Brian Hooks is CEO and Chairman of

Stand Together Stand Together is an American philanthropic organization that was first established in 2003 and is often referred to informally as the Koch Network. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia, and was founded by Charle ...

. He also is President of the

Charles Koch Foundation The Koch family foundations are a group of charitable foundations in the United States associated with the family of Fred C. Koch. The most prominent of these are the Charles Koch Foundation and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, created ...

and President of the

Charles Koch Institute The Charles Koch Institute is a Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian-oriented public policy research, programming, grant-making, and fellow, fellowship-funding organization based in Virginia. Named after Charles Koch, its founder and ...

. Hooks is currently on the boards of the

Mercatus Center The Mercatus Center is an American libertarian, free-market-oriented non-profit think tank. The Mercatus Center is located at the George Mason University campus, but it is privately funded and its employees are independent of the university. It ...

, The Cosmos Institute, The Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC),

Institute for Humane Studies The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a non-profit organization that promotes the teaching and research of classical liberalism in higher education in the United States. IHS offers funding opportunities, programs, and events for faculty and g ...

Reason Foundation The Reason Foundation is an American Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian think tank that was founded in 1978. The foundation publishes the magazine ''Reason (magazine), Reason''. Based in Los Angeles, California, it is a nonprofit, ...

, The Just Trust, Believe in People, and Movement Musick.

Early life and education

He attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1996 to 2000, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science.

Career

Hooks was chief operating officer and executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University from 2006 until 2014 when he became president of The Charles Koch Foundation. In July 2018, Hooks was named Chairman and CEO of Stand Together, which describes itself as “a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues.” In recent years, Hooks has emphasized partnerships in philanthropy and bridging divides. His work has included bipartisan efforts on criminal justice reform which brought together

Van Jones Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American political analyst, media personality, lawyer, author, and civil rights advocate. He is a three-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author, a CNN host and contributor, and an Emm ...

and the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. ...

together with Senate Republicans and

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

to pass the

First Step Act The First Step Act, formally known as the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, is a bipartisan criminal justice bill passed by the 115th U.S. Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in ...

in 2018. He was a co-signer to a 2023 opinion piece in ''The Chronicle of Philanthropy'' titled “We Disagree on Many Things, but We Speak with One Voice in Support of Philanthropic Pluralism” along with prominent philanthropists Heather Templeton Dill, Kathleen Enright, Sam Gill, Darren Walker, and Elise Westhoff. Hooks was named to the TIME 100 Next list in 2021.2021 TIME100 Next - TIME - https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2021/5937620/brian-hooks/

Personal life

Hooks lives in Virginia, with his wife and daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooks, Brian Living people American philanthropists George Mason University people Mercatus Center Year of birth missing (living people) Koch network University of Michigan alumni