at the R Street Institute, and a senior editor at Lawfare, an online publication that explores the nexus between national security, the law and legal institutions. Megan also has worked for Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and earned her doctorate in national security studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Follow her on Twitter @MegReiss.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Amber McReynolds is the chief executive officer of Vote at Home. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving voter engagement, reducing election-related costs and making elections more secure. Amber has been in public service for nearly 20 years, and previously was the director of elections in Denver, Colorado. She is the coauthor of the book "When Women Vote" and serves on the National Task Force on Election Crises. Follow her on Twitter @AmberMcReynolds.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Mario Beovides is director of policy initiatives at NALEO Educational Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. Mario has held multiple positions in public service, including working for a U.S. senator, a commissioner and a school board member in Miami. He also was a field director for the LIBRE Initiative, a group advocating for the principles of economic freedom to empower the U.S. Hispanic community. Follow him on Twitter @MJBeovides.Follow him on Twitter @MJBeovides.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Michael Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a think tank that studies education policy and promotes educational excellence for every child in America. In addition to leading a think-tank, for many years Mr. Petrilli has been a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, the executive editor of Education Next journal, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Education Commission of the States. He also has held positions in the U.S Department of Education and K12, a private e-learning company. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelPetrilli.Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Marci Harris is CEO and co-founder of POPVOX, a company that develops technologies and platforms to better connect the public and government officials, and to improve governance. She has served as a tornado recovery coordinator in Tennessee, worked as legislative counsel for a member of Congress, and held internships with a federal judge, as well as the U.S. attorneys office  and a subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also has been a think-tanker at Harvard’s Ash Center and New America. Follow Marci on Twitter @marcidale. Want to recommend a guest for the podcast? E-mail William Gray at wgray@rstreet.org.

Yuval Levin is director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Under President George W. Bush, he served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff and was also executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics. He is the founding and current editor of National Affairs and is also the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream.  Follow National Affairs on Twitter @nationalaffairs.

Have you ever wanted to advise a president?Serve in Congress?Help craft public policy behind the scenes? Every week "Why Public Service?" will introduce you to these career paths, and more, and the color cast of characters behind them who chose to improve our nation through public service. This podcast is a product of the R Street Institute, a free market think tank in Washington, D.C. The first episode drops on August 26th.---Learn more about the R Street Institute at http://www.rstreet.org/ or follow us on Twitter @RSI.