Before joining Urban, I had a long career in government, including three years as a political appointee heading the staff of tax policy economists in the Treasury Department.  I joined Urban after leaving government service because it is a place where I could continue to do high-quality research on important issues, surrounded by great colleagues.  I value the commitment to nonpartisan and independent analysis, and the encouragement Urban provides to seek better ways of communicating research findings and basic facts about the economy and policy issues to non-technical audiences.