Tarren Bragdon
Chief Executive Officer
Tarren Bragdon is president and chief executive officer of the Foundation for Government Accountability, founded in 2011.
Tarren is a nationally recognized expert on health reform issues with a specialty in Medicaid reform. He has testified before the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; state legislative committees in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine and New York; numerous national conferences; and the American Swiss Foundation in Switzerland. His work has been featured on Fox News’ Sean Hannity show, National Public Television’s NOW, in Wall Street Journal editorials and op-eds, and in the New York Post, Boston Globe, New York Times and on National Public Radio.
From 2008 to early 2011, Tarren was CEO of The Maine Heritage Policy Center, a free market think tank based in Portland, Maine. Under his leadership, the organization grew to become the largest state-based free market think tank per capita. In September 2010, he received the Thomas Roe Award, given annually by the State Policy Network to the individual with the greatest impact on the nation’s free market movement.
From 1996 through 2000, Tarren served in the Maine House of Representatives. Elected at the age of 21, Tarren remains the youngest person ever elected to the Maine Legislature.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Maine and his Masters of Science of Business degree from Husson University in Bangor, Maine.
Tarren and his wife Anna have four children; Wyatt, Waverly and the twins, Jude and Asher.
To contact Tarren, please e-mail tbragdon@floridafga.org
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Chris Cinquemani
Chief Operating Officer
Chris Cinquemani is chief operating officer of the Foundation for Government Accountability.
Before joining FGA Chris directed communications at the Maine Heritage Policy Center in Portland, Maine, where he facilitated media, legislative and public outreach. At MHPC he testified before the Legislature on issues related to open government, elections reform, fiscal accountability and education spending. In 2010 he built and led a coalition of open government advocates to develop and advance legislation to strengthen Maine’s public records law, which was signed into Maine statute in May 2012.
From 2007-2009 Chris served as public affairs director and legislative liaison for Maine Leads, a conservative advocacy institute in Augusta, Maine. In 2009 he chaired the statewide initiative campaign to reduce the vehicle excise tax, and directed communications for an initiative to cap government spending. In 2006 Chris was tapped to direct communications and outreach for the 17 members of the Maine Senate Republican caucus, and in 2007 he was recruited to direct a statewide campaign to preserve Maine’s term limits law. Chris got his start in policy in 2006, serving as grassroots coordinator and communications director for a Maine Taxpayer Bill of Rights initiative.
Chris has trained more than 1,000 free market leaders, activists and candidates in messaging and communications strategies. In 2011 he received the first ever Writers Box Award, presented by Americans for Prosperity-Maine, for his command of communications and the written word to advance the free market movement.
Chris holds a B.A. in political science from Binghamton University in upstate New York.
To contact Chris, e-mail chris@floridafga.org.
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Christie Herrera
Vice President of Policy
Christie Herrera is vice president of policy at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).
Most recently, Christie served as director of the Health and Human Services Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a nationwide, nonpartisan association of state legislators. During her time at ALEC, 38 states enacted model legislation drafted by ALEC’s Health and Human Services Task Force. Christie has also been a key figure in galvanizing state pushback against the harmful effects of the Affordable Care Act. A bipartisan collection of 14 states have enacted ALEC’s Health Care Freedom Act, a measure designed to protect patients’ rights and block a government requirement to purchase health insurance.
Christie has testified before Congress and legislative committees in 27 states, and she has been a featured speaker to legislative caucuses, nonprofit organizations, and business groups across the country. Her policy work has been covered by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Politico, and Fox News Channel, among other media outlets.
Christie holds a B.S. in communications studies and an M.S. in political science from Florida State University.
To contact Christie, please e-mail christie@floridafga.org.
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Chris Hudson
Government Relations
Chris Hudson directs government relations at the Foundation for Government Accountability.
In 2008-2009 Chris was legislative assistant for Florida State Senator Lee Constantine, and prepared policy analysis and draft legislation for the senator’s office on public safety, education, energy and transportation issues. He later served as the Central Florida Field Director for the House majority’s campaign effort, directing more than 20 legislative campaigns along the I-4 Corridor.
Chris attended Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master of Arts degree in international relations. He competed in the model United Nations and was elected student body president in 2006. He interned for the Rhode Island House of Representatives and the Washington offices of Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chaffee and Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart.
In 2011 Chris was appointed by the Collier County Commission to the county Code Enforcement Board.
To contact Chris, please e-mail chudson@floridafga.org.
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Chad Goote
Director of Development
Chad Goote is the Director of Development for the Foundation for Government Accountability, a nonpartisan research and advocacy think tank founded on the principles of free markets and limited government.
Prior to joining FGA, Chad managed the day-to-day efforts of a multi-million dollar multi-state campaign focused on advancing the ideals of limited government, free markets, and individual liberty.
Chad began his career in Washington, DC as a director at a leading public affairs firm. Chad was involved with strategy development, grassroots management, coalition building, and strategic communications for Fortune 500 corporations and trade organizations faced with legislative or regulatory challenges at the federal and state levels.
After his time in DC, Chad accepted a position as the Associate Political Director for the leading national school choice political action committee. His work focused on identifying and working to elect state legislators who supported choice and parental options in education.
