Staff
Kathy White, Executive Director (She/Her/Hers)
white@coloradofiscal.org
Kathy White is a proud lifelong Coloradan who has spent a lifetime fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, and exploring every part of her beloved home state. Kathy brings nearly 20 years experience in nonprofit administration, operations and fundraising to CFI, and is a veteran advocate for policies that enhance economic prosperity for working families.
For more than a decade before helping to found CFI as a standalone nonprofit in 2012, Kathy served as the director of the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute where she worked on issues ranging from tax credits for low-income families to immigration reform. Prior to that, Kathy worked in policy research and compliance for a national health insurance company.
Esther Turcios, Deputy Director (She/Her/Ella)
turcios@coloradofiscal.org
Esther joined the CFI team in 2017 as a State Policy Fellow. Since joining, she has led research on federal tax policy, safety net programs, housing, and immigration policy in Colorado and nationally. As of 2022, Esther serves as the Deputy Director at CFI, where she oversees fundraising and development, internal operations, and supervision duties, in addition to ensuring that research, policy advocacy efforts, and educational programs align with and help to advance CFI’s mission.
Esther has a background in community organizing and outreach through her work with the Colorado Chapter of 9to5: Winning Justice for Working Women, a national membership organization dedicated to putting working women’s issues on the public agenda, and the Colfax Community Network, which supports children, families and communities experiencing homelessness. Esther holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a masters in social work from the University of Denver.
Esther enjoys spending time her family. You can find her cooking yummy Central American food with her mom or watching a soccer game with her dad. She’s also an avid movie fan and is always in the mood for a good Disney flick.
Caitlin Schneider, Outreach Director (She/Her/Hers)
schneider@coloradofiscal.org
Caitlin Schneider was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Growing up a Cheese Head, she quickly found the value in public investments, as the Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team that is publicly owned. After high school, Caitlin moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Minnesota -Twin Cities.
After graduating, Caitlin moved to Boulder, Colorado and quickly fell in love with all the state has to offer. She became involved in politics during the 2008 presidential election, where she worked for a civic engagement nonprofit, canvassing doors to get out the vote. With the energy she experienced during that time organizing in the field, she realized the importance of being civically engaged and continues to make that part of her life. After the 2008 election cycle, Caitlin continues to volunteer and stay involved with this group.
Caitlin brings over a decade of experience in voter engagement and education, community and partner outreach, volunteer coordination, canvassing, and election protection from her previous roles. In August of 2013, Caitlin joined the Colorado Fiscal Institute as Public Engagement Coordinator, where she works to engage partners and Coloradans around both federal and the state’s complex fiscal policy challenges. Now as outreach director, she leads efforts to ensure that all research, advocacy, and community education work is led by and with directly impacted community members. She coordinates and strategizes CFI’s educational and outreach efforts including our Tax Ambassador Program, educational and advocacy events, partner coalitions, and voter education efforts.
Aside from her work connecting with partners and communities across Colorado, in her free time, Caitlin loves exploring all the state has to offer. You will often find her on weekend trips in the mountains, bartending at a little bar in one of Colorado’s ghost towns, and trying all new (and old) restaurants in Denver.
Chris Stiffler, Senior Economist (He/Him/His)
Chris Stiffler is a senior economist at the Colorado Fiscal Institute. Chris has been working in the public policy and economic research business since 2012. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond in 2009, after which he spent a year teaching high school Latin before moving to Colorado. He received his master’s degree in economics from the University of Denver. Chris got his start explaining economics in 2009, writing an explanatory economics column for his small hometown newspaper in western Pennsylvania. The column was geared at explaining complicated economic concepts in simple metaphorical terms that everyone could understand and showing how those economic concepts relate to policy discussions.
He is the author of “Economics In-Other-Words; What Your Boring Economics Professor Tried to Teach You.” Chris is also a part-time adjunct professor of economics at the University of Denver.
Chris has spent the past 10 years researching a number of topics including: affordability of public transit around Denver, better ways to measure economic growth, Colorado school finance, the Colorado state budget, TABOR, wage theft, immigration, paid family leave, minimum wage, and income inequality.
He has appeared on National Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio’s “Colorado Matters” and KGNU’s “It’s the Economy.” His research has been cited in various publications like The Denver Post, The Colorado Independent, The Denver Business Journal, and by the Associated Press. Chris is frequently invited to make public presentations on TABOR and Gallagher, the state budget, school finance, Colorado ballot issues and taxes.
Caroline Nutter, Legislative Coordinator (She/Her/Hers)
nutter@coloradofiscal.org
Caroline Nutter came to Colorado from northern Virginia. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2018 with a self-designed degree in Global Ethics. Post-graduation, Caroline began work in Washington, D.C. as a research assistant at 20/20 Vision, a small economic policy firm, and fell in love with fiscal policy. After a year and a half of federal tax policy, she knew she wanted to be at the state level where more could get done. Colorado appealed for the outdoors, rock climbing, and, of course, how much work there is to do to fix our broken tax code!
Caroline joined the CFI as tax policy analyst in 2020, providing research and analysis of state fiscal policy issues and advocating for policies that bring equity and prosperity to all Coloradans. She took the role of legislative coordinator in December of 2022, where she works to coordinate and provide strategy to all legislative advocacy efforts.
