Elaine was one of the Bell's first hires, having started in July 2001. She set up many of the processes and procedures that are followed in the office to this day. Elaine handles many day-to-day issues as well as state and federal reporting on charitable giving and other activities. Elaine has more than 20 years of experience in business and office management, including as section supervisor with the Colorado Department of Revenue and deputy director of operations for the Colorado Office of Energy Conservation. Elaine and her husband own and operate a small family business. She attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill.
Staff
Rumler
Elaine
Awuor
George
George is conducting in-depth, qualitative research related to public opinion on the state budget, economic development and tax policy. Other areas of research include economic development incentives, tax credits and tax incentives and, in particular, the effectiveness of enterprise zones in Colorado. George has international research experience working on poverty issues. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Karnataka State University, India; a master of science degree in library and information science from the University of Mysore, India; and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Arizona State University. George also holds a Ph.D. in design and planning from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Buchanan
Wade
Wade Buchanan has been president of the Bell Policy Center and the Bell Action Network since 2001. Under Wade’s tenure, the Bell has grown from a start-up organization to become one of the premier progressive policy organizations in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. Wade pulled together a veteran professional staff that has played a major role in fiscal reform, education policy, economic security and other key issues that affect the well-being of working families in Colorado. From 1999-2001, Wade was executive director of Colorado Conservation Voters, the nonpartisan political voice of Colorado’s conservation community. Prior to that he was senior advisor, policy director and chief speech writer to former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer. He also served as acting executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, director of the Colorado Office of Energy Conservation, and chair of the Regional Air Quality Council, the lead air quality agency for metro Denver. Wade holds a bachelor of arts in history from Colorado College and a master's of philosophy in international relations from Oxford University in England, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Hinga
Abigail
Abigail Hinga is experienced in coalition management, political fund raising and technology lobbying. Previously she worked for 11 years in Washington, D.C., as a membership and government affairs director. Most recently, Abigail worked for Strategic Analysis, Inc., doing outreach for The SAFETY Act and business development in Colorado. Before moving to the private sector, Abigail spent five years working for several political organizations, including the New Democrat Network and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Abigail has a bachelor of arts degree in government from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and is originally from Amarillo, Texas.
Jones
Rich
Rich Jones worked for 24 years at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), where he was director of the Legislative Programs Division. In that role, he wrote extensively about topics such as management, legislative operations, term limits, staffing and oversight. He has also worked on a variety of policy issues including economic development, financial services and telecommunications. Before joining NCSL he worked as a researcher for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Rich holds a bachelor of arts in government administration from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and a masters in public administration from Penn State.
Leone
Mollie Cross
Mollie Cross Leone has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit agency income and infrastructure development on local and regional levels. Prior to joining the Bell, Mollie served as director of grants for Catholic Charities and at the Western States Arts Federation, where she led a 13-state grantmaking effort on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. Mollie holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Colorado and a master of arts degree in literature from the University of London — Queen Mary College.
Waterous
Frank
Frank Waterous has 25 years of experience working on a broad range of public policy issues and in higher education. Prior to joining the Bell, he was a senior policy analyst for the Colorado Community College System and a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Denver. He previously worked as an administrator and faculty member at colleges in Colorado and Minnesota. Frank holds a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from Dartmouth College; master of arts degrees in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and in education from the University of Colorado, Boulder; and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Minnesota, Department of Educational Policy and Administration.
Watt
Joe
Joe Watt is a longtime journalist, having worked at newspapers in Santa Fe, Tucson and Cleveland before returning home to work at the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post. Joe is a native of Colorado and grew up in the foothills west of Denver. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University.