Moving With Meaning
How a liberal arts foundation and restless curiosity propelled one Bearcat from classroom experiments to nationwide voter advocacy
Story: Aubrey Cintron
Alexander Billy, C’15, PhD, has never had a five-year plan. He thinks we should move through life the way you might stand in the ocean—focused on the horizon—until one day you realize the current has carried you somewhere new.
Saint Vincent College gave Billy the space to explore widely. He arrived as a declared history major, drawn to the breadth and curiosity that a liberal arts education encourages. It was a place where he could engage with big ideas—philosophy, history, politics, language—and think deeply about the world.
But over time, he found himself wanting more than just ideas; he wanted a framework for understanding how things actually work. That curiosity ultimately drew him to economics. Under the leadership of Dr. Gary Quinlivan and Dr. Andy Herr, Saint Vincent’s economics program offered exactly that: an elite course of study grounded in theory and evidence. The curriculum emphasized real-world application, and Billy learned to design and run large-scale experiments to test how people make decisions—skills he still uses today.
He also credits Dr. Daniele Arcara, professor of mathematics, for equipping him with the mathematical fundamentals he needed to succeed as an economist. “His classes gave me the foundation I needed,” Billy says. “I left with a level of confidence in math that I hadn’t had before.”
That same desire to understand the world—and a deep appreciation for the thinkers who tried to make sense of it, from Adam Smith to Daniel Kahneman—led Billy to matriculate into Georgetown University’s economics PhD program. There, he took the tools he had developed at Saint Vincent even further, deepening his expertise in applied microeconomics and experimental methods, and testing ideas through rigorous analysis and real-world applications.
Finishing graduate school didn’t mean settling into a fixed path. Billy stayed open to where the current would carry him next, guided by a restless curiosity and a drive to keep learning and doing. Rather than choosing one direction, he pursued every opportunity that allowed him to stay in motion.
Alexander Billy and Free Our Vote co-founder Neel Sukhatme
What began as a graduate research project exploring the impact of criminal financial penalties has grown into Free Our Vote, an organization that has helped re-enfranchise tens of thousands of Americans with past felony convictions. By combining rigorous data analysis with targeted outreach, Free Our Vote identifies eligible voters, helps them navigate complex state laws, and, in many cases, pays off court debt that stands between them and the ballot box. Under Billy’s leadership, Free Our Vote has grown into a fully operational nonprofit with full-time staff and a national footprint, raising $1.2 million last year to support its expanding efforts. Its work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and ProPublica, and the organization was recently selected for the Fast Forward accelerator for tech nonprofits.
All the while, Billy donates his time to Free Our Vote while working full-time at Ankura, a leading global consulting firm with offices in more than a dozen countries. As part of Ankura’s complex litigation practice, he manages large-scale economic analyses for billion-dollar disputes, advising clients on matters ranging from antitrust to intellectual property to high-stakes commercial litigation. It’s a role that demands precision, strategic thinking, and analytical rigor—the same skills that underpin his work with Free Our Vote.
And he’s not done yet. Billy’s economist’s lens has brought to light other structural challenges: he’s currently in the process of launching another startup focused on creating more abundant housing and addressing the root causes of the housing crisis.
As someone deeply committed to supporting the Saint Vincent community, it’s no surprise that Billy has found encouragement from fellow Bearcats—most notably SVC Board of Directors member Mark Rossi, C’78. The two met at an alumni event in New York City and quickly became friends. Billy speaks highly of Rossi, who has been a strong supporter of Saint Vincent and its alumni. Rossi, in turn, describes Billy as someone who represents the best of Saint Vincent—successful in his career and dedicated to making a difference on issues that matter.
Billy often reflects on the education and opportunities he received at Saint Vincent and feels a deep sense of gratitude for the foundation it gave him. He credits the liberal arts experience with shaping the way he thinks and works today. His advice to current students? Consume culture voraciously: read widely, listen closely, and pay attention to the world beyond your own.
And while his plans may continue to change, one thing is certain: he never intends to stop working. For Billy, staying in motion and taking on meaningful work isn’t just a phase; it’s how he plans to spend the rest of his life.