Staff
DC team
Prior to joining the Roosevelt Institute, Hilary worked as a Senior Analyst in the Public Policy Analysis practice area of Anderson Economic Group, and held positions with the Brookings Institution and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Hilary has been involved with Roosevelt since 2006 when she helped to found and lead the organization’s University of Michigan chapter. She later led Roosevelt’s first regional project as Midwest Regional Coordinator, and, beginning in fall of 2008, served as a member of Roosevelt’s Student Advisory Board.
Ms. Doe’s background is in non-profit management and public finance. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan. Email Hilary
A 2008 graduate of the University of Michigan, Kurston is also a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow from the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Within the last year, Kurston has served as Roosevelt's National Field Director, and has been responsible for managing the chapter network and regional coordinating team. Kurston has extensive political organizing experience, having worked for the NARAL, the Democratic National Committee, and Union Farm Works. His primary policy interests pertain to voting equity, human security, and civil rights. Email Kurston
A 2009 graduate of Middlebury College, Tarsi majored in political science, but spent a majority of her time outside of academics with Roosevelt. The organization launched on campus her freshmen year and Tarsi was fortunate to be hooked by the passion of students and the greater goals it embodied. In addition to Roosevelt, Tarsi interned at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice and the personal office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), and studied at the London School of Economics for her junior year abroad. As the national network coordinator, she looks forward to streamlining communication and promoting the work of students across the country. Email Tarsi
student staff
Policy Team
David is a sophomore political science major at the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY-Hunter College. He is thrilled to have been appointed Lead Strategist for the Energy and Environment Policy Center after having proudly finished his tenure as Academy Fellow in Washington this past summer. His policy interests include urban sprawl prevention and low-impact community development, small business policy, transportation policy, and the cross-section between human rights and green urban planning. Email David
A senior at Tulane University in New Orleans, Kirsten’s interest in education policy began her freshman year when she started to volunteer as a reading tutor at a local Recovery School. Recognizing the struggle to re-build a strong education system in post-Katrina New Orleans, Kirsten became active within the school district, enrolled in teacher certification classes, and additionally created a volunteer reading program that was implemented at a New Orleans public school. As Education Strategist, she looks forward to engaging students with local and national education systems and promoting innovative solutions in education reform. Email Kirsten
Lucas Puente is a rising senior at the University of Georgia, where he is pursuing a double major in finance and international affairs. Lucas was fortunate to spend his summer as a fellow with Roosevelt's Summer Academy, through which he completed an internship with the Economic Policy Institute's Bailout Analysis Project. Lucas has been active with Roosevelt throughout his undergraduate career and currently serves as the National Policy Strategist for Economic Development as well as Chairman of the Executive Board for Roosevelt at UGA. Previously, Lucas has completed internships with the U.S. Department of State in Managua, Nicaragua and the Office of (then) US Senator Barack Obama. In his free time, Lucas enjoys playing tennis and golf, traveling, reading, and cheering on his beloved Georgia Bulldogs. Email Lucas
Sara John is a junior B.S. Biology and Public Policy double major at UNC Chapel Hill (home of the National Champions) who loves the beach, adventures, and traveling (and policy, duh). She tries to incorporate her scientific background, passion for policy and politics, and history of community service to facilitate a health care center that not only creates ballin policy, but will proactively make a difference in communities across the nation.Email Sara
Matthew is a Senior at Northwestern University currently studying the intersections between race, public policy, and inequality in urban communities particularily surrounding housing and criminal justice policies. He entered Northwestern as a Theatre major but after taking "Social Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender" he dedicated himself to working on issues of inequality and social justice. Throughout his college career he's worked with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Global Youth Partnership for Africa in Kampala, Uganda, and most recently in the Department of Community Development for the City of Chicago. Hailing from the great state of Texas, he loves breakfast items wrapped up in tortillas,"Kittens! Inspired by Kittens!", and Progressive politics. Of course, he has a deeply unhealthy obsession of President Barack Obama.Email Matthew
Dan Blue is a graduating senior studying International Relations, Economics, and Arabic at Michigan State University. He is the founder and president of the MSU Chapter, and last year, he served as Midwest Regional Coordinator and Senior Fellow for Energy and Environmental Issues. This year, he is serving as the network's National Implementation Strategist. His personal policy interests lie in electrical energy, conservation, and the intersection of local, state, and national energy policy. He enjoys warm rain, movie trailers, and college football.
