Experts

Biography
Algernon Austin is a sociologist of racial relations. Prior to joining the Economic Policy Institute, he was assistant director of research at the Foundation Center and a Senior Fellow at the Demos think tank. From 2001 to 2005, he served on the faculty of Wesleyan University. Austin is the author of Getting It Wrong: How Black Public Intellectuals Are Failing Black America and Achieving Blackness: Race, Black Nationalism, and Afrocentrism in the Twentieth Century. He has published scholarly articles in Ethnic and Racial Studies, Qualitative Sociology, the Journal of African American Studies, and Race, Gender and Class.

Education
Ph.D. Sociology, Northwestern University (2001)
M.A. Sociology, Northwestern University (1995)
B.A. Sociology, Wesleyan University (1990)

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Josh Bivens

Research and Policy Director

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Areas of expertise
Macroeconomics • Globalization • Social Insurance • Public Investment

Biography
Josh Bivens joined the Economic Policy Institute in 2002. He is the author of Everybody Wins Except for Most of Us: What Economics Teaches About Globalization and has published numerous articles in both academic and popular venues, including USA Today, The Guardian, The American Prospect, Challenge Magazine, and Worth. He is a frequent commentator on economic issues for a variety of media outlets, including NPR, CNN, CNBC, Reuters and the BBC.

Education
Ph.D., Economics, New School for Social Research
B.A., Economics, University of Maryland at College Park

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David Cooper

Economic Analyst

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Areas of Expertise
Poverty, State labor markets and economic development, Social mobility, Federal budget policy, Quantitative methods and techniques

Biography
David Cooper joined the Economic Policy Institute in July 2011. He conducts national and state-level research on a variety of issues, including labor markets, poverty, and economic development. He also provides support to the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) on data-related inquiries and quantitative analyses. David worked previously as an economic policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he focused on federal budget policy. He has also worked in higher education development and in political consulting. His graduate research focused on international development policy and social mobility.

Education
M.P.P., Georgetown University
B.A., Georgetown University

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Daniel Costa

Immigration Policy Analyst

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Areas of Expertise
U.S. Immigration Law and Policy • International Labor Migration • Humanitarian Affairs

Biography
Daniel Costa is an attorney with a background in international migration law and policy, treaty law and practice and humanitarian affairs. He previously worked on developing the legal and normative framework for disaster response and humanitarian relief operations with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland, and as a policy analyst at the Great Valley Center, a University of California think tank, where he managed an immigrant integration program. Previous to that he interned overseas with the State Department and was one of the few Americans ever selected to participate in the UN International Law Commission’s annual seminar.

Education
LL.M. International and Comparative Law, Georgetown University Law Center
J.D. International Law, Syracuse University
B.A. Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley

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Christian Dorsey

Director of External and Government Affairs

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Areas of expertise
Community development • Housing • Inequality • Public economics

Biography
Christian Dorsey joined EPI in 2008. Christian’s work at EPI is to build grassroots awareness of economic policy matters with a goal of educating and mobilizing communities to advocate more effectively on their behalf and to advance EPI’s policy initiatives with federal law and policy makers. Prior to joining EPI, Christian served as chief executive officer for non-profit organizations promoting children’s literacy, prejudice reduction and affordable housing. His commentaries have appeared in a variety of media including The Washington Post and he is a frequent voice on television and radio.

Education
B.S., International Relations, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service

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Ross Eisenbrey

Vice President

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Areas of expertise
Labor and employment law • Occupational safety and health • Pension policy

Biography
Vice president of EPI since 2003, Ross Eisenbrey is a lawyer and former commissioner of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Prior to joining EPI, he worked for many years as a staff attorney and legislative director in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a committee counsel in the U.S. Senate. He served as policy director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from 1999 until 2001. He has testified in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and has written scores of articles, issue briefs and policy memos on a wide range of labor issues.

Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D. 1978
Middlebury College, B.A. 1974

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Jeff Faux

Founding President and Distinguished Fellow

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Areas of expertise
Political economy • International economics • Macroeconomics • Labor markets • Unions

Biography
Jeff Faux founded the Economic Policy Institute in 1986, and made it into the country’s leading think tank on the political and economic issues that face working Americans. In 2003, he stepped down as EPI’s president, and is now the Institute’s Distinguished Fellow. Faux has studied, taught and published on a wide variety of economic and political issues from the global economy to neighborhood community development, from monetary policy to political strategy. He is the author or co-author of five books, the latest being, The Global Class War (Wiley, 2006). He has now started a new book on America’s future.

Faux worked as an economist in the Departments of State, Labor and Commerce, a manager in the finance industry, a blueberry farmer, and a member of a municipal planning board in the State of Maine. He’s been an advisor to governments, trade unions, businesses, political campaigns, and community organizations. He’s lectured in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, sits on the boards of several of non-profit institutions and magazines, has written articles for numerous newspapers, magazines and journals, has testified before Congress, and has appeared many times on television and radio.

Education
Queens College, George Washington University, and Harvard University
Honorary Degree, University of New England

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Andrew Fieldhouse

Federal Budget Policy Analyst

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Areas of expertise
Tax and Budget Policy • Public Economics

Biography

Andrew Fieldhouse joined the Economic Policy Institute in June 2010 to work on fiscal policy and progressive budget reform. In July 2011, Andrew also began working on federal budget policy for The Century Foundation. He previously worked as an assistant budget analyst and research assistant with the House Budget Committee. His areas of research and interest include federal tax and budget policy, political economy, public investment, and macroeconomics. Andrew has provided frequent commentary on the current budget debate and the impact of fiscal policy alternatives on the economic recovery. He has appeared as a guest on CNN, PBS Nightly Business Report, C-SPAN, CNBC, and Fox Business News, as well as NPR affiliates.

Education
B.A. Economics and Political Science, Swarthmore College

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Jody Franklin

Director of Communications

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Areas of expertise
Public Relations • Strategic Communications • Public Policy

Biography
Jody Franklin joined EPI in the summer of 2009 as Director of Communications. Franklin manages EPI’s media relations, publications, and Web publishing teams, overseeing the dissemination and promotion of the institute’s research and providing overall strategic counsel to EPI’s senior team. Franklin served as Chief-of-Staff for Hillary Clinton during the 1992 Clinton for President Campaign, directing Clinton’s political, media and scheduling operations, as well as serving on the senior staff of the campaign. More recently, she spent five years as public relations director for Share Our Strength, a national anti-poverty organization. Franklin also served as Chief-of-Staff in the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Robert Reich and collaborated with SEIU president Andy Stern on his book, A Country that Works.

Education
University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, M.A. in Public Policy & Management, 1986
Wellesley College, B.A., 1983

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Mary Gable

Policy Analyst

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Areas of expertise
Poverty • Social services and welfare policy analysis • Community-based research • Advocacy • Child care policy

Biography
Mary Gable joined the Economic Policy Institute in 2006. She coordinates activities of state and local organizations through the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) and analyzes public policies affecting low-income people. She previously directed programs serving people in poverty nationwide and conducted an independent evaluation of New Jersey’s welfare program. Her areas of interest include poverty, social services and welfare policy, child care, low-wage work, and homelessness.

Education
M.P.A., Social Services and Welfare Policy/Gender and Public Policy, Columbia University
B.A., Political Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Elise Gould

Director of Health Policy Research

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Areas of expertise
Employer-sponsored health insurance • Health reform

Biography
Elise Gould joined the Economic Policy Institute in September 2003. Her research areas include employer-sponsored health insurance, the employer tax exclusion, the burden of health costs, income inequality and health, and retiree coverage. She has authored a chapter on health in The State of Working America 2008/09, co-authored a book on health insurance coverage in retirement, published in venues such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Challenge Magazine, and Tax Notes, and academic journals including Health Economics, Journal of Aging and Social Policy, Risk Management & Insurance Review, and International Journal of Health Services. She has been quoted by a variety of news sources including Bloomberg , NPR, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, and her opinions have appeared on the op-ed pages of USA Today and the Detroit News.

