Merrilee of Solana
A Life in Service of What Endures
Diplomat. Patron of the arts. Humanitarian. Successor to the LaCasse Institute's founding vision.
Who She Is
Grace, Depth, and an Unwavering Sense of Purpose
Princess Merrilee of Solana is not a title that precedes a person — it is a name that has come to mean something. Over decades of public life spanning diplomacy, the arts, and humanitarian service, she has built a reputation not for the offices she has held, but for the quality of attention she brings to every room she enters and every cause she takes up.
She was chosen by John LaCasse as his successor not because she was the most prominent candidate, but because she understood — at a level that cannot be taught — what the Institute was actually for. Not prestige. Not legacy in the monument sense. But the slow, patient, unglamorous work of building something that genuinely serves the people it was created to serve.
That understanding shapes everything she does in her role as Successor and President. She asks the questions that institutions tend to avoid. She insists on accountability to the founding vision. And she brings to the work a warmth and a rigor that are, in her, inseparable.
To inherit a legacy is not to preserve it unchanged — it is to understand what it was built for, and to carry that purpose forward with every tool and every relationship at your disposal.
Her Work
The Dimensions of a Life Well Lived
Diplomatic Leadership
A distinguished record of cross-cultural diplomacy and international engagement, bringing the Institute's mission to the world's most consequential conversations.
Arts & Culture
A lifelong patron and practitioner of the arts, championing the role of creative expression in building bridges across cultures and generations.
Humanitarian Service
Sustained commitment to humanitarian causes across the globe, with particular focus on education, women's leadership, and youth empowerment.
Institutional Stewardship
Entrusted by John LaCasse to carry the Institute's founding vision into its next chapter — preserving its principles while expanding its impact.
From Her Journal
The Weight of a Name
What does it mean to inherit an institution — not its buildings or its endowments, but its animating spirit? Princess Merrilee reflects on the responsibility of stewardship, the nature of legacy, and why the most important work of any institution is the work it does on the people inside it.
Read the full essay"I have spent much of my life in rooms where decisions were made quickly, where the pressure to act outpaced the wisdom to act well. The LaCasse Institute exists as a deliberate counterweight — a place where the slow work of thinking is treated as the most urgent work of all."
On the Air
High in the Canopy — the Podcast
Before she was the Institute's steward, she was half of a conversation that never stopped. She's an advocate for love; he a lone wolf of wicked intelligence and wit — together, John and Merrilee, unscripted. The complete archive of 168 episodes is free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Visit the podcast"She's an advocate for love, he a lone wolf of wicked intelligence and wit. Together, John and Merrilee open the lines to an intimate conversation."
The LaCasse Institute
The Work Continues
The LaCasse Institute exists to empower scholars, leaders, and changemakers through fellowships, scholarships, and global initiatives rooted in resilience, exploration, and service. Under Princess Merrilee's stewardship, that work is expanding — reaching new communities, forging new partnerships, and honoring the founding vision with every decision made in its name.
Visit the Institute