Brian Hooks is president of the Charles Koch Foundation and chairman and CEO of Stand Together, a philanthropic community that works with more than 700 business leaders and philanthropists to empower people to realize their unique potential and help every person rise. Stand Together’s comprehensive approach to addressing the country’s biggest challenges includes support for more than 1000 professors at 300 universities, tens of thousands of K-12 teachers, more than 160 community-based organizations addressing persistent poverty, and millions of grassroots activists working to improve public policy. Previously, Brian served as executive director and COO of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he led strategy and operations for a growing research, education, and public policy center. Brian is a graduate of the University of Michigan and lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and daughter. He is co-author with Charles Koch of the book, Believe in People: Bottom Up Solutions for a Top Down World, released November 2020.