About Us
President, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Maya MacGuineas is the President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Additionally, she is the Director of the Fiscal Policy Program at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. Her areas of expertise include budget, tax, and economic policy. Maya testifies regularly before Congress and has published broadly, including articles in The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Financial Times and the Los Angeles Times. Once dubbed “an anti-deficit warrior” by The Wall Street Journal, Maya comments often on broadcast news and is widely cited by the national press. In the spring of 2009 Maya did a stint on The Washington Post editorial board, covering economic and fiscal policy.
Maya has worked at the Brookings Institution and on Wall Street. As a political independent, she has advised numerous candidates for office from both parties, and works regularly with members of Congress on health, economic, tax, and budget policy. She serves on the boards of a number of national, nonpartisan organizations and received her Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Program Associate, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
As a Program Associate with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, John Byrnes helps to expand the Committee’s core constituency, including its CEO Fiscal Leadership and Business Leaders Councils. Mr. Byrnes also aids in the planning and execution of CRFB’s national roadshow events, and is responsible for implementing system processes designed to streamline office operations. His experience prior to joining CRFB includes positions as an executive assistant, special events planner, and assistant regional director. Mr. Byrnes graduated from Wheaton College in May 2011, with Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science and Music.
Outreach and Public Liaison, Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform
Chris Dreibelbis is the Outreach and Public Liaison for the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform. He oversees outreach of the Commission's work on Capitol Hill and other constituencies. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Dreibelbis was the Communications and Economic Policy Director at the Reform Institute. Before that he worked at the Committee for Economic Development. He received his B.A. in public policy from Washington & Lee University and holds a Master's in public policy from George Mason University.
Senior Policy Director, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Marc Goldwein is the Senior Policy Director of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, where he guides and conducts research on a wide array of topics related to fiscal policy and the federal budget. He is frequently quoted in a number of major media outlets including The Washington Post, CNN Money, McClatchy Newspapers, and the Associated Press.
In 2010, Marc spent nine months as Associate Director of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (The Fiscal Commission), and in 2011 he spent three months as a senior budget analyst on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (The Super Committee). He has also conducted research for the Government Accountability Office, the World Bank, the Historian's Office at the Social Security Administration, and the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. In addition to his work at CRFB, Marc writes a regular column in The Atlantic and teaches economics at Johns Hopkins University, where he received his B.A. in political science and M.A. in economics. In 2011, Marc was featured in the Forbes "30 Under 30" list for Law & Policy.
Research Assistant, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Elspeth Grindstaff is a Research Assistant for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Previously she worked at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in the Education, Workforce and Income Security issue area. She also has experience working in the nonprofit industry. Ms. Grindstaff has a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.
Senior Advisor, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Prior to joining the Committee staff, Ed served on the staff of the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. He is a longtime veteran of the Congressional Budget process, having served as policy advisor and Legislative Director to former Congressman (and current Co-Chairman of the Committee board) Charlie Stenholm from 1990 through 2004 and as Senior Policy Advisor for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer from 2007 through June of 2010. Ed received his bachelor’s degree in government and international service from American University. Ed graduated from The American University in 1992 with a degree in government and international relations. He is originally from Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
Senior Policy Analyst, Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform
Demian Moore is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Before joining CRFB, Demian worked on federal budget, tax, and agriculture policy at the non-partisan Taxpayers for Common Sense. He has also worked on Capitol Hill as senior policy advisor to Senator Mark Dayton where he covered budget, tax and education policy, and Social Security, and staffed the senator on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
Prior to that Demian was a senior analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office on the tax administration and policy team where he co-authored reports and Congressional testimony on taxation of Internet commerce, the New Markets Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and IRS’s Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative. Demian earned a Master’s degree in public policy at the University of Minnesota, and has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Southern Maine. Before graduate school he worked as a legislative aide in the Maine Senate.
