Ben is originally from Newport Beach, California, where in high school public service was an express interest of his, discovering it through interning at the District Attorney and Mock Legislature. However military service and the opportunities won him over at the end of the day, and Ben graduated in 2023 from the US Naval Academy where he studied cyber operations. He was selected to join the Officer Scholarship Program and pursue graduate education immediately after graduation.

This past year Ben studied the MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise, and the Environment at Oxford. He is keen to study how innovation policy supports national security interests, whether climate mitigation, cyber security, or more kinetic affairs. After his time in Oxford, he plans to return to the United States to complete his service obligation as a naval pilot. Ben loves to surf, play volleyball, and run trails.

Ben is a Rhodes scholar.