Staff

Some Policy Matters Staff - Winter 2008

Left to right: Jon Honeck, Amanda Woodrum, Zach Schiller, Kahlil Huff,

Amy Hanauer, Pam Rosado, Piet van Lier, David Rothstein

Amy Hanauer is the founding executive director of Policy Matters Ohio, a non-profit, non-partisan policy research institute dedicated to examining issues that matter to working families in Ohio. Since the group started in January of 2000, Policy Matters has produced more than 160 reports, generated more than 1,600 media stories, and begun to change the economic debate in Ohio. Amy has a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA from Cornell University. She has previously done research and policy work in Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington D.C. For Policy Matters, in addition to running the organization, Amy does research on work, wages, tax policy, energy policy and other issues. Amy is on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the national think tank Dēmos and on the advisory committee to the national Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN). 

Email: ahanauer AT policymattersohio.org.

Jon Honeck, our Columbus-based research analyst, writes about workforce development, international trade, taxation, and economic development policy for Policy Matters. He has testified about minimum wage and tax policies in the Ohio legislature, and is participating in workforce advisory groups and the Ohio Workforce Coalition to improve training and employment outcomes for Ohio's adult workforce. Before coming to Policy Matters, he researched and drafted employment and economic development legislation for the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Jon has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his dissertation focused on industrial policy in Ohio and the Basque region of Spain.

Email: jhoneck AT policymattersohio.org.

Kahlil Huff is our communications coordinator. Kahlil brings a background of strong web design skills, experience in racial, economic, and environmental justice, and excellent writing skills. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in political science from Cleveland State University and plans to attend the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at CSU in the fall to begin work on a Master's of Science in Urban Studies.

Email: khuff AT policymattersohio.org.

Pam Rosado is our outreach coordinator, organizing conferences, spearheading our rigorous presentation schedule, and representing us in coalitions in greater Cleveland. Pam brings powerful experience fighting for workers' rights and economic justice as political director and secretary-treasurer of SEIU Local 47, which represented building service, public sector, hospital and nursing home workers in Cleveland. Pam has also been a leader with Cleveland Jobs with Justice and in the Day Laborer's Hiring Hall effort in Cleveland and currently serves on the board of directors of Greater Cleveland Community Shares.

Email: prosado AT policymattersohio.org.

David Rothstein is a researcher at Policy Matters Ohio. David researches tax, wage and consumer policy, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the living wage, and predatory lending. He also works on energy policy with the Apollo Alliance for clean energy and good jobs. David serves on the Steering Committee for the National Community Tax Coalition, which seeks to improve the economic well being of low- and moderate-income individuals, families, and communities by building a movement to dramatically increase access to tax credits, benefits, and asset-building opportunities. He is the 2007-2008 chair of the Policy and Advocacy Committee for the National Community Tax Coalition. David, who is the recent winner of the Greater Community Shares Distinguished Activist Award for his work on predatory lending, has a B.A. from John Carroll University in Cleveland and a master's in political science from Kent State University.

Email: drothstein AT policymattersohio.org.

Zach Schiller is our research director. Prior to coming to Policy Matters in 2001, Zach had more than two decades of experience researching and writing about the Ohio economy as a business reporter for The Plain Dealer and Business Week. His education includes a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. For Policy Matters, Zach has written about foreclosures, economic development, job growth, unemployment insurance, tax policy and other issues.

Email: zschiller AT policymattersohio.org.

Piet van Lier is our senior researcher, focused on education issues. Piet brings twenty years experience as a journalist, most recently as deputy editor at Catalyst Cleveland, which reports on the Cleveland public schools. Piet is a strong researcher, writer, and editor who has also worked as a photographer, teacher, and human rights monitor. Piet has a master’s in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a bachelor’s from Marquette University. He currently serves as president of the board of trustees of the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust.

Email: pvanlier AT policymattersohio.org.

Amanda Woodrum is our policy liaison and lead staffperson on energy issues. Amanda received both a master's in economics and a law degree from the University of Akron, as well as a bachelor’s from Bowling Green State University. Amanda founded the Akron law student newspaper and served as its editor-in-chief, and co-authored an article on Ohio's constitutional provision for education that has been referenced in a number of court cases. She also clerked for the Cleveland law department and the Summit County Council (where she received a commendation for commitment to public service).  For Policy Matters Ohio, she has released reports on maternity leave and the advanced energy fund.

Email: awoodrum AT policymattersohio.org.

Lucy Rothstein is our office dog. She assists with office karma. She attended Canine University in Bedford in the fall of 2006 with a major in basic training.
Email: drothstein AT policymattersohio.org.