Nathalie Sabbagh, Office Manager (She/Her/Hers)
sabbagh@coloradofiscal.org
A newcomer to the United States, Nathalie Sabbagh grew up in Lebanon. Nathalie arrived in the United States in February of 2018 and joined CFI as office manager in 2019. Most recently, she worked with immigrants and refugees navigating the US system to break down their cultural and linguistic barriers. Nathalie received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut in 2007, after which she moved to Dubai, where she worked as a procurement manager in the construction industry for 11 years.
She is currently working on learning more about Colorado’s tax system and how it affects everyone in the state. When she’s not working, Nathalie is also a volunteer with Denver Police Department (DPD) and she loves exploring her new country and has already been to 11 other states in two years.
Hannah Morris, Communications Manager (She/Her/Hers)
morris@coloradofiscal.org
Hannah is a close-enough Colorado native, who was born on an army base in Germany and mostly raised in Colorado Springs by her American dad and Panamanian mom. She got her first job when she was 14-years-old, and aspired to be Judge Judy or a more sazóned version of Michelle Kwan when she grew up. But she hung up her skates after high school and went to the University of Denver–ironically, with the actual Michelle Kwan–to become like her other career idol, the fearless American journalist/CBS contributor, Lisa Ling.
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in journalism and international studies with a minor in Spain 4,301 years ago, her career has followed a different path than Lisa’s. For one, she hasn’t been to North Korea or infiltrated a cult. And for two, her nerves don’t do cameras. Nevertheless, what they still have in common is a love for uncovering the extraordinary among every-day people and sharing their experiences with the world.
Hannah likes to support small-ish organizations that tackle big issues affecting mostly middle and working class families in her community. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to inform and empower local decision-makers in her new role as Communications Manager for the Colorado Fiscal Institute.
Shana McClain, Research Manager (She/Her/Hers)
mcclain@coloradofiscal.org
Shana is a research manager at the Colorado Fiscal Institute. She has been working in the research and policy arena for over eight years. Shana is originally from North Carolina where she received her undergraduate degree and master’s in social work from Western Carolina University. She is currently completing her doctorate from the University of Denver during which she has received two national fellowships from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Research Scholar (HPRS) program and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP).
Shana taught as an adjunct professor for four years at the Graduate School of Social Work at DU prior to starting in her new role at CFI. After obtaining her MSW, she worked as a research project manager at the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at UT Austin. Shana also has prior experience in direct practice as a university therapist and a victim advocate at a rural domestic violence shelter. She now uses her diverse experiences and lifelong learning to support ethical and rigorous research practices that contribute to advancing people-centered policies in the state of Colorado.
Outside of work—from dissertatin’ to dragon slayin’—Shana manages to balance it all (for the most part) with nature hikes, pup cuddles, and a (very) active Crunchyroll subscription.
Sophie Shea, Policy Analyst (She/They)
shea@coloradofiscal.org
Sophie Shea joins our team as a policy analyst having graduated from Grinnell College with a Political Science major as well as Policy Studies and American Studies concentrations. Here at CFI, Sophie specializes in our affordable housing and immigration work.
Originally from coastal Alabama, Sophie attended college in rural Iowa, where she completed two AmeriCorps terms. Sophie received her introduction to nonprofit work through her service with IMPACT Community Action Partnership, where she assisted low-income households seeking utility and rental assistance. Sophie is excited to bring her background in political advocacy and data analysis to advance economic and social equity across Colorado.
In her free time, Sophie enjoys watching scary movies, jesting for laughs, and catching some time in the sun.
Sophie Mariam, Labor Policy Analyst (She/Her/Hers)
mariam@coloradofiscal.org
Sophie is originally from Virginia and a newcomer to Colorado. She holds a Master’s in Policy from the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, where she designed an interdisciplinary major in Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law. She developed a commitment to advancing economic mobility and amplifying the voices of workers while working in the federal policy space, where she caught the fiscal policy bug during her time with the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution along with completing her dissertation for the U.S. Department of Education.
Sophie was drawn to Colorado due to the pressing importance of addressing the injustices facing working families as a result of the upside down tax code. As a labor analyst with CFI, Sophie collaborates with partners and labor organizations across the state to research and advocate for a fair, equitable tax code and an economy that works for all Coloradans. With her newfound understanding of the role of state budgets in financing public education and other essential community services, she strives to further the movement of a people-centered economy while working at CFI.
In her spare time, Sophie frequently practices yoga while soaking in the beauty of the outdoors.
Talia Rotella, Campaigns Associate (She/Her/Hers)
rotella@coloradofiscal.org
Talia joined our team as a Public Interest Fellowship Program fellow after completing her BA in Political Science and Education at Colorado College. At CC, Talia developed a special interest in the tactics and strategies behind social change and spent time studying theories of social impact. Born and raised in the Denver metro area, she is eager to spend time helping expand opportunities in the communities that raised her.
The convoluted nature of public education funding initially piqued Talia’s interest in fiscal policy. Since starting at the Colorado Fiscal Institute, she has only grown more excited by the potential of fiscal reform to help advance social justice. She will contribute to CFI’s messaging and information-spreading endeavors, as well as work more broadly with staff analysts to support our ongoing research and advocacy.
Talia spends her free time singing (shouting) her favorite songs in the car with friends, savoring the Colorado sunshine, reading, and learning new recipes to share with family.
