Lisa Christensen Gee
Director of Special Initiatives
Prior to joining ITEP in 2016, Lisa worked as an analyst with the Fiscal Policy Center at Voices for Illinois Children where she focused on state tax and budget policy issues impacting family economic security, education, human services, and health care. In that role she conducted research, authored reports, and created data and communication tools to advance budget and tax reforms that improve opportunities for low- and middle-income families and put Illinois on a path to a stronger fiscal future.
Previously, Lisa worked on a range of social policy issues, including a fair tax campaign with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, family tax credits with the National Women’s Law Center, and domestic violence legal services with LAF. Â Lisa has also worked in non-profit administration and as a middle school teacher.
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a Masters in Public Policy Studies and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago.
lisa at itep.orgRecent Publications and Posts view more
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Opportunity Zones Bolster Investors’ Bottom Lines Rather than Economic or Racial Equity
This policy brief provides an overview of how opportunity zones are designed and highlights some of the flaws of the policy, including the detrimental impact opportunity zones have on communities of color.
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States Should Decouple from Costly Federal Opportunity Zones and Reject Look-Alike Programs
Post enactment of TCJA, lawmakers in most states needed to decide how to respond to the creation of this new program. Given the shortcomings of the federal Opportunity Zones program and its added potential costs to states, the most prudent course of action is three-pronged: States should move quickly to decouple; states should reject look-alike programs; and lawmakers should make investments directly into economically distressed areas.