Of Note

STAFF

Who Are We?

• F. Scott McCown, Executive Director
• Anne Dunkelberg, Associate Director
• Dick Lavine, Senior Fiscal Analyst
• Eva DeLuna Castro, Senior Budget Analyst
• Celia Cole, Senior Policy Analyst
• Don Baylor, Jr., Senior Policy Analyst
• Jane Burstain, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst
• Stacey Pogue, Senior Policy Analyst
• Leslie Helmcamp, Policy Analyst
• Chandra Kring Villanueva, Policy Analyst
• Frances Deviney, Ph. D., Texas KIDS COUNT Director
• Kymberlie Quong Charles, LMSW, Special Projects Coordinator
• Janet Hutchison, Development Director
• Valerie L. Davidson, Manager of Finance and Administration
• Brian Stephens, Communications Director
• Gina Chavez, Communications Associate
• Laura Rosen, OpportunityTexas Project Coordinator
• Cheasty Anderson, Community Health Care Coordinator

F. Scott McCown, Executive Director F. Scott McCown retired as a state district judge in 2002 to become director of the center. Called "the voice of the voiceless" and "the conscience" of Texas politics by Texas Monthly, he is responsible for the center's direction and administration. He is also an expert on school finance and child welfare. Before coming to the center, he presided over all of Texas' public school finance cases from 1990-2002 and thousands of child abuse cases. He is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and an elected member of the American Law Institute and the Philosophical Society of Texas. McCown earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, cum laude, from Texas Christian University in 1976, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence with honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 1979, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and to the Board of Editors of The Texas Law Review.

Anne Dunkelberg, Associate Director Anne Dunkelberg joined the center in 1994. She is one of the state's leading experts in policy and budget issues relating to health care access. In 2007, she was named Consumer Advocate of the Year by Families USA in Washington, D.C. Before coming to the center, she served as Program Director for Acute Care in the Texas Medicaid Director's Office and spent six years with the Texas Research League, where she authored numerous reports on Texas health and human services issues and tracked state health and human services budget issues. She earned dual degrees from The University of Texas at Austin—a Bachelor of Arts (Plan II), magna cum laude, in 1979 and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs in 1988.

Dick Lavine, Senior Fiscal Analyst Dick Lavine joined the center in 1994. He focuses on state tax and revenue issues. Before coming to the center, he was a Senior Researcher at the House Research Organization of the Texas House of Representatives, where he covered budget and tax issues. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Texas Library System, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Travis Central Appraisal District. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1969 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975.

Eva DeLuna Castro, Senior Budget Analyst Eva DeLuna Castro joined the center in 1998. She focuses on state budget issues. Before coming to the center, she was an Analyst for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, researching various policy issues related to state revenue and spending. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Literature, cum laude, from Harvard University in 1988 and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin in 1997.

Celia Cole, Senior Policy Analyst Celia Cole joined the center in 1998. She works on food and nutrition policy, privatization of social services, and the TANF cash assistance program. Before coming to the center, she worked as a Policy Specialist for the Texas Department of Human Services and as a Health and Human Services Policy Analyst for a private consulting firm in Washington, D.C. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Columbia University in 1991 and a Master of Arts from the Institute of Latin American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin in 1996.

Don Baylor, Jr., Senior Policy Analyst, Economic Opportunity An eighth-generation Texan, Don Baylor joined the center in 2004 and focuses on asset building, postsecondary success, and labor markets to expand economic opportunity and mobility in Texas. He directs OpportunityTexas a statewide campaign to increase financial stability, create pathways to good jobs, and promote savings. Before coming to the center, he crafted and advocated for living wage, anti-predatory lending, and affordable housing legislation before the New York City Council and New York State Legislature. Before that role, he was a public sector consultant who co-led strategic planning and performance audit contracts for several public entities in California, Oregon, and Hawaii. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University in 1994 and a Master of Arts in African American and Southern History with honors from The University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of CFED, RAISE Texas, and the Texas Match the Promise Foundation. He also serves in advisory role for CLASP, United Way Capital Area, and Texas C-Bar. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Match the Promise Foundation, RAISE Texas, Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). He also serves on CLASP’s Advisory Committee on Postsecondary and Economic Success and on the United Way Capital Area Financial Stability Leadership Council.

Jane Burstain, Ph.D, Senior Policy Analyst Jane McClure Burstain joined the center in 2008. She is responsible for child welfare policy and CPS budget issues. Before joining the center, she served as an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University, where she taught a family policy class in the Masters of Public Policy Program. Prior to that she worked as an attorney representing children in the Los Angeles child welfare system. She earned a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School in 2008 with her dissertation addressing how to improve outcomes for adolescent mothers in the child welfare system. Jane also earned a Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, in 1995 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Virginia in 1989.

