OVERVIEW    STAFF     BOARD OF DIRECTORS     COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD

Remy Trupin, Executive Director
Remy is the founding executive director of the Budget & Policy Center. He directs the activities of the Budget & Policy Center with a focus on strategic direction, external connections and state budget analysis. Remy has worked at the federal and state levels for foundations and funders, produced research and conducted direct lobbying. Before joining the Budget & Policy Center, Remy was the Government Affairs Director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and also served as legislative consultant to United Way of King County. Remy has a diverse array of public policy experience, including working for the US Conference of Mayors in Washington, DC, researching programs and strategies to improve health outcomes for children at the Urban Health Initiative, and organizing adult literacy and food rescue programs as a VISTA. Among his community involvements, Remy serves on several boards, is an American Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund, and is member of the Governor’s Priorities of Government Guidance Team. Remy’s undergraduate and graduate degrees are from the University of Washington; a BA in political science and a MPA from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs.

Contact: remyt (at) budgetandpolicy.org

Jeff Chapman, Research Director

Jeff is an expert on economic and fiscal policy. As the research director of the Budget & Policy Center, his focus is on improving public policy through solid and accessible research. He has published reports on a wide variety of issues including tax policy and the low wage labor market and is an expert on microdata analysis. He serves on the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. Previously, Jeff was an economist with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C. He analyzed state and national economic trends and policies and provided technical assistance and training on research methods to national, state, and regional think tanks and advocacy organizations. Jeff’s research has been widely cited in print and broadcast media and published in places including the Monthly Labor Review and The State of Working America. Jeff has a BS from Oregon State University and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Contact: jeffc (at) budgetandpolicy.org

Aiko Schaefer, Communications and External Relations Director

Aiko works closely with community organizations and policymakers in order to ensure that the work of the Budget & Policy Center is collaborative, responsive, and accessible. She develops strategies for expanding understanding of key policy issues and directs our media efforts. Prior to joining our staff, Aiko was the founding Director of the Statewide Poverty Action Network. Under her 10-year leadership, Poverty Action grew to be the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in Washington. Aiko has worked professionally for nearly 20 years on a wide array of candidate, initiative and legislative campaigns around the country including State Director of the Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) in Michigan, Regional Director for Green Corps a national training school for environmental organizers, and Field Director for a US Senate campaign. Aiko serves on a number of non-profit boards, was appointed to Governor Gregoire’s Task Force for Homeownership Security and received the 2005 Change Agent Award from Real Change News, Seattle’s homeless newspaper. She received her B.A. from the College of Wooster and a Master's of Social Work from the University of Washington, where she has also been an auxiliary faculty member.

Contact: aikos (at) budgetandpolicy.org

Stacey Schultz, Policy Analyst

Stacey has over ten years of experience with analysis and writing. As a senior editor and investigative reporter at U.S. News & World Report, she wrote extensively on high profile medical, scientific, and policy issues. She led the magazine’s coverage of the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory and operational decisions, including the agency’s response to September 11th. In her research, she has analyzed legal and scientific documents and conducted in-depth interviews with scientific experts and government officials. Prior to U.S. News, she covered politics and medicine for The Pink Sheet, a pharmaceutical industry paper. She has published over 100 articles in U.S. News and other national publications. Stacey also has experience as an educator, including two years in the Baltimore City Public School system as part of Teach for America. She has a BA from Oberlin College.

Contact: staceys (at) budgetandpolicy.org

Ben Secord, Federal Budget Outreach Associate 

Ben has spent the last two years with the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition where he worked with a broad range of partner organizations to promote a more adequate and equitable tax structure in the state.  He graduated from Whitman College in 2006 with a combined B.A. in politics and history.  Ben joins the Budget & Policy Center as an outreach associate working on federal budget and tax issues and their impact in Washington.

Contact: bens (at) budgetandpolicy.org

Caitlin Cosgrove, Manager of Donor Relations & Administration
Prior to joining BPC, Caitlin served as the Associate Director for a nonprofit organization in Vancouver, British Columbia. She aided in the development of new health care initiatives and worked to implement strategies for improved care on a national level. She has a BA from Concordia University.

Contact: caitlinc (at) budgetandpolicy.org