Staff and Board
Leadership
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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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
Policy Analyst, Worker Justice and Criminal Legal Systems
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
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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Development
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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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
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