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.

Full Bio

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.

Full Bio

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.

Joshua 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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