Education
Ph.D., Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.P. Aff., Public Affairs, University of Texas-Austin
B.A., Sociology, Wesleyan University

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Doug Hall

Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN)

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Areas of expertise
Child poverty • State economic development policy • Tax incidence

Biography
Doug Hall became Director of EPI’s Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) in July 2009, after being an active member of EARN for ten years. Hall previously served as director of operations and research for the Connecticut EARN partner, Connecticut Voices for Children, where he played a leading role in work related to family economic security and state tax and budget issues. He is the author or co-author of dozens of reports, including several reports on state-level economic trends, and eight State of Working Connecticut reports. His work has been extensively cited by statewide media, and he has contributed several op-ed pieces for publication in newspapers such as the Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Hartford Courant and the Kentucky Post. He has also appeared as an expert on public affairs shows on Connecticut television stations such as NBC30, Fox 61, and CPTV, and on KET in Kentucky. Hall has recently been providing overviews of monthly state employment trends for CBS Radio’s national network of 130 stations.

Education
Ph.D. Political Studies, Queen’s University (1998)
M.A. Public Policy and Administration, McMaster University (1989)
B.A. (Hon.) Public Policy and Administration, York University (1988)

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Gordon Lafer

Research Associate

Areas of expertise
Labor Law • Collective Bargaining • Union Organizing • Collective Bargaining • Job Creation Policy • Employment Training • Labor Standards in International Trade Treaties

Biography
Gordon Lafer is a political economist and is an Associate Professor at the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center. He has written widely on issues of labor and employment policy, and is author of The Job Training Charade (Cornell University Press, 2002). Lafer has served as an economic policy analyst for the Office of the Mayor in New York City and has testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and state legislatures. Lafer is the founding co-chair of the American Political Science Association’s Labor Project, and has taught as a visiting faculty member at the University of Massachusetts’ Union Leadership Academy and at the Universidad Latina de America in Michoacan, Mexico. In 2009-2010, Lafer took leave from his faculty position to serve as Senior Labor Policy Advisor for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.

Education
Ph.D. Political Science, Yale University, 1995
B.A., Economics, Swarthmore College, 1983

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Lawrence Mishel

President

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Areas of expertise
Education • Labor markets • Income distribution and poverty • Industrial relations • Technology and productivity • Wages • Unions and collective bargaining

Biography
Lawrence Mishel, a nationally-recognized economist, is President of the Economic Policy Institute, a role he assumed in 2002. Dr. Mishel first joined EPI in 1987 as Research Director. In the more than two decades he has been with EPI, Dr. Mishel has helped build it into the nation’s premier research organization focused on U.S. living standards and labor markets.

Dr. Mishel has co-authored 11 editions of The State of Working America, a book which former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich says “remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today’s economy.” The State of Working America has been an invaluable resource in newsrooms, classrooms, and halls of power since 1988.

Dr. Mishel’s primary research interests include labor markets and education. He has written extensively on wage and job quality trends in the United States. He co-edited a research volume on emerging labor market institutions for the National Bureau of Economic Research. His 1988 research on manufacturing data led the U.S. Commerce Department to revise the way it measures U.S. manufacturing output. This new measure helped accurately document the long decline in U.S. manufacturing, a trend which is now widely understood.

Dr. Mishel leads EPI’s education research program. He has written extensively on charter schools, teacher pay and high school graduation rates. His research with Joydeep Roy has shown that high school graduation rates are significantly higher than the rates that are often cited by education analysts. This work has enabled policymakers to more accurately assess the state of public education in the United States.

Dr. Mishel has testified before Congress on the importance of promoting policies that reduce inequality, improve the lives of American workers and their families, and strengthen the middle class. He also serves frequently as a commentator in the print, broadcast, and online media.

Prior to joining EPI, Dr. Mishel held a number of research roles, including a fellowship at the U.S. Department of Labor. He also served as a faculty member at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Dr. Mishel holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Originally from Philadelphia, he lives with his wife and two dogs in Washington, D.C.

