Staff and Board

Leadership

Taifa Smith Butler

President & CEO

Taifa Smith Butler

Taifa brings over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, public policy research, and data analysis in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. She holds a master’s in public management and policy from Carnegie Mellon University.
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Dominique Derbigny Sims

Senior Vice President

Dominique Derbigny Sims

Dominique is a macro social worker, writer, facilitator and advocate for racial and economic justice. She has served as the deputy director of Closing the Women's Wealth Gap, as an associate director of the Savings & Financial Capability Team at Prosperity Now and program director at MetroCASH, the Earned Income Tax Credit coalition serving Richmond, Va.
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Research

David Schaefer

Research Director

David Schaefer

David Schaefer earned his law degree, Master of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor’s in Latin American Relations from the University of Georgia. Prior to GBPI, he spent five years as the Managing Director of Advocacy at the Latin American Association (LAA).
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Laura Harker

Senior Health Care Policy Analyst

Laura Harker

Laura Harker’s experience includes producing research and policy assessments and analysis for the Congressional Hunger Center in Washington D.C. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She holds a master’s degree in public health policy from Emory University.
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Stephen Owens

Senior K-12 Education Policy Analyst

Stephen Owens

Stephen Owens holds a doctorate with a focus on education policy from the University of Georgia. He was most recently a research and data analyst at the Georgia Department of Education.
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Danny Kanso

Senior Tax and Budget Policy Analyst; Government Relations Coordinator

Danny Kanso

Danny Kanso is currently pursuing his doctorate degree at the University of Georgia. He most recently served as director of communications and policy advisor to the Office of Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.
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Jennifer Lee

Senior Higher Education Policy Analyst

Jennifer Lee

Prior to joining GBPI Jennifer Lee was a research associate and director of the Texas Kids Count Project at the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin, Texas. She Graduated from Wellesley College and holds a master’s in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Ray Khalfani

Research Associate

Ray Khalfani

As a graduate student, Ray worked with the Government Accountability Office, analyzing the reliability and utility of GSA's Publicly Available Federal Real Property database. Most recently, he worked as a graduate research fellow with the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP), studying the intersectionality of economic mobility and rural-serving transportation programs.

Operations

Jessica Woods

Finance Director

Jessica Woods

Jessica Woods has managed an array of program and administrative duties at GBPI for ten years. Prior to that, she served as an aid for Georgia Sen. Gail Buckner and worked for the National Women’s Business Council in Washington, D.C.
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Crystal Johnson

Director of Administration & Human Resources

Crystal Johnson

Crystal Johnson has a record of success in process improvement, project management and cost savings. She has worked in a variety of fields including legal, health care, human resources, education and entertainment.
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Outreach

Amanda Hollowell

Director of Strategic Campaigns

Amanda Hollowell

Prior to joining GBPI in January 2020, Amanda served as the state director of 9to5 Georgia and an education specialist for LifeLink of Georgia prior to that role. A graduate of the Georgia WIN List Leadership Academy, Amanda now sits on the board of Georgia Shift and is a past board member of the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation and Girls on the Run of Coastal Georgia.
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Tasnim Mosabber

Outreach Manager

Tasnim Mosabber

Tasnim comes to GBPI from UNICEF USA, where she was the Community Engagement Associate for the Southeast region. Prior to this, Tasnim worked with metro Atlanta’s South Asian community as Raksha, Inc’s Community Engagement Manager. Tasnim graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Psychology.
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Development

Lindsey Garland

Development Director

Lindsey Garland

Lindsey Garland is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and holds a master’s in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University. Prior to joining GBPI, she worked as a fellow for the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.
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Kevin Amaya

Development Associate

Kevin Amaya

Kevin Amaya is a graduate of Kennesaw State University and holds a bachelor’s in International Affairs with a minor in Latin American Studies. Kevin's previous work includes owning a small business and serving as a research associate for the Washington Office on Latin America.
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Communications

Caitlin Highland

Director of Strategic Communications

Caitlin Highland

Prior to joining GBPI, Caitlin Highland gained experience at EMILY’s List, Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign and Fair Fight. She serves on the board of Reforming Arts and is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College.
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Alex Welch

Digital and Media Manager

Alex Welch

A graduate of Kennesaw State University, Alex Welch has experience in communications, writing and editing from working for the United States Tennis Association and the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club.
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Jennifer Crane

Content and Brand Manager

Jennifer Crane

A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Jennifer Crane has experience in marketing and graphic design from working in several industries, including software and hospitality.
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Board of Directors

Charles Johnson, Board Chair

General Counsel, VP of External Affairs | Tuskegee University

Susan E. Neugent, Vice Chair

President Emeritus | Fernbank Museum of Natural History

James McCoy, Treasurer

President and CEO | Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce

Natosha Reid Rice, Board Secretary

Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer | Habitat for Humanity International

Odessa Archibald

Community Development Manager | Georgia Power

Kathy Ashe

Former State Legislator

Thomas Boller

Retired | Stateside Investment

Carla Cartwright

Vice-President, PN Health and Purpose | PorterNovelli

Robiaun Charles

Vice President for College Advancement | Agnes Scott College

Ann Duffy

Senior Consultant | Education First

Steven Fox

EVP, Chief Legal Officer | GreenSky Inc

Lois Frank

Former Director | Mazon

Norelie Garcia

Experienced Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Marketing Leader

Govind Kannan

Vice President for Land Grant Affairs and Economic Development | Fort Valley State University

Glenda Minkin

Development Consultant

Yasmine Murray

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | H.J. Russell & Company

Maria del Rosario Palacios

SE Regional Organizing Manager | NARAL

Conor Sen

Bloomberg Opinion

Robert Sills

Corporate Counsel | Amazon

David Sjoquist

Professor | Georgia State University

Jim Stokes

Retired | Alston & Bird

Teresa Tomlinson

Former Mayor of Columbus, GA; Partner | Hall Smith Booth

Sachin Varghese

Attorney | Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore LLP

Janelle Williams

Senior Advisor | Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s community and economic development (CED) team

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