Greg Menken

Executive Director

Greg Menken brings two decades of experience in membership and donor development, coalition building, event management, and public affairs to his role as executive director of the Adam Smith Society. He has been on the front lines of many important debates of our time, from economic and foreign affairs, to matters of personal liberty. Through years of public speaking and debating, Greg has come to deeply appreciate the need for the Adam Smith Society’s uniquely immersive platform to promote fair-minded discussion about the profound benefits of a free-market economic system.

After getting his start in politics as an aide to former New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Greg joined the coalitions team for the successful reelection campaign of New York Governor George Pataki. He was subsequently recruited to launch the New York regional office of the Republican Jewish Coalition, where he recruited, activated, and trained thousands of members and grassroots volunteers. Prior to joining the Adam Smith Society, Greg was an award-winning public-relations executive on the senior management team of one of the nation’s top-ten independent PR firms, managing the agency’s public affairs and crisis communications clients.

Greg received a BA in economics and political science from Columbia College, where he was a member of the Columbia Ivy League Championship Soccer Team. He earned an MPA in nonprofit management from New York University. A native New Yorker, Greg now lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.

Dean Ball

Director

Dean Ball is the Director of the Adam Smith Society. In this role he oversees strategy, national and chapter-based programming, and initiatives to grow SmithSoc’s membership. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of MI’s State and Local Policy team, managing scholars covering issues such as public finance, infrastructure, K-12 education, and urban policy. In addition to his role with the Adam Smith Society, he oversees MI’s Hayek Book Prize, its Walter B. Wriston Lecture, and its MI on Campus program. He graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. in History in 2014, and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Gregory J. Fitton

Marketing Communications Manager

Gregory J. Fitton is the marketing communications manager for the Adam Smith Society. He has prior experience in research and education, as well as entrepreneurial experience in online media and martial arts. Gregory is from the greater New York City area and graduated from Syracuse University in 2012. 

Alena McGonigle

Program Officer

Alena McGonigle is a program officer at the Adam Smith Society. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond, where she studied political science and history and competed in the shot put and discus as a Division 1 track and field athlete. Throughout her college career, Alena completed internships with both Senator Patrick Toomey and The Heritage Foundation. Originally from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, Alena now resides in New York City.

Alexandra Cohill

Program Officer

Alexandra Cohill is a program officer at the Adam Smith Society. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas where she studied Politics and Spanish. She has experience working in classical charter schools as well as local New York government. Originally from Virginia, she now resides in New York City.

Contact Us

• email: adamsmith@manhattan-institute.org
• phone: 212-599-7000