Research Director, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
As Research Director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Fiscal Policy Program at the New America Foundation, Jason Peuquet works on a wide array of budgetary issues and conducts research on budget and economic policy. In particular, he has recently worked on examining the economic recovery, defense and non-defense spending, structural health care reforms, as well as the overall federal budget. Mr. Peuquet has also become a contributor to television and radio news programs, in addition to providing budget analysis and information for major media outlets. He attended The George Washington University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international affairs. Before joining CRFB, Mr. Peuquet spent time researching education policy, federal housing policy, and economic policy. Originally from Pennsylvania, Mr. Peuquet has spent time in South America and Europe and speaks Spanish.
Project Director, Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform
Steve Redburn is the new project director for the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform, housed at the New America Foundation. He will help the Commission analyze flaws in the federal government’s budget process that have contributed to the current unsustainable fiscal situation and identify a set of recommended reforms to produce better budget outcomes in the future. Dr. Redburn was most recently study director for the joint committee of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Public Administration whose report on options to address the long-term budget challenge, Choosing the Nation’s Fiscal Future, was released in January. Steve is a NAPA fellow and adjunct faculty member in the School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University. He served as senior executive at the Office of Management and Budget until his retirement from the federal service in 2006. He worked in 2007 as advisor to the budget director of Kosovo for a USAID development project. He has authored and edited numerous academic studies on the budget, public management, and a variety of public policy issues. His Ph.D. in political science is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Program Associate, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Adam Rosenberg is a Program Associate with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, where he works on a wide variety of budget and economic issues conducting research and writing for CRFB's The Bottom Line blog. In addition, he is responsible for maintaining and updating Stimulus.org. He graduated in December 2011 from The George Washington University with a B.A. in political science and minors in economics and jazz studies. Adam is originally from Connecticut.
Senior Policy Analyst, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Jeff Vanke is a senior policy analyst at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He works on all Federal budgeting issues, including the revenues effects of various individual income tax policies, rates, and brackets. Dr. Vanke is also a historian of politics and economy in postwar Europe and the world, and he is the author of Europeanism and European Union, a history of European integration. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University and obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He taught history and international studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. Dr. Vanke has lived in various European countries, speaks German, French, and Italian, and follows comparative developments in national budgeting and national policies across the OECD.
Consultant, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Paul Weinstein Jr. is a consultant to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and directs the MA in Public Management program at the Johns Hopkins University. A veteran of two administrations, Weinstein was senior advisor to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which was created by President Obama to address the nation’s mid- and long-term fiscal challenges. Previously, Weinstein served as chief of staff of the White House Domestic Policy Council and as senior advisor for policy planning to the Vice President during the Clinton-Gore Administration. From 2001 to 2008, Weinstein was chief operating officer and senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, and chief analyst at Promontory Interfinancial Network. Mr. Weinstein has taught at The Johns Hopkins University since 2003, and has also lectured at Columbia University and Georgetown University. He is co-author of the textbook, The Art of Policy Making. His writing also has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun, New York Newsday, Forbes, Investor’s Business Daily, and Politico among others. Before joining the Clinton administration, Weinstein served as a legislative aide to former Representative C. Thomas McMillen (D-MD) and then-Senator Albert Gore Jr. (D-TN)
Executive Assistant, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Trina Williams is an executive assistant for the President of The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget at the New America Foundation, where she provides critical administrative support to the committee’s president in all her day-to-day activities. Mrs. Williams provides assistance to the broader program team in many ways, including correspondence and general administration, writing, editing and proofreading, preparing speeches and presentations, drafting memos, scheduling and travel arrangements, and media relations.
Previously, Mrs. Williams was responsible for supporting the Strategic Sales Team at Experient, Inc., providing extensive support to the Executive Vice President of Strategic Sales. Prior to that, she provided support to the U. S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Management department. Mrs. Williams graduated with honors with an administrative certificate at Fleet Business School.
Policy Analyst, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
As Policy Analyst for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Todd Zubatkin researches budgetary and economic issues. Mr. Zubatkin has a background in state budget matters. He previously held internships at the Rhode Island Senate Fiscal Office where he focused on Rhode Island transportation funding and local tax issues and at the Rhode Island Center for Law and Public Policy where he researched local economic development issues. He attended Brown University where he received a master’s degree in public policy and attended Rutgers University where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Mr. Zubatkin is originally from New Jersey.