| Show-Me Institute Staff |
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Rick Edlund — Communications Director Former KPLR-TV News anchor Rick Edlund left his hometown of Kansas City to become a sportswriter, attending Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. It was there that he found his niche in television news. In 2003, the award-winning broadcaster joined KPLR-TV News, as anchor and managing editor. There, he franchised the “Open Cases” series of reports. Working with officials and investigators, he probed unsolved police cases, with the goal of assisting in their completion. In his 20-plus years in the field, he has collected four Emmy Awards (and other recognition) as he rapidly advanced through larger markets as sportswriter, reporter, then anchor. In St. Louis, he anchored and reported on the no. 1 rated newscasts for KSDK-TV from 1985 to 1998, then anchored the 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. news on ABC 30 until 2001. Following that, Rick became a strategic adviser for political campaigns. He served as media spokesman and adviser to Missouri Congressman Jim Talent in the 2000 race for governor. He continued to advise candidates on strategy and how best to package and deliver their messages in debates, interviews, and commercials. During this time, he also advised companies on communications strategies and media relations, and served as presenter for industrial films and videos. Rick lives in West St. Louis County with his two children. He was actively involved in fundraising for AMC Cancer Research, the American Heart Association and other charitable organizations.
Kacie Barnes — Policy Researcher Kacie Barnes joined the Show-Me Institute in August 2012 as a research assistant. Previously, she worked with the city manager’s office and finance department for a municipality in Saint Louis County. Kacie graduated from New York University in 2009 with a B.A. in economics and business. In 2011, she completed her master of public administration (MPA) degree at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, specializing in state and local government policy and finance. During her MPA program, Kacie was a founding member of a student group where she educated others on the implications of government fiscal choices. She is passionate about researching and critically analyzing state and local policy issues.
Patrick Ishmael — Policy Analyst Patrick Ishmael is a native of Kansas City, and a 2006 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he earned honors degrees in finance (H.B.S.B.A.) and political science (H.B.A.). Patrick went on to law school, graduating from SLU with a concentration in business transactions. He is a member of the Missouri Bar. Patrick's writing has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Kansas City Star, the Weekly Standard, and many other print publications, as well as in many online publications, including HotAir.com. He lives in the city of Saint Louis.
Elizabeth Lanier-Shipp — Director of Development Before joining the Show-Me Institute in August 2011, Elizabeth worked for three years in the alumni and development programs at Washington University in St. Louis. She was introduced to the field of development as an intern at the Tennessee Republican Party during the 2000 election. Elizabeth sees her role as that of a facilitator and enjoys helping others identify their philanthropic interests. She is particularly excited to work with others to advocate for liberty. Elizabeth earned a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s of arts degree in history at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. A Tennessee native, she moved to the Saint Louis area in 2007 and lives in St. Charles with her husband, Matthew.
Michael Rathbone — Policy Researcher Michael Rathbone is a native of Saint Louis, and a 2008 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he earned a degree in biomedical engineering (B.S.). In 2010, Michael obtained an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis with concentrations in finance and healthcare management. First introduced to free-market economics circa 2007, today Michael considers free markets vital for continued economic prosperity. Working at the Show-Me Institute is Michael's first foray into public policy. He currently lives in Fenton, Missouri.
Susan E. Sagarra, a native of St. Louis, graduated from Lindenwood College in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in English and communications. She earned her master’s degree in communications from Lindenwood in 1995. Before joining the Show-Me Institute in September 2011, Susan wrote a novel and worked as a freelance editor, writer and media/public relations consultant. Prior to that, Susan was managing editor of West Newsmagazine for nearly 15 years. She previously worked as communications director of the Gateway Section of the PGA and as a sports editor for the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis. Susan lives in West County.
James V. Shuls — Education Policy Analyst James V. Shuls holds a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Southern State University and a master’s degree from Missouri State University, both in elementary education. He is a PhD candidate in education policy at the University of Arkansas, where he has worked as a graduate assistant for Jay P. Greene, PhD, Gary Ritter, PhD, and Robert Maranto, PhD. James joined the Show-Me Institute as its education policy analyst in July 2012. James is a former teacher, having taught four years in southwest Missouri. James’ primary research interests are in the areas of school choice and teacher quality. His work has been published in Phi Delta Kappan, Social Science Quarterly, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as well as other media outlets.
