INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Independence Institute 's Fiscal Policy Center
- Director, Fiscal Policy Center
Ben Murrey serves as director of Independence Institute's Fiscal Policy Center, working to promote fiscal responsibility in the Colorado government and to defend the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights in the state's constitution. He manages the center's production of research and scholarly writing on state fiscal, tax, and economic policy. In addition to speaking around the state on the center's work, he appears regularly on T.V. and talk radio, produces multi-media content, and writes to educate Coloradans on these important public policy issues. His op-eds have been published in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Colorado Politics, the Colorado Springs Gazette, and more. Since Ben joined Independence Institute in 2020, the center has led two successful issue campaigns to reduce the state income tax.
Prior to his role with Independence Institute, Ben spent seven years as a United States Senate staffer in Washington, D.C., most recently as a legislative aide to Senator Ted Cruz, advising the senator on tax, budget, and economic policy. Before moving to D.C., Ben served on the Ted Cruz for Senate campaign doing operations and grassroots outreach. Ben graduated from Hillsdale College with honors from both the Politics and German departments. He studied twice in Germany, and he speaks fluent German.
Job Titles:
- Website Manager, SchoolChoiceForKids.Org
Carol Van Dyke manages the SchoolChoiceforKids.org website. She formerly co-owned a mechanical construction company and led operations and business development for 18 years; then spent several years in Minnesota where she worked in consumer goods, government, and non-profit organizations.
A long-time Arkansas resident, Carol moved to Colorado five years ago from Minneapolis, to be near her son and daughter-in-law. And their four cats. And their malamute. And a very good vacuum.
Carol is an avid dog-lover, book-reader, writer, and home decorating addict.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Professor on Proposition CC
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Operations
- Vice President, Operations and Creative Labs
Damon Sasso is Vice President of Operations and Creative Labs Producer at Independence Institute. Damon's decades of work experience started under the indentured servitude of his father's (Ken Sasso) many family businesses. Damon often describes his talents likened to that of a Swiss Army Knife; he has all of the tools but they just don't work very well.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow, Public Infrastructure
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Dr. Prentice has served on the Board of Directors for community organizations in Colorado Springs, CO, including the Urban League of the Pikes Peak Region and the Limited Government Forum. In addition, Paul founded the Pikes Peak Economics Club.
Job Titles:
- Policy Analyst, Energy & Environmental Policy Center
- Writer at the Reload
Jake Fogleman is a Colorado native and recent magna cum laude graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver where he studied political science and economics. After interning with David Kopel in the Second Amendment Project the summer after graduating, he fell in love with the culture at Independence Institute and decided think tank work was for him. Jake is a Policy Analyst for our Center for Energy and Environment.
In addition to working for II, Jake is also a contributing writer at The Reload, an independent news publication covering firearms politics and policy.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Research Associate at Independence Institute, Adjunct Constitutional Scholar
- Research Associate in Constitutional Law
Joseph Greenlee is a Research Associate at Independence Institute, Adjunct Constitutional Scholar at the Firearms Policy Coalition, and Policy Advisor for Legal Affairs at the Heartland Institute. He also operates a law practice focused on constitutional law.Greenlee has worked on more than 80 constitutional law cases (representing a party or amicus curiae) and has filed more than 30 briefs with the United States Supreme Court.
He has authored 15 scholarly articles on firearms law, as well as dozens of short articles. His work has appeared in The Hill, Washington Times, and Washington Post, among others.
Greenlee has been cited over 200 times in more than 70 separate cases, including three United States Supreme Court cases. He holds a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and is licensed to practice in Colorado and Idaho.
In his free time, he enjoys hockey, the outdoors, and spending time with his family.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy With the
- Senior Fellow, Fiscal Policy
Joshua Sharf is a Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy with the Independence Institute. Joshua earned his B.S. in Physics from the University of Virginia, with a second major in mathematics, and both an MBA and an M.S. in Finance from the University of Denver.
He has been tracking the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) and its discontent for II since 2012. He has since branched out into Colorado's fiscal and tax policy, and dabbles in other data-intensive subjects like transportation. Joshua currently is the Republican House expert appointee to the state legislature's Pension Oversight Subcommittee.
A regular contributor to Complete Colorado, Joshua's writing has also been featured in Newsweek, American Greatness, Clarmont's The American Mind, and Colorado newspapers including the Pueblo Chieftain, the Greeley Tribune, and the Denver Post.
Job Titles:
- Coalition and Future Leaders Program Manager
Kathleen Chandler is the Coalition and Future Leaders Program Manager for Independence Institute. She also runs our Local Government Project. Kathleen is a political consultant and professional volunteer for conservative issues and candidates. She has a degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and has been involved in politics since she was 18 years old. She is a 4 th generation Colorado native and has lived in the Denver area since 1993. She is married with two sons, two cats and one dog.
