AHS Announces William Chou and Theodore Leonhardt as new Professional Chapter Co-Chairs

The Alexander Hamilton Society is pleased to announce the appointment of William Chou, senior fellow and deputy director of the Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute, and Theodore Leonhardt, associate at Cleary Gottlieb, as new co-chairs of AHS’s professional chapters.

Dr. Chou will be serving as co-chair in Washington, D.C., and Theodore will be serving as co-chair in New York.

Dr. Chou is a senior fellow and deputy director of Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair. His work at Hudson focuses on economic security, industrial investment, and geopolitics. Recent and upcoming projects include U.S.-Japan cooperation in semiconductors and AI, Japan’s defense policy and industrial production, fair competition in the U.S. automotive market, critical minerals, and the Nippon Steel–U.S. Steel investment.

Dr. Chou writes and speaks regularly on policy issues, with his analysis appearing in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Politico, Nikkei, the New York Times, and the Financial Times. He holds a BA in history from Yale and a PhD in history from The Ohio State University, with a dissertation on Cold War U.S.-Japan commercial and diplomatic relations. Between those degrees, he worked as an analyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses.

“AHS has been integral to my intellectual and professional development for the past 15 years. As the newest co-chair of the DC Professional Chapter, I’m eager to work with my other co-chairs, AHS members, AHS leadership, and stakeholders across government, industry, academia, and policy to advance priorities that will ensure American global leadership in a safe and prosperous world,” says Dr. Chou. 

AHS has been a major part of his intellectual and professional growth. At OSU, he founded the AHS campus chapter and won Chapter of the Year. In Washington, Dr. Chou has led an AHS reading group and organized dinners for the professional chapter. He travels frequently to speak to AHS campus chapters on economic statecraft and geopolitical issues. A native New Yorker, he is also a former Jeopardy! champion.

Theodore L. Leonhardt is an associate in the New York office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where his law practice focuses on financial restructuring, including cross-border and sovereign debt matters. Previously, Ted served as a research associate for former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. A magna cum laude graduate of Duke University (History and Political Science, Phi Beta Kappa) and Duke University School of Law, Ted began his career in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Ted joined the Alexander Hamilton Society as an undergraduate at Duke University and entered the New York Professional Chapter in 2024. He is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, 2024 Young Leader of the American Council on Germany, 2026 Military History & Strategy Fellow of The Public Interest Fellowship, Next-Gen Leader of the White House Historical Association, and 2026 Fellow of the Economic Club of New York. While a student at Groton, Ted and his roommate authored twenty-four profiles of the school’s graduates who served in government, eventually publishing during college the book Divine Fire: Groton School and the American Century (Martin & Lawrence Press, 2014).

“It has been said that the realities of American foreign policy are Hamiltonian. Since my undergraduate years, the Alexander Hamilton Society has educated me on American diplomatic traditions while inspiring their application to present challenges,” says Ted. “In that spirit, I am delighted to serve as co-chair of the New York Professional Chapter.”

As both new co-chairs step into their respective roles, we are grateful for their willingness to serve and look forward to the chapters’ continued growth under their leadership.