GBPI Staff

Alan Essig, Executive Director

As Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s first executive director, Alan brings a wealth of experience and understanding of state government to his role in carrying out GBPI’s mission. In addition to leading a dedicated and talented staff and board, he analyzes overall state budget proposals and revenue policy issues. Alan is a respected tax and budget expert throughout Georgia and is a trusted resource for policymakers, members of the media, and civic groups.

Alan’s recent professional experience includes serving as a senior research associate with the Fiscal Research Center of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, as well as deputy policy director for the Georgia Governor’s Office. Alan’s experience also includes serving as a committee aide for the Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives Appropriations Committees, assistant commissioner for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, director of the Georgia State Senate Research Office, deputy director of the Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee, and as a legislative budget analyst for the New York State Senate Finance Committee. Alan has a BA in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s in public administration from the State University of New York at Albany.

Alan frequently presents economic analyses of budget and tax proposals to the Georgia state legislature and testifies before its committees. He also regularly addresses state-wide civic groups where he presents tax reform solutions and policies, and serves on national steering committees. Georgia Trend magazine named Alan a Notable Georgian in 2008 and 2009.

Sara Beth Gehl, Deputy Director, GBPI Sarah Beth Gehl, Deputy Director

Sarah Beth joined GBPI in 2004 as an analyst and was promoted to deputy director in 2005. A specialist in policy areas including taxes, economic development, and workforce development, Sarah Beth is a frequent opinion writer and commentator for the media and civic groups. She monitors legislation and testifies frequently before the state legislature regarding the implications of legislative proposals on the long-term adequacy of revenues and tax fairness toward low and moderate-income Georgians. In addition, Sarah Beth directs the national Working Poor Families Project for Georgia. Prior to joining GBPI, she provided research assistance to private and nonprofit organizations in Chicago and Birmingham, including the Center for Urban Economic Development.

Sarah Beth co-authored a book for the Center for a Better South, Doing Better: Progressive Tax Reform for the American South. She participated in the class of 2008 Atlanta Regional Commission’s Leadership Institute and in 2009, Georgia Trend magazine selected Sarah Beth as one of Georgia’s “Top 40 Under 40: Best & Brightest.” She earned a master’s in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a BA in English and mathematics from Birmingham Southern College, where she graduated magna cum laude. Sarah Beth serves on the Birmingham Southern College Atlanta Regional Campaign and as an elder in her church.

Aimee R. Goodman, Director of Development

Aimee is responsible for providing vision and direction to the financial resource development activities of GBPI. Working in coordination with the board and staff, she continually seeks to identify new opportunities to connect people and organizations with GBPI’s mission and activities. Aimee brings nearly 15 years of development and nonprofit management experience and knowledge to the GBPI team. Prior to coming aboard, Aimee was the Atlanta director of Hadassah, the largest volunteer and largest woman’s organization in the United States, where she was responsible for the strategic growth of the staff, board, and over 3,000 members. Aimee has helped connect passion to action with noteworthy organizations including the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hillels of Georgia, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Aimee received a master’s in social work and community organization from Yeshiva University and a BA from The Ohio State University. She has served on many boards and coalitions, including the Humane Society and the Emory University Inter-Religious Council.

Clare Richie, Senior Policy Analyst

Clare joined GBPI at its inception in 2004. She applies her leadership and economic expertise to GBPI’s analysis of child welfare, poverty, and social services. She researches, monitors, and analyzes budget and public policies in these focus areas and documents their effects in briefs and groundbreaking reports, such as An Investment in Children and Working Families about subsidized child care.

Clare worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade prior to joining GBPI. As the regional director of the International Rescue Committee Atlanta, Clare managed a staff of 50 employees who helped more than 1,500 refugees annually rebuild their lives in Atlanta through resettlement, employment, education, volunteers/in-kind resources, and social services. She received a master’s in public administration from Georgia State University and was awarded the Public Administration Academic Achievement Award. She graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a BA in mathematical economics. Clare has also served on the boards of a local neighborhood association, a parent – teacher organization, and several social service agencies.