Job Titles:
- Director, Healthcare Policy Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Mi Vo is the Executive Vice President for the Independence Institute. She is a Colorado native and joins the Independence Institute with nearly 20 years of experience in the legal field. Mi earned her BS in International Business and minor in Legal Studies from the University of Denver. She earned her graduate degrees in Legal Administration and Taxation from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Mi and her husband have 2 beautiful girls.
Job Titles:
- Editor - in - Chief, Complete Colorado
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, Education Policy Center
- Member of the Colorado Advisory Committee to the U.S. Office of Civil Rights
Pamela Benigno has been the Director of the Independence Institute's influential Education Policy Center since 1997. Pam provides a counterbalance to the education establishment. She isn't afraid to challenge the status quo to create better learning opportunities for Colorado's children, stand up for parental rights, and support independent-minded teachers.
Pam has authored and co-authored numerous publications, speaks to local and national groups, and provides commentary as a radio and television guest on K-12 education policy. Her work has been noted in several books and local and national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, School Reform News, Daily Caller, and Townhall Magazine.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, Transportation Policy Center
Randal O'Toole is the Transportation Policy Center Director at the Independence Institute. He is an economist who has written five books on land-use and transportation issues. From 1974 to 1994, he worked for environmental groups opposing big-government subsidies to corporations that were doing harm to the environment such as clearcutting in the national forests. Since then he has worked for free-market groups opposing environmental groups that support big-government subsidies to corporations that are doing harm to the environment, such as building light rail lines. In addition to working on transportation issues for the Independence Institute, he is the executive director of the Thoreau Institute. Prior to working for the Independence Institute, he taught environmental economics at Yale, UC Berkeley, and Utah State University.
Job Titles:
- Education Policy Center Research Associate
- Member of the Adams 12 District Accountability Committee
- Research Associate, Education Policy Center
Regina was the Co-Chair of EdForum, a grassroots advocacy and policy group dedicated to improving the quality of education for all students in Adams County. EdForum helps parents advocate for their children at local school board meetings; understand policy changes that negatively impact children; and hold schools accountable to focus on reading, writing and math.
Regina is an accomplished public speaker having given numerous training sessions and presentations to large and small groups during her 34-year career with Procter & Gamble as well as her work with EdForum.
Regina is currently a member of the Adams 12 District Accountability Committee which is a Board of Education committee focused on making recommendations for district spending priorities, new charter school applications and charter renewals as well as Unified Improvement Plan content and initiatives while performing outreach and providing support to the School Accountability Committees. Regina finds pure joy in volunteering each week in a public school classroom as it is a reminder of those who matter most.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow, Constitutional Jurisprudence
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute 's Education Policy Center
Ross Izard is a senior fellow at the Independence Institute's Education Policy Center. After working with the Education Policy Center for three years, Ross left the Independence Institute to become the National Policy Director at ACE Scholarships. ACE provides scholarships to low-income children to help pay the tuition costs at K-12 private schools.
Ross has authored or coauthored a number of pieces on a variety of topics, including articles, policy briefs, issue papers, school profiles, and blogs. His editorials have been published by national, state, and local media outlets. He has assisted in the production of amicus briefs for the Colorado Supreme Court on important education issues, and has also been involved in legal disputes related to collective bargaining. Ross has appeared in and narrated Independence Institute videos in support of school choice and other education reform efforts, and he is frequently cited by a variety of news sources.
Ross was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado and an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs.
Ross lives in Douglas County, Colorado, with his wife and two young sons.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Director of the Political Law Center
Shayne M. Madsen, is the Director of the Political Law Center. Madsen most previously lead the Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group in the Denver office of law firm Jackson Kelly PLLC. She practiced in the public policy and government affairs area, in election and campaign finance law, and in real estate development law. Madsen is a peer review rated attorney by Martindale- Hubbell (AV Preeminent).
Ms. Madsen has represented clients before the Colorado Legislature and before various local governments for over twenty years. She has extensive experience representing large and small business entities and related national and local trade associations in connection with legislative and public affairs issues, as well as state and local initiatives and referenda. Ms. Madsen is widely recognized as an effective on-the-ground strategist and lobbyist with a track record of success.
Ms. Madsen has worked with a number of political organizations in Colorado, and she is a regular participant in electronic and print media programs on public policy issues, including the establishment of political committees and other advocacy entities, and related litigation. She was a member of the legal team representing the Colorado Secretary of State before the Colorado Supreme Court in connection with the 2003 Congressional redistricting challenge. She is also local counsel for the Institute for Justice in connection with campaign finance litigation in the Colorado courts. Ms. Madsen is a graduate of the University of Colorado (Bachelor of Arts) and Washington University in St. Louis (Juris Doctor).
Job Titles:
- Colorado Springs Gazette Editor