Education
Ph.D. Economics, University of Wisconsin
M.A. Economics, American University
B.S. Pennsylvania State University

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Monique Morrissey

Economist

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Areas of expertise
Labor markets • Retirement security • Executive compensation • Unions and collective bargaining • Financial markets

Biography
Monique Morrissey joined the Economic Policy Institute in 2006. She previously worked at the AFL-CIO Office of Investment and the Financial Markets Center. Her areas of interest include retirement security, executive compensation, the Federal Reserve, and financial markets.

Education
Ph.D. Economics, American University
B.A. Political Science and History, Swarthmore College

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Ethan Pollack

Senior Policy Analyst

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Areas of expertise
Tax and Budget Policy • Public Economics • Infrastructure

Biography
Ethan Pollack joined the Economic Policy Institute in July 2008. Prior to joining EPI, he worked at the Office of Management and Budget and the George Washington Institute of Public Policy. He also worked as a staff member for President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. His areas of research include budget and tax policy, public investments such as transportation and energy, and macroeconomics. His work has been used in numerous publications, and he has appeared as a guest on CNN, Fox News, BBC World News, Canada TV, Russia Today, and WNYC.

Education
M.P.P. The George Washington University
B.A. University of California, Los Angeles

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Richard Rothstein

Research Associate

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Areas of expertise
Education

Biography
Richard Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute and senior fellow of the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California (Berkeley) School of Law. He is the author of Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right (Teachers College Press and EPI, 2008) and Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap (Teachers College Press 2004). He is also the author of The Way We Were? Myths and Realities of America’s Student Achievement (1998). Other recent books include The Charter School Dust-Up: Examining the Evidence on Enrollment and Achievement (co-authored in 2005); and All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different? (co-authored in 2003). Contact Richard Rothstein at riroth@epi.org.

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Robert E. Scott

Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Research

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Areas of expertise
International economics • Trade agreements • Global finance • Economic impacts of foreign investment and “insourcing” • Industry studies

Biography
Dr. Scott joined the Economic Policy Institute as an international economist in 1996. Before that, he was an assistant professor with the College of Business and Management of the University of Maryland at College Park. His areas of research include international economics and trade agreements and their impacts on working people in the U.S. and other countries, the economic impacts of foreign investment, and the macroeconomic effects of trade and capital flows. His research has been published in The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, The International Review of Applied Economics, and The Stanford Law and Policy Review, and he has written editorial pieces for The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, USA Today, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Times, and other newspapers.

Education
Ph.D. Economics, University of California at Berkeley, 1989
B.S. Engineering, Washington University (St. Louis), 1975

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Isaac Shapiro

Research Associate

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Areas of expertise
Regulation • Labor policy • Poverty and income trends • Tax policy

Biography
Isaac Shapiro joined EPI in 2011 to direct work examining the economic effects of government regulation. He previously worked for nearly two decades at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where his national policy research concentrated on working poor, income distribution, and tax issues, and where he assisted in the coordination and development of the Center’s research agenda. Shapiro also founded the Center’s International Budget Project. Shapiro has worked as a senior adviser at the Save Darfur Coalition, as special assistant to U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, and for a Member of Congress. He is the author of numerous reports, articles, and op-ed pieces, and is the co-author of two books, Working But Poor: America’s Contradiction, and Protecting American Workers. He also edited A Guide to Budget Work for NGOs.

Education
MPP, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
BA, Washington University

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Heidi Shierholz

Economist

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Areas of expertise
Labor markets • Economic inequality • Minimum wage

Biography
Heidi Shierholz joined the Economic Policy Institute in 2007. Her areas of research include trends in employment, unemployment, and compensation, income and wealth inequality, the low-wage labor market, the minimum wage, and the gender wage gap. Shierholz is a frequent contributor to broadcast and radio news outlets, including: ABC, CBS, CNN and NPR, and is regularly quoted in print and online media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post and the Huffington Post. She has repeatedly been called to testify in Congress on labor market issues. She is also a member of the board of directors of the DC Employment Justice Center. She previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto.