Timothy Sweeney, Senior Healthcare Analyst

Tim has served as GBPI’s health policy analyst since 2005. He follows Medicaid and other health policy developments in Georgia closely and is a trusted resource for healthcare providers, members of the media, advocates, and legislators seeking to better understand the state’s healthcare programs and the affect various budget and policy proposals have on these programs. Tim’s policy briefs focus on a wide variety of Georgia’s healthcare issues affecting Medicaid and PeachCare, as well as health insurance-related tax policy issues.

Tim’s professional experience includes serving as a senior fiscal analyst for the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in Arizona where he was responsible for developing enrollment and expenditure forecasts for the state’s Medicaid program, analyzing policy proposals, assessing the fiscal impact of legislation affecting state healthcare programs, and drafting legislative language. Tim authored Using a Medicaid Expansion to Target Georgia’s Uninsured Adults in Poverty for Community Voices and co-authored Georgia’s Medicaid Program: A Briefing for Community Leaders with Joan Alker. In 2008, Tim served on the Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s selection committee for the Joseph E Greene Community Service Award. He holds a master’s in public affairs from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a BS in mathematics and political science from the University of Oregon.

Alison Amoroso, Director of Communications

Alison brings more than 20 years of communications experience to GBPI. She has been involved in the media and democracy movement, serving as a founding board member of the Independent Press Association and the co-chair of Citizens for Participation in Political Action (in Massachusetts). Prior to joining GBPI, Alison was the editorial director for FieldMedia publishing and also consulted with many nonprofits and publishers to raise their visibility and fundraising capacity. Alison also cofounded and served for many years as the editor-in-chief of the original and groundbreaking Teen Voices magazine, a national, popular glossy that brought public policy and health information to teenage girls in a relevant format.

Alison's many writing and editing contributions include the latest edition of Our Bodies Ourselves and her first book, Hirsutism, A Woman’s Issue, published by YourHealthPress in 2009. Alison also has a health book coming out later this year from YourHealthPress. She earned a master’s in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and a BS from Duke University. A former sexual abuse therapist and child abuse prevention worker, she has served on the boards of HGSE and the Center for Women's Policy Studies and directed a nonprofit, job training program. Alison’s awards include a TOYLE award (Chamber of Commerce) and the first-ever Boston Women's Fund Take a Stand Award. Her papers are included in the Duke University Special Collections Library.

Jessica Hood, Research Assistant

Jessica joined the GBPI team in 2009. She is the organization’s research assistant and manages an array of program and administrative work. Jessica’s experience includes serving as an aid for Georgia Senator Gail Buckner and working for the National Women’s Business Counsel in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Jessica is originally from Alpharetta, Georgia and enjoys supporting the North Metro Miracle League.

GBPI Board of Directors

Mike Vollmer – Chair
City Manager - Tifton, Georgia
Cheryl Cooper – Vice Chair
Consultant - Lithonia, Georgia
J. Wendell Sealey - Treasurer
Partner, Audit, KPMG - Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Brenda Hodges-Tiller - Secretary
President, HT Consulting Associates - Albany, Georgia
James Armour
Treasury Analyst, Verizon Wireless - Alpharetta, Georgia
Dave Blanchard
Executive Director, All About Developmental Disabilities - Atlanta, Georgia
Jeff Brown
President, Comprehensive Search - LaGrange, Georgia
Robert Divito
Grants Administrator, Piedmont Hospital Healthcare Research Institute - Decatur, Georgia
Michael Hill
CEO and President, Atlanta Metro Black Chamber of Commerce - Atlanta, Georgia
Jeffrey Martin
Statistician and Consultant - Atlanta, Georgia
Virgilio Perez Pascoe
Consultant - Cumming, Georgia
Eliot Robinson
Attorney, Bryan Cave LLP - Atlanta, Georgia
Ann Rosewater
Consultant - Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Lawrence Sanders
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Morehouse School of Medicine - Atlanta, Georgia
Jana Leigh Thomas
Vice President and Deputy Director, Health and Social Marketing, Peter Novelli - Atlanta, Georgia