Event: A Blueprint for Broadly Shared Prosperity in Maryland
How the state budget and other policy choices contribute to thriving communities across the state
The choices we make as a state shape our neighborhoods and affect our economy. The Maryland Center on Economic Policy’s first annual policy summit brought together state and national experts for a conversation about the choices currently facing the state and learn how we can create thriving communities across Maryland.
The morning session featured a keynote address from Alice Rivlin, Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and the Center for Health Policy at the Brookings Institution and the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office, along with panel discussions about the state budget and state revenues. Following the main event was an interactive workshop for people who are interested in learning how to effectively advocate for changes in the state budget.
Videos and slides from the event are available below.
Agenda
July 28, 2018
8:30 a.m. – Registration
9 a.m. – Opening remarks, MDCEP Executive Director Benjamin Orr and former Delegate Liz Bobo
9:20 a.m. – Budgeting for Opportunity: How Our Fiscal Policy Choices Can Remove Barriers Facing Marylanders of Color and Advance Shared Prosperity, Christopher Meyer, MDCEP Research Analyst
9:40 a.m. – Investing in Our Communities to Create Broadly Shared Prosperity, Panel Discussion
10:50 a.m. – A Tax Code That Supports Thriving Communities, Panel Discussion
12 p.m. – Federal Policies that Shape Maryland Communities, Alice Rivlin and Benjamin Orr
1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Advocacy workshop: How your voice can shape public investments
Download slides:
Budget Advocacy: Working With State Agencies
Data Analysis for Budget Advocacy
Effective Communication to Support Your Budget Advocacy
Speaker Bios
Liz Bobo served in elected public office for over 30 years as a strong advocate for social, economic, and environmental justice. In Howard County, she served nine years as a county councilmember and four years as county executive. She then represented that county in the Maryland legislature for 20 years. Liz, who was the first woman in Maryland elected to the office of county executive, attributes much of her passion for justice issues to the influence of Jim Rouse, founder of the new town of Columbia. She now carries on this work as a private citizen.
Christopher Meyer is MDCEP’s Research Analyst. Prior to joining MDCEP, Christopher worked as a College Aide at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, where he assisted the Department of Subways with performance measurement and compliance reporting. He has also worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Baruch College, City University of New York, where he contributed to research in government-nonprofit relations and development economics. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College, City University of New York.
Benjamin Orr is the Executive Director of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. From 2011 to 2013 he was Interim Director, Transition Coordinator, and Policy Analyst for the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute. Ben also spent three years with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, where he worked on policy issues affecting the greater Washington DC region. Prior to his time at Brookings, Ben worked for the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research, the New York Census Research Data Center, and the John Jay College Center on Terrorism.
Alice Rivlin is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and the Center for Health Policy at the Brookings Institution. She served as Director of the Office Management and Budget (OMB) in the first Clinton Administration and as Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve Board. Alice was the Founding Director of the Congressional Budget Office and served as chair of the District of Columbia Financial Management and Assistance Authority. She also served at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare as Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. She is a visiting professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown and a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s The Future of Health Care Initiative. In 2010, President Obama named Rivlin to the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. She also co-chaired, with former Senator Pete Domenici, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Task Force on Debt Reduction.
Regan Vaughan is the Director of Advocacy at Catholic Charities. In this role, she advocates for policies that will improve the lives of vulnerable Marylanders. Regan serves on numerous coalitions and committees including Welfare Advocates, the Coalition to Protect Maryland’s Children and the Behavioral Health Coalition.
Panelists for Investing in Our Communities to Create Broadly Shared Prosperity
David Harrington is President and CEO of the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce. During his tenure, the Chamber has had a 50 percent increase in revenue and membership and played a central role influencing state and local policy. Also, David is Senior Policy Advisor for CommonHealth ACTION – a leading nonprofit for improving community health. Prior to joining the Chamber, David completed fifteen years of public life commencing as Mayor of Bladensburg, Prince George’s County Council Member and Maryland State Senator. He has been awarded the Phyllis Newman Award for nonprofit advocacy, Human Services Coalition Legislative Award, Hurston/Wright Ella Baker award, and Legislator of the Year from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.
Simon Powell is an Operating Budget Manager within the Maryland Department of Legislative Services and has significant experience analyzing budgets for the Maryland Department of Health.
Kali Schumitz (Moderator) is MDCEP’s Director of Communications and Partner Engagement. Prior to joining MDCEP, Kali worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 13 years, most recently covering local and state government in Virginia for Post Community Media. She also has an extensive background in nonprofit communications and management, having provided board and volunteer support to several nonprofit organizations.
Maritza Solano is the Director of Education at CASA. Maritza leads an i3 Department of Education-funded, two generation parent engagement program; oversees CASA’s Adult Education programming that serves more than 1,200 individuals per year; and develops and supports local and state advocacy initiatives.
Michael J. Wilson is the Director of Maryland Hunger Solutions. Michael J.’s career includes working as a legislative and press aide to the late Representative Charles Hayes (D-IL); serving in high-level jobs in the Department of Labor during the Clinton Administration; working as the Legislative and Political Director for the United Food and Commercial Workers; and serving as head of Americans for Democratic Action. He has more than 30 years of experience organizing and coordinating programs and grassroots campaigns, and is a widely known and respected leader in the social justice community.
Panelists for A Tax Code That Supports Thriving Communities
Lawrence Grandpre is the Director of Research for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle. His focuses include criminal justice, police accountability, and community-based economic/educational development. He is the co-author of “The Black Book” and his work has been featured in The Guardian and The Baltimore Sun.
Francesca Jean-Baptiste is the Director of Tax Partnerships at the CASH Campaign of Maryland. Francesca provides training and technical support to a network of free tax preparation partners in Maryland and manages other capacity-building programs like the Schedule C Step Up, a program designed to educate low income entrepreneurs and small business owners about their tax compliance requirements.
Greg LeRoy is the Executive Director of Good Jobs First. Greg founded Good Jobs First in 1998 upon winning the Public Interest Pioneer Award. He has been training and consulting for state and local governments, associations of public officials, labor-management committees, unions, community groups, tax and budget watchdogs, environmentalists, and smart growth advocates for more than 30 years.
Michael Mazerov is a Senior Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ State Fiscal Project. His work focuses on state and local taxation of business under corporate income and sales taxes, including taxation of Internet commerce. He has written reports on strategies for closing state corporate income tax loopholes and broadening state sales taxation of services. He also analyzes federal legislation affecting state taxing powers.
Robin McKinney (Moderator) is Co-Founder and CEO of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, a nonprofit that improves the financial security of low-income Marylanders. For 16 years, Robin has worked in the field of asset building, engaging in fundraising, advocacy, and program and coalition management. She has a MSW from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work, where she co-founded the Financial Social Work Initiative and is currently an Adjunct Professor. Robin is a board member of Prosperity Now (formerly CFED).
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