Education
Ph.D., Economics, University of Michigan
M.A., Economics, University of Michigan
M.S., Statistics, Iowa State University
B.A., Mathematics, Grinnell College

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Phoebe Silag

Media Relations Director

Areas of expertise
Public Relations • Strategic Communications

Biography
Phoebe Silag joined EPI in May 2010. As Media Relations Director, she develops and implements media strategies for print, broadcast, and electronic media and works closely with reporters, editors, and producers. Silag spent two years on Capitol Hill as Communications Director for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas, Texas. Prior to that, she worked on campaigns in Iowa for several years, serving as Iowa Deputy Communications Director for Governor Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign, as Deputy Press Secretary for Chet Culver’s successful bid for governor, and as a field staffer for America Coming Together. She has also worked at Habitat for Humanity’s Iowa state office.

Education
J.D., University of Iowa
B.A., Political Science, Grinnell College

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Rebecca Thiess

Federal Budget Policy Analyst

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Areas of expertise
Federal Budget Policy • Tax Policy • Social Insurance

Biography
Becky Thiess joined the Economic Policy Institute in June 2010. Prior to joining EPI, she worked as a policy analyst for the New America Foundation, where she focused on budget and tax policy as well as Social Security and health care reform. She has also worked as a Budget Policy Analyst for OMB Watch, a nonprofit government watchdog organization. Becky has a Master’s in Public Policy from Duke University, where she completed a master’s project on the pension system for state workers in North Carolina. Her areas of interest include the federal budget, deficits, Social Security and pensions, public investment, and income distribution and poverty.

Education
MPP, Duke University
BA in Urban and Environmental Policy, Occidental College

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Elaine Weiss

National Coordinator, Broader Bolder Approach to Education Campaign

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Areas of Expertise

Education policy • Early childhood education • Economics of education

Biography

Elaine Weiss is the National Coordinator for the Broader Bolder Approach to Education, where she works with a high-level Task Force and coalition partners to promote a comprehensive, evidence-based set of policies to allow all children to thrive. She came to BBA from the Pew Charitable Trusts, where she served as project manager for Pew’s Partnership for America’s Economic Success campaign. In that capacity, she worked with researchers to assemble evidence on the economic benefits of early childhood investments and worked with state partners to engage business leaders to promote effective early childhood programs. Ms. Weiss is a member of the Center for Disease Control’s task force on child abuse, and has served as volunteer counsel for clients at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

Education

Ph.D., Public Policy, George Washington University
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A. Political Science, University of Maryland at College Park
B.S. Biology, University of Maryland at College Park

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Research Associates

Sylvia Allegretto

Eileen Appelbaum

Dean Baker

Rosemary Batt

Dale Belman

Peter Berg

Robert A. Blecker

Martin Carnoy

Robert Cherry

Sean P. Corcoran

Jane D’Arista

Janice Fine

Sarah Gammage

Teresa Ghilarducci

Amy K. Glasmeier

Lonnie Golden

Usha C. V. Haley

Doug Harris

Ron Hira

Jeffrey Keefe

Lisa M. Lynch

Robert Lynch

Ann Markusen

Joseph Persky

Robert Reich

Jennifer King Rice

Joel Rogers

John Schmitt

Elliott D. Sclar

Mark Simon

Paula B. Voos

Mildred Warner

Christian Weller

Jeffrey Wenger

Wim Wiewel

Director of the Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy program

Research and Policy Director

Economic Analyst

Immigration Policy Analyst

Director of External and Government Affairs

Vice President

Founding President and Distinguished Fellow

Federal Budget Policy Analyst

Director of Communications

Policy Analyst

Director of Health Policy Research

Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN)

Research Associate

President

Economist

Senior Policy Analyst

Research Associate

Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Research

Research Associate

Economist

Media Relations Director

Federal Budget Policy Analyst

National Coordinator, Broader Bolder Approach to Education Campaign

Research Associates

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