Paul Edouard Dans (born 1968/1969) is an attorney and political operative best known as the chief architect of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's comprehensive conservative blueprint for Trump's second term. A lifelong conservative and fluent French speaker, Dans previously served as Chief of Staff to the Office of Personnel Management in Trump's first administration. He holds a B.S. in Economics and Master's in City Planning from MIT, where he was a Division I lacrosse player. Dans and his wife, Mary Helen Bowers (founder of Ballet Beautiful and former NYC Ballet dancer), reside in Charleston, South Carolina. In July 2025, Dans announced his challenge to Graham in the Republican primary, positioning himself as the true Trump advocate and demanding Graham either support Trump fully or step aside.
Paul Edouard Dans was born in 1968/1969 and grew up in Maryland, north of Baltimore, attending Dulaney High School where he was involved in sports and debate. He attended MIT on a scholarship, where he was a Division I lacrosse player and CoSIDA Academic All-American. His MIT thesis focused on industrial park redevelopment, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He worked at architecture and planning firms before attending the University of Virginia Law School, where he was president of the Federalist Society and spent a year in Paris studying French law. Dans is a fluent French speaker. He worked as a lawyer before joining Trump's first administration as Chief of Staff to the Office of Personnel Management. He then moved to Charleston and joined the Heritage Foundation, where he served as the chief architect of Project 2025 from 2022 through 2024. In July 2025, he announced his challenge to Graham in the GOP primary. He is married to Mary Helen Bowers, founder of Ballet Beautiful and former NYC Ballet dancer who was appointed to the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees by Trump.