|
|
| The Iowa Policy Project (IPP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2001 to produce research and analysis to engage Iowans in state policy decisions. IPP focuses on tax and budget issues, the Iowa economy, and energy and environmental policy. |
|
|
|
The mission of the Iowa Policy Project is to promote public policy that fosters economic opportunity while safeguarding the health and well-being of Iowa's people and the environment.
By providing a foundation of fact-based, objective research and engaging the public in an informed discussion of policy alternatives, IPP advances effective, accountable and fair government. |
|
|
| Founded in 2001, the Iowa Policy Project provides timely research on policy issues of critical importance to the citizens of Iowa. Specifically, IPP focuses on tax and budget, energy and environment, and economic opportunity issues. One important way IPP reaches the public is through the media. Press releases and press conferences usually accompany the release of reports. IPP staff also make frequent presentations around the state. Our clearly written reports and presentations equip all Iowans with the facts and context they need to evaluate policy alternatives. |
|
| IPP is affiliated with the Economic Analysis Research Network (EARN), which includes similar policy groups in about two dozen states. EARN was initiated by and is supported by the Economic Policy Institute. In 2003, IPP joined with The Child and Family Policy Center in Des Moines to form the Iowa Fiscal Partnership. The Partnership and its website, www.iowafiscal.org, were created to be a reliable information source on fiscal policy issues in Iowa. The Iowa Fiscal Partnership offers policy solutions that value the contributions of Iowa's low-income and working families, increase economic opportunity, and reduce inequality. The Partnership is affiliated with The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' State Fiscal Analysis Initiative and was made possible with generous funding from The Annie E. Casey Foundation and The Stoneman Family Foundation. |
|
Current funding for IPP comes from a variety of sources, including The McKnight Foundation, The Stoneman Family Foundation, The Mott Foundation, and The Retirement Research Foundation as well as individuals and organizations in the state of Iowa. Previous funders include The Joyce Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, the Iowa Finance Authority, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
IPP is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are tax-deductible. |
|
|
| Peter Fisher, Research Director, holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Peter is a national expert on public finance and has served as a consultant to the Iowa Dept. of Economic Development, the State of Ohio, and the Iowa Business Council. His reports are regularly published in State Tax Notes and refereed journals. His recent book Grading Places: What Do the Business Climate Rankings Really Tell Us? was published by the Economic Policy Institute in 2005. Peter is a professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Iowa. |
|
|
| Peter provides overall supervision for IPP research activities. He is directly involved in research, writing and outreach on state tax and budget issues. He has authored or co-authored the majority of Iowa Fiscal Partnership reports and guest opinions on state tax policy. Email: pfisher (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
|
Lily French, Research Associate, joined IPP in March 2008. A former policy analyst for the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Lily also directed a women’s business center in Madison, Wis., before returning to Iowa. Over the past 10 years, she has served as an advisor to state and local government officials on issues of child care, workforce development and microenterprise development. Lily holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Iowa. |
|
| Lily’s work for IPP concentrates on policy analysis and research to advance the economic opportunity of all Iowans. Email: lfrench (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
|
Teresa Galluzzo, Research Associate, joined IPP in November 2004. She received her master's of science in environmental studies from the University of Montana and a bachelor's of science in geography from the University of Iowa. |
|
| Teresa’s work for IPP concentrates on state environmental issues, particularly water and energy issues. She has written reports on the economic advantages of locally owned wind projects, the 10 pioneering Iowa schools that operate their own wind turbines, and Iowa’s lagging financial commitment to its environment. Email: tgalluzzo (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
| Kristi Lohmeier, Outreach Coordinator, joined IPP in January 2007 in the newly established position of Outreach Coordinator. She received her masters degree in Social Work from the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work in 2004 and her bachelor of science in Family Studies from the University of Kentucky in 2000. |
|
|
| Kristi’s work for IPP concentrates on outreach and networking, predominantly around state fiscal and economic policy. Her focus is working with a variety of constituent groups, legislators and Iowans to ensure IPP work is relevant and widely distributed. Email: klohmeier (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
|
David Osterberg, Founder and Executive Director, is a former Iowa state representative who was chairman of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee. David was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 1998 and worked for one year as a consultant to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. David holds an M.S. in water resources management and another in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa. |
|
| David directs staff, works with the Treasurer and bookkeeper to assure the organization maintains financial integrity, raises funds and interacts with the Board of Directors. He is co-author of several IPP energy and environment reports. David speaks widely to explain the findings of IPP reports. Email: dosterberg (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
| Mike Owen, Assistant Director, covered policy issues at all levels in a 21-year news career, including four years as Iowa Statehouse correspondent. A former reporter for the Quad-City Times of Davenport and reporter and editor for The Associated Press in Philadelphia, he returned to Iowa to run an award-winning weekly newspaper, the West Branch Times. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from the University of Iowa. |
|
|
| In 2001, Mike became IPP’s first full-time employee, editing reports and coordinating communications. Mike also coordinates IPP efforts to promote a better public understanding of federal budget impacts on Iowans. Email: ipp (at) Lcom.net OR mowen (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
| Beth Pearson, Research Associate, joined IPP in September 2007. She received her master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Oxford in 2007 and a bachelor’s degree in political philosophy from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA in 2005. |
|
|
| Beth’s work for IPP concentrates on state fiscal and budget policy issues. Through policy analysis and research, she helps IPP contribute to a discussion of how public policies can best advance the economic opportunity of all Iowans. Email: bpearson (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
| Nathan Shepherd, Office Manager, joined IPP in December 2007. He has helped to manage a small business over the past decade and previously worked as an environmental organizer with a statewide advocacy organization.
|
|
|
|
Nathan received his bachelor of science degree in general agriculture – environmental studies from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1987. Email: nshepherd (at) iowapolicyproject.org |
|
|
Jamie Nagel, Intern, is completing an internship with IPP as part of her graduate studies in Social Work at the University of Iowa. Before starting grad school, she served for two years in the AmeriCorps volunteer program. Jamie has a bachelor's degree in Religious Studies from the University of Puget Sound. |
|
| Jamie works closely with Outreach Coordinator Kristi Lohmeier on IPP's environmental and tax policy work. Email: jamie-nagel (at) uiowa.edu. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Janet Carl, President, a former Democratic state representative, lives in Grinnell and is a language arts instructor at Grinnell College. |
|
| Jen Sherer, Vice President, lives in Iowa City and is director of the Labor Center at the University of Iowa. |
|
| Lyle Krewson, a former Republican state representative, lives in West Des Moines and is currently a legislative consultant to various organizations, including the Sierra Club and Lutheran Services In Iowa. |
|
| Lana Ross lives in Des Moines and is executive director of the Iowa Community Action Association. |
|
| Mark L. Smith lives in Des Moines and is former president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. |
|
| Tony Smith lives in Ames and is professor of philosophy at Iowa State University. |
|
|
|
|
