Executive Board

Emma Hall, Executive Vice President

Emma Hall ‘28 is from Frederick, Maryland. She graduated from Purdue University in 2022, where she studied Political Science. Before law school, Emma worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Emma will spend her 1L summer interning for the Honorable Eleni M. Roumel of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and her 2L summer at Venable LLP in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, Emma is a Notes Editor of the Journal of Law & Politics and a member of the St. Thomas More Society.

Joe Vondrachek, Vice President for Speakers

Joe Vondrachek ’28 is from North St. Paul, MN. He graduated from the University of Dallas with a B.A. in Philosophy in 2021 and an M.B.A. in 2022. Prior to law school, Joe worked in sales and management at a major software company. He will spend his 1L summer with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, and his 2L summer with Jones Day in San Diego. Joe is an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Law & Politics and a member of both the St. Thomas More Society and Advocates for Life. Outside of law school, Joe is a husband, father of two, and an avid baseball fan.

Stephanie Machovina, Vice President for Communications

Stephanie Machovina ’28 is from Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Ohio State University in 2024 with a degree in Economics. Before law school, she interned for the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. She will spend her 1L summer as a law clerk in the office of the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and her 2L summer as a Summer Associate with Gibson Dunn in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, she is the on the executive board for the St. Thomas More Society and competes in Mock Trial.

Abraham Moss, Vice President for Special Events

Abraham Moss ’28 is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Cornell University in 2022 where he studied History and Anthropology. Before law school, he worked for a law firm in Philadelphia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He will spend his 1L summer interning for the Honorable Madeline Haikala and for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, both of the Northern District of Alabama and will spend his 2L summer with Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York, New York. Outside of the Federalist Society, Abe is the Treasurer for the St. Thomas More Society, a member of the Virginia Tax Review, and a husband and father.

Grace Seyoum, Vice President for Faculty Relations

Grace Seyoum ’28 is from Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Northwest University in 2023, where she studied English and Political Science. Before law school, Grace worked as a legal assistant, Sunday school teacher, and college tutor. She will spend her 1L summer interning for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Washington, and her 2L summer at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, Grace is an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Law & Politics, a moot court competitor, and an avid reader of diaspora literature.

Ben Purnell, Vice President for Finances

Ben Purnell ’28 is from Brazil, Indiana. He graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2021, where he studied Government. Before law school, Ben spent four years at Deloitte Consulting where he advised Deloitte leaders on federal, state, and local government contracting trends, focusing on up-and-coming markets like Space and Nuclear Energy. He will spend his 1L summer as an intern for the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He will then spend his 2L summer as a summer associate with Gibson Dunn in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, Ben is a member of the Extramural Moot Court team, an avid Los Angeles Chargers fan, and a husband. After graduation, he will clerk for the Honorable Britt C. Grant of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Sarah Beddingfield, Vice President for Membership

Sarah Beddingfield ’28 is from Dunlap, Illinois. She graduated summa cum laude from Liberty University in 2025, where she studied National Security and completed her MBA. Before law school, she worked in the national security field at a federal agency. She will spend her 1L summer working for Vinson & Elkins in the Dallas office. Outside of the Federalist Society, Sarah serves as Vice President for Speakers for the Law Christian Fellowship, President of Advocates for Life, and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Law & Politics. 

Bennett Crow, Vice President for Professional Development

Bennett Crow ’27 is from Winchester, Virginia. A proud Double-Hoo, he graduated from the University of Virginia in 2021, where he studied Public Policy and Foreign Affairs. Before law school, he worked in the U.S. Senate. Bennett spent his 1L summer interning for the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich on U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and will spend his 2L summer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C. After graduation, he will clerk for the Honorable Amul R. Thapar on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is also an Articles Development Editor for the Virginia Law Review. Outside of law school, Bennett is a husband, a father, and an avid Atlanta Braves fan.

Seena Saiedian, Clerkships Chair

Seena Saiedian ’27 is from Overland Park, Kansas. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2023, and worked on the investment team at a private equity firm prior to beginning law school. He spent his 1L summer at Latham & Watkins and will spend his 2L summer at Gibson Dunn in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, Seena serves on the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review, is a semifinalist in the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, and is a Research Assistant for Professor Saikrishna Prakash. After graduation, he will clerk for the Honorable Britt C. Grant on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Honorable Neomi Rao on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Tom Murphy, Organizational Outreach Chair

Tom Murphy ’27 is from Glencoe, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2021, where he studied in the Program of Liberal Studies, Notre Dame’s “Great Books” program. Before law school, Tom worked at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago as a business strategy consultant. Tom returned to Chicago for both his 1L and 2L summers, spending them at Sidley Austin and Latham & Watkins, respectively. Outside of the Federalist Society, Tom is the President of the St. Thomas More Society, an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Law & Politics, a Board Member at Large for Common Law Grounds, and a UVA Law Ambassador.

