Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Announces State Policy Fellows
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative (SFAI) are pleased to announce the inaugural class of State Policy Fellows. This class of 2010-2012 Fellows was selected following an extremely competitive four-month selection process, which netted nearly 400 candidates from across the country. The five Fellows will spend two years with a member organization of the SFAI, starting in August 2010, analyzing the impact of state budget and tax policy choices on low-income residents and promoting positive reforms. During that time, they will also participate in a professional development program.
The State Policy Fellowship Program was developed to expand the diversity of voices that speak with authority, through timely and rigorous analysis, in state policy debates that affect disadvantaged families and communities. Fellows will research and write analyses on current policy issues; brief policymakers, journalists, and others on these issues; and serve as a resource for advocates and community groups.
The State Policy Fellowships have been made possible by donations and by generous commitments from The Stoneman Family Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Annie E. Casey Foundation.
For more information, call 202-408-1080.
The 2010-2012 SFAI State Policy Fellows:
Kwame Boadi
Kwame Boadi will serve as a Fellow with the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and with the State Fiscal Project at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Previously he worked in the offices of former Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). Kwame’s policy and research interests center on the relationship between politics and economics, and he holds a particular interest in issues pertaining to energy, health care, and foreign policy. He also has substantial campaign experience. Kwame received a B.A. in political science and economics from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.
Anika Fassia
Anika Fassia will serve as a Fellow with the Michigan League for Human Services. Anika’s academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in psychology and environmental studies from the University of Utah and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan, where she received numerous awards for her advocacy work. She has also worked at a residential substance abuse facility for young adults.
Dolloress Holmes
Dolloress Holmes will serve as a Fellow with the Commonwealth Institute in Richmond, Virginia. She has worked as a management consultant at a firm where she conducted program evaluations and budget analysis for local community organizations. Dolloress received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Masters in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University. While pursuing her graduate degree she interned at the North Carolina General Assembly office of Senator Tony Foriest and served on the editorial board for the Scholarly Online Administrative Review, an online journal on poverty and inequality.
Cedric Johnson
Cedric Johnson will serve as a Fellow with the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI). He recently completed a fellowship at the National Endowment for Financial Education. Cedric’s interests include community and economic development, poverty, and social entrepreneurship. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Clemson University, a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Chandra Kring Villanueva
Chandra Kring Villanueva will serve as a Fellow with the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin, Texas. Formerly Chandra was the Manager of
Advocacy and Public Policy with the Women’s Prison Association in New York City. She also served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the
Congressional Hunger Center in Arizona and Washington, D.C. Chandra holds an M.P.A. from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of
Public Service and a B.A. from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
SFAI and CBPP:
The State Fiscal Analysis Initiative is a national network of independent state policy organizations in 31 states, with groups in eight more states under development. Through rigorous, timely analyses and extensive public education and outreach, SFAI groups work to:
- Strengthen policies that affect low- and moderate- income families, such as health care, welfare reform, education, and child care.
- Promote options to make state tax systems fairer and more effective in raising needed resources.
- Help other nonprofits and the general public participate in debates about budget priorities.
The SFAI network is coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal
and state levels on budget priorities and tax policy as well as public programs that affect low- and moderate- income families and communities.
About the Fellowship:
Making a difference for vulnerable families and communities
State Policy Fellows tackle domestic policy challenges in areas like health care, taxes, anti-poverty policy, education and public safety. Working in independent, highly respected think tanks located in state capitals, Fellows analyze the impact of state budget and tax policy choices on low-income residents and promote positive reforms.
Bringing diverse voices to state policy debates
To expand the diversity of voices that speak with authority in state policy debates, the program identifies highly-qualified candidates who have graduate degrees in public policy, law, social work, economics, or similar fields and connects them to public policy organizations.
Launching careers
Starting in August 2010, each State Policy Fellow will spend two years with an influential state policy organizations belonging to the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative or with the state fiscal division at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, DC. Fellows research and write analyses on current policy issues; brief policymakers, journalists, and others on these issues; and serve as a resource for advocates and community groups.
In addition, Fellows will become part of a national network coordinated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and travel to Washington, DC, for training and career development. The program also identifies mentors and provides on-going training and opportunities for professional growth. External rotations may be offered in some locations at non-profit partners, government agencies, governors’ offices, or legislative committees.