Chad also has many years on political campaigns in management and advisory roles. He has been involved in local, state, and federal elections. In 2010, Chad managed the successful Congressional campaign of Congressman Justin Amash (MI-3).
Chad holds a B.S. in Political Science from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chad and his wife Mardy reside in Orlando, FL with their two children.
To contact Chad, please e-mail cgoote@floridafga.org.
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Jonathan Ingram
Director of Research
Jonathan Ingram is the Director of Research at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).
Before joining the FGA, Jonathan served as the Director of Health Policy and Pension Reform at the Illinois Policy Institute, a non-partisan research organization dedicated to promoting personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois. While at the Institute, he developed public policy solutions, with a particular focus on patient-centered health care policies and public sector retirement reform. Jonathan has also previously served as a staff writer and editor-in-chief for the Journal of Legal Medicine, an internationally-ranked peer-reviewed academic journal.
Jonathan’s work has earned coverage from The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, the Washington Examiner and Fox Business News, among other media outlets.
Jonathan earned his Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law, where he specialized in health law and policy, and his Bachelor of Science from MacMurray College. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.
To contact Jonathan please e-mail jingram@floridafga.org.
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Zachary Crockett
Operations Coordinator
Zachary Crockett is operations coordinator at the Foundation for Government Accountability, a think tank founded on the principles of individual liberty and free enterprise.
Prior to becoming a full-time staffer, Zachary served as an intern with FGA, from fall 2012 to spring 2013. His responsibilities include data management, donor relations, research assistance, event planning, and communications support.
He most recently completed his studies as an undergraduate at Ave Maria University. Zachary was elected to serve as president of the Student Government Association, and also sat on a number of administrative committees to submit research and recommendations that were in accordance with the University budget. In 2012, he received the President’s Award, the University’s highest honor given to a graduating student. He received his B.A. in politics and his B.A. in literature, magna cum laude.
A skilled communicator, Zachary was a 10-time national medalist in competitive forensics.
Currently living in Florida, the Naples resident was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. He will be married in November of 2013.
To contact Zachary please e-mail zcrockett@floridafga.org.
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Joyce Errecart
Senior Fellow for Tax Policy
Joyce Errecart is Senior Fellow for Tax Policy at the Foundation for Government Accountability, overseeing the think tank’s research and advocacy of tax policy to stimulate competitiveness, financial security and economic growth.
From 2003-2009 Joyce served in the Vermont House of Representatives. She served on the Ways and Means, Commerce, Natural Resources and Energy, No Child Left Behind Oversight and Health Access Oversight Committees.
Joyce previously served as Commissioner of Taxes for the State of Vermont from 1991-1994. She was responsible for overseeing the collection of all General Fund taxes, administering property tax relief programs, providing assistance to municipalities with collecting property taxes, and coordinating the Administration’s tax legislative policy.
She has represented IRS in the U.S. Tax Court, advised the U.S. Treasury Department in Bucharest, Romania, served on the Board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and clerked at the U.S. Tax Court. Joyce has consulted on tax administration and has also practiced law in Burlington, Vermont.
Joyce now resides in Cocoa Beach, Florida. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from Wellesley College, a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law of the American University, and a Masters of Law in Taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center.
To contact Joyce please e-mail jerrecart@floridafga.org.
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Joseph Burke, PhD
Fellow for Entrepreneurship
Dr. Joseph Burke is Fellow for Entrepreneurship at the Foundation for Government Accountability. He received his Ph.D. in 2005 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied agricultural policy.
Since 2006, Joseph Burke has served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Ave Maria University. He teaches courses on microeconomics, econometrics, game theory, and industrial organization. He is also a Research Fellow at the Stein Center for Social Research. His current research interests include economics and ethics, the economics of the family, and Florida economic policy. His recent publications include a study for the Internet Innovation Alliance on the economic impact of expanded broadband access for Florida.
To contact Joseph, please e-mail jburke@floridafga.org.
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Megan Teague
Research Fellow
Megan Teague is a research fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, where she provides support for free market principles through analysis and investigation of market interactions between the government and the private sector.
Megan currently attends George Mason University in pursuit of her PhD in economics. At Mason, she serves as research assistant for Dr. Noel Johnson of the Mercatus Center, researching the impact of informal institutions upon economic outcomes.
During the summer of 2012, Megan interned as a Koch Summer Fellow with the Institute for Humane Studies under Dr. Antony Davies. In this capacity she compiled and analyzed data pertaining to societal economic myths as well as economic and social outcomes, and presented a project concerning food stamps and dependency that proffered several state-based solutions.
Megan previously interned at the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Economic Prosperity. There she presented and researched topics including government transparency, costs of roadway inputs, and occupational licensing. She also launched an initiative to document the ease or difficultly of starting a business in every state.
Megan entered the University of Tampa with a soccer scholarship in 2007. In her sophomore year, she studied abroad at Westminster University, and was later inducted into the Adam Smith Society, an honors economic organization, and would later be elected into a leadership position within it. In December 2010, Megan received her B.A in economics and philosophy.
To contact Megan, please e-mail mteague@floridafga.org.
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