Regional Team
A senior at the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Hunter College, studying Political Science and Economics, Joe has been an active Roosevelter for two years. Having founded and led the Hunter College Chapter before being appointed Northeast Regional Coordinator, Joe is focused on promoting greater cross-campus collaboration and fostering locally targeted policy impact projects. His policy interests include economic development, fiscal policy, anti-poverty programs, and environmental protection. Email Joe
Aaron is a sophomore and the Vice President of American University's Roosevelt Institute chapter. Originally from Northbrook, Illinois, he has a background in campaigns and a passion for being involved in the political process. Aaron's policy focus is reforming the national education system by expanding the growth model testing pilot program to all states, which would provide more accountability and promote academic growth for all students. Email Aaron.
Rory Silver is a sophomore at the George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs, studying International Affairs (with a concentration in Conflict and Security) and Middle Eastern Studies. Rory reestablished the George Washington University chapter after years of inactivity before being appointed as one of the first regional coordinators for the newly formed DC-International Region. He hopes to work towards building the DC region into one of Roosevelt's most effective; and quite frankly, it's the policy capital (and the capital) of the nation, so there's no doubt it'll happen. Additionally,Rory has interned for Congressman Gary Ackerman, the Advocacy Project, and the US Department of State in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
A senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Taylor is double majoring in Peace, War, and Defense and International Studies, with policy focuses in security, diplomacy, and socio-economic development. After joining Roosevelt as a member of UNC’s Foreign Policy Center, she then served on the Conference Planning Committee and as Vice President of Policy Implementation, focusing on her chapter’s engagement with the community. Now Southern Regional Coordinator, she hopes to channel the South's unique approach and background to develop and strengthen southern chapters around innovative and progressive policy. Email Taylor
Andrew, a Houston, TX native, is a Spanish and International Studies major concentrating in Political Science and Economics. His major policy interests include child welfare, economic development, and anything involving Latin America. He has spent the last two summers exploring his interests by interning for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (www.ccainstitute.org) in D.C. and developing access to credit through organizing communal banks in rural mountain villages in eastern Honduras. For fun, Andrew enjoys trying to stay fit and healthy, reading the travel section of the NYTimes on his iPhone, getting wrapped up in wanderlust, spending time with family, and, no doubt, expending countless amounts of energy for Roosevelt and progress. As Southern Regional Coordinator, Andrew can't wait to see all of the incredible and profound policy that will come from young minds in the South this year!
Jason is a senior at Denison University, where he studies Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics. He is also a student of Denison's Richard G. Lugar Program for Foreign Relations. Last summer, Jason interned at the U.S. Senate for Richard Lugar and the Committee on Foreign Relations. Jason is also interested in economically and environmentally sustainable ventures, and currently lives in an ecologically sustainable intentional community called The Homestead. Outside the realm of politics, Jason enjoys traveling and snowboarding. Email Jason.
Ilana Fischer is a senior at the University of Colorado, where she studies economics and Spanish literature. She serves on the National Staff as Western Regional Coordinator alongside Erika Solanki, and is the president of CU- Boulder's Roosevelt Institute chapter. When she isn't engrossed in policy discussions, Ilana can be found in the library writing her thesis, climbing mountains, or day dreaming about the glory days of Roosevelt Rough Riders softball.
Ilana's expertise lies in:
-Chapter development, especially at large state schools
-tax and budget policy
-higher education
-women's health and reproductive policy
Email Ilana
Editorial Board
Gracye Cheng is a senior at Harvard University, concentrating in
History & Literature, and Sociology. This is her second year serving as Chair of the Editorial Board.
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