Sagamore Washington, DC Leaders

The Honorable Daniel R. Coats

Co-Founder, Sagamore

Former U.S. Senator, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and Director of National Intelligence.

One Big Thing: Dan Coats served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2001–05 and represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate, capping a decades-long career in public service that ultimately included serving as Director of National Intelligence under President Trump.

  • His Project for American Renewal promoted charitable tax credits and restorative justice strategies in the Senate — building early bipartisan groundwork for what became the Bush administration’s faith-based initiative.
  • As Ambassador to Germany, Coats managed one of America’s most critical bilateral relationships during the post-9/11 period, including NATO coordination and the lead-up to the Iraq War.
  • He served as DNI from 2017–19, overseeing the entire U.S. intelligence community during a period of significant geopolitical turbulence.
  • Learn about the legacy of Dan and Masha Coats and their call for Americans to answer the call of public service in their book, From Generation to Generation
  • Listen to Dan and Marsha tell their story on Sagamore’s podcast 

One Big Thing: Deborah Daniels held two senior Justice Department positions across two Republican administrations — first as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana under President George H.W. Bush, then as Assistant Attorney General overseeing the Office of Justice Programs under President George W. Bush.

  • As U.S. Attorney, she helped develop the Weed and Seed program in Indianapolis — integrating law enforcement, community policing, and neighborhood restoration — and was named the first Director of its national office at DOJ in 1992–93.
  • Between her two federal stints, she led the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee during Mayor Stephen Goldsmith’s administration, focusing on economic development and neighborhood revitalization.
  • She served as Sagamore Institute’s president from 2006–08 when founding president Jay Hein departed for the White House.

Deborah Daniels

Former President, Sagamore Institute

Former Assistant Attorney General

Jay Hein

Co-Founder, Sagamore

Former Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

One Big Thing: Jay Hein served as Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush, leading federal efforts to partner with community and religious organizations to address poverty, addiction, and social need.

  • From the White House, Hein worked directly with the nation’s governors and grassroots leaders to implement the faith-based initiative — deliberately bypassing legislative gridlock in favor of on-the-ground results.
  • Before his White House role, Hein built his policy expertise at Hudson Institute alongside colleagues who would also go on to senior positions in the Bush administration.
  • He founded Sagamore Institute in Indianapolis, which has grown into a nationally recognized think tank focused on opportunity, defense, and civic life.

One Big Thing: Dr. Hendrix currently serves at the White House Office of Management and Budget on detail from Sagamore. He is responsible for helping design and implement the White House shipbuilding strategy and other efforts to modernize the U.S. defense industrial base.

  • Read a Q&A with Dr. Hendrix on U.S. naval policy, force posture, and the domestic industrial base.
  • Listen to Jerry talk about his work on the Realignment podcast.
  • Check out Jerry’s influential 2023 article in The Atlantic, “The Age of American Naval Dominance Is Over.”

IN WASHINGTON

JERRY HENDRIX

SENIOR FELLOW

Currently serving as the Deputy to the Associate Director for Defense Programs, White House Office of Management and Budget

FORUM LEADER

Dr. Os Guinness

Author & Social Critic

FORUM LEADER

One Big Thing: Dr. Os Guinness is a renowned author, social critic and great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Guinness, the iconic Dublin brewer. He is an active member of the Forum DC community and a keynote speaker at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

  • Os has written or edited more than 30 books.
  • After earning his D.Phil at Oxford, he has served as a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Brookings Institution, and the Trinity Forum. He is also the lead drafter of the Williamsburg Charter in 1988 as part ot the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.
  • Os was born in China during World War II, where his parents were medical missionaries.

FORUM LEADER

One Big Thing: Jedd Medefind serves as president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, a global network of more than 180 organizations and churches serving in the adoption, foster care, and overseas orphan care ministry fields. Jedd and his wife Rachel, are active members of the Forum DC community.

  • Jedd served as Acting Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush.
  • Before the White House, Jedd helped establish the California Community Renewal Project.
  • Jedd has worked, studied, and served in more than 30 countries.
  • Read Jedd’s article in Christianity Today on the resurgence of the Christian adoption movement.
  • In Comment, Jedd explores the pitfalls of human-trafficking advocacy and ways that advocates should “attend to the small and subtle over the sensational.” 
  • Listen to the Forgotten Initiative podcast, where Jedd speaks about living a life devoted to service while avoiding burnout.

FORUM LEADER

Jedd Medefind

President, Christian Alliance for Orphans

Ryan Streeter

Former Special Assistant to the President; Member, White White House Domestic Policy Council

One Big Thing: Ryan Streeter served as Special Assistant to the President and a member of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Bush, following an earlier assignment at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

  • At Sagamore Institute, Ryan examined public policy reform lessons under Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels in his Aspirational State project.
  • Before his White House role, Streeter worked with Jay Hein at Hudson Institute and co-authored a book on the voluntary sector with Don Eberly — intellectual work that directly informed the Bush administration’s domestic policy agenda.
  • Following his federal service, he helped launch a think tank in London before returning to Indianapolis as Sagamore’s director of economic studies and served as director of domestic policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

FORUM LEADERS

One Big Thing:Bill and Dana Wichterman are advancing a vision of cultural renewal that connects faith, public leadership, and civic responsibility—convening and mentoring leaders across sectors to pursue the common good. Through their involvement in FORUM, they help cultivate relational networks of influential leaders committed to strengthening institutions, shaping public life, and fostering human flourishing. They are co-authors of Stewards, Not Owners: The Joy of Aligning Your Money with Your Faith and are writing their next book on God’s design for profit. 

  • Bill Wichterman was Special Assistant to the President in the White House and spent two decades in senior positions on Capitol HIll. He chairs two boards (Faith and Law, The March for Life Action) and co-founded Wedgwood Circle. His first book was Dying to Live, and he authored the essay “Culture: Upstream from Politics” and co-authored “Making Goodness Fashionable” on the life of William Wilberforce.
  • Dana Wichterman is a nonprofit executive and philanthropic leader with extensive experience in faith-based and global development work. She focuses on advancing the impact investing ecosystem to tackle global problems in a sustainable and scalable market-based approach. Her work at Impact Foundation helps unleash charitable capital to invest in for-profit companies around the world that are doing well while doing good. She serves on multiple boards, including Faith Driven Movements, Talanton, and Christian Impact Framework. 
  • Together, they invest in mentoring emerging leaders and convening cross-sector communities to translate influence into long-term societal impact; they also have a passion for teaching others about faithful financial stewardship

FORUM LEADERS

Bill & Dana Wichterman

Faith-Driven Investors