Policy Briefs
Analysis of Selected Provisions in Hurricane Sandy Emergency Spending Proposals
December 17, 2012
Reports & Data
Subsidizing Oil Shale: Tracing Federal Support for Oil Shale Development in the United States
November 29, 2012
Staff
Ryan Alexander
President
Ryan Alexander joined Taxpayers for Common Sense as president in 2006, after serving on the board for more than seven years. She testifies regularly in Congress on a wide range of topics relating to federal spending, subsidies, and fiscal policy, and her comments have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, and NPR, among other outlets.
Steve Ellis
Vice President
Steve joined TCS in 1999 and serves as Vice President, overseeing programs and serving as a leading media and legislative spokesperson. A persistent critic of the mounting budget deficit and federal fiscal policy, Steve has testified before numerous Congressional Committees and has appeared on national network news programs, including programs on CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and NPR. His expertise ranges from earmarks to flood insurance and a lot of spending issues in between.
Robert Bettmann
Digital Communications Manager
Robert Bettmann graduated from Oberlin College with a BA in Environmental Studies, and from American University with an MA in Dance. Prior to joining TCS, Robert worked as a freelance website designer, building platforms for small businesses and candidates. He was a 2012 Jeremiah Fellow, and a 2012 #DCWeek Fellow. He continues to enjoy and teach Dance, and blogs for the Huffington Post and Clyde Fitch Report. As FY13 Advocacy Director for the DC Advocates for the Arts he coordinated a coalition that helped secure the largest year to year funding increase in the nation - a 300% increase.
Jennifer Cox
Director of Development
Jen joined TCS in 2009 with extensive experience in nonprofit management, fund development, and advocacy. After working on government performance and strategic planning at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Jen spent ten 10 years at a national environmental nonprofit increasing support of civic engagement; raised funds for an advocacy/political think tank; and was Vice President of Operations at a nonprofit marketer. As a consultant, Jen managed grants for a family foundation and advised a variety of advocacy organizations on management and funding strategies. She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan with a dual concentration in Environmental Policy and History and earned an executive certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University.
Autumn Hanna
Senior Program Director
Autumn joined TCS in 2000. During her more than twelve years with TCS, Hanna has led legislative and outreach efforts on many of the organization’s natural resource campaigns with a main focus on the group’s energy and water campaigns. During her tenure, Autumn has worked extensively on the TCS’s Army Corps of Engineers Reform, Western Water, and Integrated Water Projects, and for the last three years has run TCS's energy policy reform efforts. Autumn began working on natural- resource issues at the Penn State Sustainability Center and first became engaged in reform of the Army Corps of Engineers and Snake River issues at American Rivers in the fall of 1999. She has studied at the National University in Heredia, Costa Rica and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. from Penn State University Schreyer Honors College.
Sheila Karpf
Policy Analyst
Sheila Karpf joined TCS in 2012 and works primarily on agriculture and biofuels issues. Prior to joining TCS, Sheila worked for Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and as a policy analyst at the Environmental Working Group. Sheila received a M.S. in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics and a B.S . in Economics and Management Information Systems from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is a 2007 recipient of the Harry Truman Scholarship.
Oshoveli Munashimue
Development Associate
Oshoveli joined TCS in 2012 to facilitate implementation of organizational development and fundraising operations. Prior to joining TCS, Oshoveli worked for five years at WITNESS – a human rights organization that trains in video advocacy based in Brooklyn, NY – focusing on all areas of development. Prior to WITNESS, Oshoveli worked in general service at the United Nations Secretariat. Oshoveli holds a B.A. degree in Law, History, and Politics from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Laura Peterson
Senior Policy Analyst
Laura Peterson heads TCS' national security program, which includes oversight of the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State as well as the National Nuclear Security Administration. She has led TCS on successful campaigns to eliminate wasteful national security programs such as the F-22 Raptor aircraft, Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine and SBI-Net, also known as the "virtual fence." Prior to joining TCS, Laura was an associate editor at Foreign Policy magazine. Previously, she worked as a writer for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a program of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., that conducts investigative reporting on transnational issues. Laura also worked in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as an editor and correspondent for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Cairo Times. Laura holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz, a masters degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and was the recipient of an International Reporting Project fellowship.
Josh Sewell
Senior Policy Analyst
Joshua Sewell, a fifth-generation Missouri native, manages research and outreach on TCS efforts to reform the Army Corps of Engineers, agriculture issues, and general government transparency. Prior to joining TCS in 2007, Joshua spent the 2006 election cycle in southwest Montana, serving as the Membership Director and Assistant Site -Manager at Project Vote Smart, a national non-partisan, nonprofit voter education organization. Joshua received a B.A. in History, with honors, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Missouri.
Michael Surrusco
Senior Investigator
Mike has worked in the field of investigative research for the last 12 years. Most recently, Mike was the Director of Research at Common Cause, where he led research and reporting projects documenting the efforts of special interest groups to influence federal legislation through campaign contributions, lobbying, and other tactics. Mike also worked as a Lead Researcher at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Before that he was Senior Researcher for Public Citizen Congress Watch. Mike holds a M.A. in Economic Development from American University, and degrees in economics and computer applications from University of Notre Dame.
Justin Theal
Research Associate
Justin joined TCS in 2011 and works primarily on energy and natural resource policy reform. Prior to TCS, Justin interned at the Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Originally from Pennsylvania, Justin graduated with honors from Arcadia University of Philadelphia with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Environmental Policy. While attending Arcadia, Justin focused his research on sustainable development and natural resource management through an economic lens.
Erich W. Zimmermann
Senior Policy Analyst
Erich leads TCS’s efforts on transportation and earmark issues, and carries out general research and investigations. Prior to joining TCS in 2003, Erich served as program director with the Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation. Erich received his M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, and his B.A. in Political Communication from the George Washington University.
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