Meet Our Team

Our Experts

• 

  Expert

  Abir Mandal

  Senior Policy Analyst

  Abir Mandal is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, focused on state tax policy. Dr. Mandal holds a PhD in economics from Clemson University, where he focused on economic growth and development, trade, and econometrics.
• 

  Expert

  Adam Hoffer

  Director of Excise Tax Policy

  Adam Hoffer is the Director of Excise Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. Dr. Hoffer earned his PhD in Economics from West Virginia University and his undergraduate degree from Washington & Jefferson College.
• 

  Expert

  Akusti Leino

  Federal Tax Policy Fellow

  Akusti Leino is a Federal Tax Policy Fellow at the Tax Foundation. He also teaches computational and data sciences at George Mason University while pursuing a doctoral degree from the same institution. He holds an MSc in computational social sciences from Linköping University, Sweden, and a BA in economics from National Chengchi University, Taiwan. 
• 

  Expert

  Alan Cole

  Senior Economist

  Alan Cole is a Senior Economist with Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy. His areas of focus include business taxes, cross-border taxes, and macroeconomics. In addition to work at Tax Foundation, Alan has served on the Joint Economic Committee and with The Conference Board.
• 

  Expert

  Alex Durante

  Senior Economist

  Alex Durante is a Senior Economist at the Tax Foundation, working on federal tax policy and model development. Alex worked as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board and served as a staff economist on the Council of Economic Advisers.
• 

  Expert

  Alex Mengden

  Global Policy Analyst

  Alex Mengden is a Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, where he focuses on international tax issues and tax policy in Europe. He holds a BA in philosophy and economics from the University of Bayreuth and expects an MSc in economics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
• 

  Expert

  Alex Muresianu

  Senior Policy Analyst

  Alex Muresianu is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, focused on federal tax policy. Previously working on the federal team as an intern in the summer of 2018 and as a research assistant in summer 2020. He attended Tufts University, graduating with a degree in economics and minors in finance and political science.
• 

  Expert

  Andrey Yushkov

  Senior Policy Analyst

  Andrey Yushkov is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. He holds a PhD in public policy from Indiana University, an MS in economics from the University of Bonn, and a BS from St. Petersburg University.
• 

  Expert

  Cecilia Perez Weigel

  Public Affairs Manager of Tax Foundation Europe

  As Public Affairs Manager of Tax Foundation Europe, Cecilia Perez Weigel focuses on international and European tax issues. She holds a joint master’s degree in transatlantic affairs from the College of Europe in Bruges and the Fletcher School in Boston and a master’s degree in European regulation from Sciences Po Paris.
• 

  Expert

  Daniel Bunn

  President and CEO

  Daniel Bunn is President and CEO of the Tax Foundation. Daniel has been with the organization since 2018 and, prior to becoming President, successfully built its Center for Global Tax Policy, expanding the Tax Foundation’s reach and impact around the world. Prior to joining the Tax Foundation, Daniel worked in the United States Senate at the Joint Economic Committee.
• 

  Expert

  Erica York

  Vice President of Federal Tax Policy

  Erica York is Vice President of Federal Tax Policy with Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy. Her analysis has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Politico, and other national and international media outlets.
• 

  Expert

  Garrett Watson

  Director of Policy Analysis

  Garrett Watson is Director of Policy Analysis at the Tax Foundation, where he conducts research on federal and state tax policy. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politico, the Associated Press and other major outlets.
• 

  Expert

  Huaqun Li

  Senior Economist, Director of Modeling Projects

  Dr. Huaqun Li is Senior Economist, Director of Modeling Projects at the Tax Foundation. She focuses on developing and maintaining the Foundation’s Taxes and Growth Model, which models the budgetary and economic effects of changes to federal tax policy.
• 

  Expert

  Jacob Macumber-Rosin

  Excise Tax Policy Analyst

  Jacob Macumber-Rosin is an Excise Tax Policy Analyst with the Tax Foundation. Jacob holds a BS in economics (politics and the economy) as well as a BS in civic and economic thought and leadership from Arizona State University.
• 

  Expert

  Jared Walczak

  Vice President of State Projects

  Jared Walczak is Vice President of State Projects at the Tax Foundation. He previously served as legislative director to a member of the Senate of Virginia and as political director for a statewide campaign, and consulted on research and policy development for a number of candidates and elected officials.
• 

  Expert

  Joseph Johns

  Tax Policy Analyst

  Joseph Johns is a Tax Policy Analyst with the Tax Foundation. He graduated from George Mason University in 2021 as an MA Fellow at the Mercatus Center, where he assisted Mercatus scholars with state-level economic research.
• 

  Expert

  Katherine Loughead

  Senior Policy Analyst & Research Manager

  Katherine Loughead is a Senior Policy Analyst & Research Manager with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. She was a lead author of “Wisconsin Tax Options: A Guide to Fair, Simple, Pro-Growth Reform” and “Kansas Tax Modernization: A Framework for Stable, Fair, Pro-Growth Reform.”
• 

  Expert

  Manish Bhatt

  Senior Policy Analyst

  Manish Bhatt is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. He holds an LLM in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, a JD from St. Thomas University College of Law, and a BA from the George Washington University.
• 

  Expert

  Scott Hodge

  President Emeritus

  Scott Hodge is President Emeritus of the Tax Foundation, which he led as President for over two decades, between 2000 and 2022. Scott Hodge is recognized as one of Washington’s leading experts on tax policy, the federal budget, and government spending.
• 

  Expert

  Sean Bray

  Vice President of Global Projects at Tax Foundation and Policy Director of Tax Foundation Europe

  Sean Bray is Vice President of Global Projects at Tax Foundation and Policy Director of Tax Foundation Europe, where he researches international tax issues with a focus on tax policy in Europe. Prior to joining the Tax Foundation, Sean Bray worked in the United States Senate on tech, telecom, and trade policy.
• 

  Expert

  Stephen J. Entin

  Senior Fellow Emeritus

  Stephen J. Entin is a Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Tax Foundation. Previously, he was President and Executive Director at the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation (IRET), a pro-free market economic public policy research organization based in Washington DC.
• 

  Expert

  William McBride

  Chief Economist & Stephen J. Entin Fellow in Economics

  Dr. William McBride is the Chief Economist & Stephen J. Entin Fellow in Economics at the Tax Foundation, where he oversees major research projects primarily related to reforming the federal tax code, advancing sound tax policy, and improving the federal government’s fiscal outlook.