Josh Smith — Website and Data Manager Josh Smith began working as a research assistant at the Show-Me Institute in October 2008. In 2010, he received a B.S. in economics from the University of Missouri St. Louis. A lifelong Saint Louis resident, Josh attained his associate's degree in mathematics from St. Louis Community College. First introduced to free-market economics circa 2002, today Josh considers widespread economic freedom to be one of the most important goals for sound public policy. Josh currently lives in south Saint Louis city. Email: josh.smith@showmeinstitute.org
Paul Smith — Development Assistant Paul Smith is a 2010 graduate of Hillsdale College, where he received a B.A. in English literature and religious studies. Paul joined the development office of the Show-Me Institute in July 2012. Previously, Paul worked as an English teacher in South Korea, where his interest in the benefits and morality of the free market became his passion. Upon returning to the States in 2011, he completed an internship with the Ron Paul presidential campaign and worked as a field director for the Ted Cruz Senate campaign in Texas. A native of New Mexico, Paul now lives with his wife of two years, Emily, in the Central West End area of Saint Louis.
David Stokes, a Saint Louis native, is a graduate of Saint Louis University High School and Fairfield (Conn.) University. He spent five years as assistant to Saint Louis County Councilman Kurt S. Odenwald, where he was closely involved with legislation including MetroLink expansion, property assessments, HVAC licensing codes, the new Cardinals ballpark, pharmacy privatization, and more. He serves on the University City Library Board and is a board member of the St. Louis County Pachyderm Club. He lives in University City with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.
Brenda Talent — Executive Director Before joining the Show-Me Institute, Brenda Talent served as counsel to the Saint Louis law firm Bryan Cave. She has argued cases before the Missouri Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Missouri, and has litigated cases in the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. As part of her tax practice, Talent defended clients against the Internal Revenue Service and the Missouri Department of Revenue. She first joined Bryan Cave in 1985, where she developed specialties in tax litigation and Missouri state tax law, becoming a partner in 1992. During this period, Talent won the David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award from the Missouri Bar Foundation, and advocated taxpayer issues before the Missouri General Assembly. Prior to her career in law and public service, Talent served as a captain in the United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps from January 1982 until October 1985. For much of that time, she was a commissioner on the Army Court of Military Review, the highest appellate court in the Army. Also during that period, she attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., graduating with an LL.M. in tax law in 1985. She graduated from the University of Florida, which she attended on an ROTC scholarship, and the University of Chicago Law School. Talent has lived in Missouri for almost 25 years. She and her husband, Jim Talent, a former U.S. senator and congressman, live in Chesterfield and are the parents of three children.
Patrick Tuohey — Western Missouri Field Manager Patrick Tuohey joined the Show-Me Institute in January 2013 as the western Missouri field manager. He previously operated his own corporate market research company in Maryland and then relocated to Kansas City in 2005. He served as an aide to U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) in Washington, D.C. Patrick’s duties included communication and legislative work, and constituent survey research. In 1995, Patrick became director of communications for Frank Luntz’s polling shop, representing the firm and its research to members of the U.S. Senate and House, as well as regularly attending congressional staff meetings. He has developed research methodologies for clients such as Monsanto, Anheuser-Busch, the National Sheriffs Association, the Christian Coalition, the Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse, ABC News, and NBC News. Patrick received a bachelor's degree from Boston College in 1993.
A former foreign correspondent who spent four years in the Middle East and served as Business Week’s London bureau chief during Margaret Thatcher’s first two terms as Britain’s prime minister, Andrew is a regular contributor of essays and commentaries to leading national publications, including the American Spectator, the Weekly Standard and the Wall Street Journal. As an independent writer since 1993, he has written attention-getting speeches for a wide variety of business leaders, including the CEOs of the Air Transport Association of America, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Eli Lilly, McDonald’s, J.P. Morgan Chase, Well Point and Zoltek Companies, Inc., with more than 45 speeches published in Vital Speeches of the Day. A 1964 graduate of Saint Louis Priory School and a 1968 graduate of Stanford University, with a B.A. in English Literature, he joined the Show-Me Institute as a fellow in January 2011. |
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