Cole Grissom, Mentorship Chair

Cole Grissom ’27 is from San Diego, California. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in History in 2024. Cole spent his 1L summer interning with the Honorable Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and will spend his 2L summer as a Summer Associate with Baker Botts in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, Cole is a Lead Articles Editor of the Journal of Law & Politics, a member of the St. Thomas More Society, and a research assistant for Professor Richard Schragger. After graduation, Cole will clerk for the Honorable Nicholas Ganjei of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and the Honorable Paul B. Matey on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Benjamin Burke, Symposium Chair

Benjamin Burke ’28 is from Stafford, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia in fall 2018, where he studied Philosophy and Foreign Affairs. Before law school, he worked in Washington, D.C. for several years advising large corporate clients on political risk matters. He will spend his 1L summer as a clerk in the Chairman’s Office of the Federal Trade Commission, and will spend his 2L summer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Washington, D.C. He will also be serving as VP of Social Outreach for the St. Thomas More Society, and as a research assistant for Professor Thomas Nachbar on antitrust and labor topics.

Courtney Thompson, Women’s Outreach Chair

Courtney Thompson ’27 is from Charlottesville, Virginia. An aspiring Triple Hoo, Courtney obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Linguistics from the University of Virginia in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Before law school, Courtney worked in association management, helping clients across the globe improve their educational programs. She spent her 1L summer conducting legal research in Charlottesville. She is spending her 2L summer at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in Washington, D.C. Courtney serves as an Executive Editor of the Virginia Law Review and a Senior Notes Editor of the Journal of Law & Politics. Outside of law school, Courtney enjoys exploring Charlottesville’s nature and many wineries.

Finn McGillivray, Alumni Relations Chair

Finn McGillivray ’27 is from Groton, Massachusetts. He graduated summa cum laude from Saint Michael’s College in 2024 with a degree in political science. He spent his first summer as a research assistant for the UVA Innocence Project Clinic and spent his second summer in the D.C. office of Cahill Gordon & Reindel. Following law school, he will serve as an active-duty judge advocate for the U.S. Army. Outside of the Federalist Society Finn serves as the Vice President of Spiritual life of the Saint Thomas More Society, and is a member of the Virginia Law Families & Partners club.

Benjamin Graves, Travel Chair

Benjamin Graves ’28 is from Edgerton, Missouri, a small town north of Kansas City. He graduated with Honors from the University of Missouri in 2025, where he received degrees in History, Political Science, and Constitutional Democracy. Before law school, he spent time in the Missouri State Senate as well as working in the United States House of Representatives. He will spend his 1L summer at Graves Garrett Griem and in the chambers of Judge Duane Benton of the 8th Circuit. Outside of the Federalist Society, he is a member of the Blackstone Legal Fellowship and Advocates For Life, and is President of the Law Republicans at UVA. In his free time, he enjoys visiting battlefields and other historic sites. 

Kevin Norris, Scholarship Chair

Kevin Norris ’27 is from Montgomery, Alabama. He is a 2016 graduate from the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a B.S. with merit in Computer Science. Before coming to Virginia, Kevin spent eight years as a submarine officer, including a tour as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School. He spent his 1L summer interning at Consovoy McCarthy, and he will spend his 2L summer at Paul, Weiss in Washington, D.C. Outside of the Federalist Society, Kevin is an Executive Editor of the Virginia Law Review, a husband and father of four, and a member of the St. Thomas More Society and the Virginia Law Veterans. After graduation, he will clerk for the Honorable Corey L. Maze of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

Logan Hewlett, Fundraising Chair

Logan Hewlett ‘28 is from Clayton, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2025, where he studied Economics and ran a small business. He will spend his 1L summer with Haynes Boone in Dallas, Texas. Outside of the Federalist Society, Logan is the Vice President for Military Affairs of the National Security Law Forum, Chief Development Officer of Rivanna Investments, Vice President of events for the Rod & Gun Club, and a receiver for the Law Christian Fellowship’s flag football team.

Jack Purple, Media Chair

Jack Purple ’28 is from Arlington, Virginia. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2025 with a major in Classics and a minor in Physics. He will spend his 1L summer as an intern in the office of the Tennessee Solicitor General and his 2L summer as a summer associate with Abrams & Bayliss in Wilmington, Delaware. Outside of the Federalist Society, he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Law & Politics.

Ethan Vaughan, Academic Chair

Ethan Vaughan ’27 is from Plant City, Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2021, where he studied Food and Resource Economics and Business Administration. In 2022, he graduated from the Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida, earning a Master of Real Estate. Before law school, he spent two years working as a Financial Analyst for a real estate development firm in Tampa, Florida. He spent his 1L summer with Kirkland & Ellis in Miami, Florida and will be returning there for his 2L summer. Outside of the Federalist Society, Ethan is a member of the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review, the Treasurer of Southeastern Wahoos, and a member of the Florida Law Society.