Stacey Pogue, Senior Policy Analyst Stacey Pogue joined the center in 2008. She focuses on health policy issues. Before coming to the center, she worked as a Senior Policy Analyst with the Medicaid and CHIP Division of the Health and Human Services Commission. She has also worked to expand health insurance to uninsured Texans through the State Planning Grant with the Texas Department of Insurance. In 2010, she was selected to serve as a funded Consumer Representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Stacey earned a Bachelor of Science in Geography, summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University in 1997 and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin in 2005.

Leslie Helmcamp, Policy Analyst Leslie Helmcamp joined the center in 2009. She focuses on employment and skills development training, including postsecondary education services at Texas community colleges. Her work is part of OpportunityTexas, a statewide initiatve to increase income, create jobs, and promote savings. Leslie earned a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. Before pursuing graduate work, Leslie served as the director of the Immigration Legal Services program of Catholic Charities of Central Texas where she provided direct services to immigrant families.

Chandra Kring Villanueva, Policy Analyst Chandra Kring Villanueva joined the center in 2010 as a fellow through the Center on Budget and Policies Priorities’ State Fiscal Analysis Initiative. As a fellow she focuses on budget and tax policy. Chandra was the manager of Advocacy and Public Policy with the Women’s Prison Association in New York City. Prior to graduate school, she served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center in Arizona and Washington, D.C. Chandra earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in 2007, and a Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, in 2003.

Frances Deviney, Ph.D., Texas KIDS COUNT Director Frances Deviney joined the center in 2005. As KIDS COUNT Director, she tracks the status of child well-being in Texas by collecting and analyzing state and county-level data. She also helps coordinate the center's family economic security work. Before coming to the center, she was a Research Specialist at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, a Legislative Director in the Texas House of Representatives, and a Research Analyst at the Families and Schools Together (FAST Track) Project. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vanderbilt University in 1993 and a Doctorate in Developmental Psychology from The University of Utah in 2002.

Kymberlie Quong Charles, LMSW, Special Projects Coordinator Kymberlie Quong Charles joined the Center for Public Policy Priorities in February 2009. She is the coordinator for TexasForward, a project of the Center for Public Policy Priorities to advocate for public investments that improve people's lives. Kymberlie hails from the State of Maine via Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. She completed a Masters of Science in Social Work at UT Austin in 2009 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College in 2002. Before returning to graduate school, Kymberlie coordinated Membership and Outreach for Education for a Just Peace in the Middle East in Washington, D.C. Prior to this position she served as program assistant with the Middle East Peacebuilding Unit at the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia.

Janet Hutchison, Development Director Janet Hutchison joined the center in 2000. She is responsible for fundraising and grant administration. Before coming to the center, Janet was Director of Project VITAL, a statewide program for adult literacy organizations. She also spent over ten years as Executive Director of Literacy Austin, where she oversaw program management and fund development for its community-wide volunteer literacy program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in Magazine Journalism from The University of Texas in 1983, and has done graduate work at Southwest Texas State University.

Valerie L. Davidson, Manager of Finance and Administration Valerie L. Davidson joined the center in 2002. She is responsible for accounts payable, payroll, and other business. Before coming to the center, Valerie was an administrator in the Office of the District Judges of Travis County. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Southwest Texas State University in 1997.

Brian Stephens, Communications Director Brian Stephens joined the center in 2010. He is responsible for all CPPP media relations. He was formerly the marketing and creative manager for Austin Habitat for Humanity. He was also the director of Marketing and Communications for the Texas Pharmacy Association and communications manager for the Texas Comptroller’s office. He has also done work for the State Bar of Texas and the Lewisville Independent School District in the Dallas area. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of North Texas in Denton.

Gina Chavez, Communications Associate Gina Chavez joined the center in 2010. She works with Communications Director Brian Stephens on all CPPP marketing, social media, and media relations. She was the Communications Coordinator at Texas Pharmacy Association for six years before leaving the country to volunteer for eight months in El Salvador. Gina is also a native Austinite and a Latin folk-rock singer songwriter and performer. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism with a concentration in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Laura Rosen, OpportunityTexas Project Coordinator Laura Rosen joined the center in July 2010. She is the Project Coordinator for OpportunityTexas, a joint initiative of CPPP and RAISE Texas with three main goals: creating jobs, increasing income, and promoting savings. Laura completed her Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan in 2010 and received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004. Before returning to graduate school, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Peru where she researched microfinance.

Cheasty Anderson, Community Health Care Coordinator Cheasty Anderson joined the center in 2011. She focuses on health care policy, community education, and outreach. Anderson is the Education Outreach Coordinator for Texas Well and Healthy, a statewide campaign to educate Texans about the Affordable Care Act and to protect existing health coverage for Texans. The project’s goal is to create an advocacy network that will help Texans push for successful implementation of health reform in 2014, and beyond that, to continue working for a healthier, better-insured Texas. After spending several years working as a teacher and an international adventure tour guide, Anderson earned a master’s degree in Latin American History in 2007 at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), and is currently pursuing a doctorate at UT on Health Care Policy in Sandinista Nicaragua. Before working with the center, she volunteered and consulted with the Worker’s Defense Project and interned with Senator Judith Zaffirini during the 2011 Legislature.