The Jefferson Council’s Fourth Annual Meeting will be held on April 8, 2025 at Alumni Hall from 3 PM - 9 PM.
The spring of 2025 is a crucial time for the University of Virginia. The Board of Visitors has been largely silent on multiple matters plaguing UVA, including skyrocketing tuitions costs, anti-semitism, and an ongoing healthcare scandal. Is this silence indicative of a larger problem at UVA? Is civil dialogue and intellectual diversity a thing of the past? How can we preserve Thomas Jefferson's legacy of freedom and excellence? The Jefferson Council will be exploring these ideas at our 4th Annual Meeting. Be a part of the conversation!
Enjoy Attorney General Jason Miyares as our keynote speaker, along with other notable speakers, our student leaders, and this year’s Jefferson Award recipient.
The Fourth Annual Meeting will be held on April 8, 2025 from 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Alumni Hall. Register today!
Jason Miyares
Attorney General, Virginia
Attorney General Jason Miyares' story doesn't start in Virginia, but in Havana, Cuba when his mother, Miriam Miyares, fled communist Cuba, penniless and homeless. She immigrated to Virginia and raised Jason to appreciate freedom, fairness, and justice for all. A product of Virginia public schools, Jason graduated with a BBA from James Madison University and a JD from the College of William and Mary School of Law. He previously served as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney Office, where he worked alongside law enforcement to keep the community safe.
Bert Ellis
Board of Visitors, University of Virginia
Mr. Bert Ellis is a VA Governor Youngkin appointee to the University of Virginia board of visitors and serves as CEO and chairman of Ellis Capital, a consulting and investment firm primarily focused on the media, technology, healthcare, and fintech industries. He is a serial entrepreneur and investor, having founded and operated numerous companies, both private and public. Bert also sits on the boards of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the San Diego Zoo. He received his BA and MBA from the University of Virginia.
Joel Gardner
President and Co-Founder, The Jefferson Council
Mr. Joel Gardner is president of The Jefferson Council and a 1970 alumnus of the University of Virginia. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and a member of the Z Society, TILKA, the Raven Society, ODK National Leadership Fraternity, and Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. After serving on active duty with the Army Reserves, he returned to UVA to obtain his law degree and was an editor of the Law Review, a member of The Order of the COIF, and served on the Student Council. After graduation, he initially practiced law with a major Wall Street law firm, then segued into investment banking where he spent the next thirty years as a corporate finance banker specializing in transactions with the Pacific Basin.
Allan Stam
Former Dean, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia
Dr. Allan C. Stam is a university professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia. He was previously dean of UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, director of the International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, professor of political science and senior research scientist at the University of Michigan, the Daniel Webster Professor at Dartmouth College, and assistant professor at Yale University. Allan earned his BA from Cornell University and his MA and PhD from the University of Michigan.
Garrett Ward Sheldon
PROFESSOR EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Dr. Garrett Ward Sheldon is professor emeritus at the University of Virginia. He has taught political theory, American political thought, law, and religion, and is the author of many books and articles on American political thought, religion and politics, and political culture and law. He was in residence at and commissioned by Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and a visiting scholar at the University of Vienna, Trinity College (Dublin), Moscow University, the University of Istanbul, and Princeton University. He studied at the New School for Social Research in New York City and received his PhD from Rutgers University.
Additional Speakers Include
Mr. Landon Epperson is a third year student at the University of Virginia, pursuing a major in economics and foreign affairs. He is editor-in-chief of The Jefferson Independent, UVA’s pioneer newspaper of intellectual curiosity and journalistic integrity, imaging Mr. Jefferson’s vision of “the illimitable freedom of the human mind.” He is passionate about history, geography, and fostering an environment of cordial debate and discourse.
Mr. Matan Goldstein is an American-Israeli and second year student at the University of Virginia, pursuing a major in classics and archaeology. In October 2023, following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, Matan publicly displayed the Israeli flag during a pro-Palestinian student walkout at the Rotunda, subsequently facing hostility from fellow students. In interviews and articles, he has shared his personal experiences of physical, verbal, and emotional assaults, urging University leadership to take more decisive action in support of student safety, civil discourse, and intellectual diversity.
Mr. Simon Goldsten is a fourth year student, pursuing a major in computer science. In the fall of 2024, he wore a hat to class on Grounds with the words “Make America Christian Again.” After being reported by a fellow student and summoned by UVA’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, Simon elected to continue wearing the hat in support of his sincerely held religious beliefs. A member of the Young Americans for Freedom Chapter at UVA, Simon continues to advocate for civil discourse and intellectual diversity on Grounds.
Ms. Avery Lambert is a third year student at the University of Virginia, pursuing a major in sociology and a minor in general business. She is passionate about unraveling the impact of unchallenged media ideologies on societal perceptions of historical figures, particularly in the realms of race and gender. Her paper "The Rise and Fall of American Liberty: How Modern-Day Political Discourse Impacts Thomas Jefferson’s Lasting Legacy," was featured in the fall 2023 edition of the prestigious Seriatim Journal of American Politics.
Mr. Tyler Lucas is a fourth year student at the University of Virginia, pursuing a major in government. He is chairman of the Young Americans for Freedom Chapter at UVA which The Jefferson Council was instrumental in reviving in 2023. He is author of Kingfish Of The Lodge: The Extraordinary Governorship of Huey P. Long and plans to pursue a career in politics in Washington, DC.