MICHAEL CORTÉS, PH.D., Chairperson
Mike Cortés is Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Denver, where he teaches courses on public policy analysis and advocacy. He also teaches a graduate seminar on nonprofits and public policy at the University of Colorado Denver. The current focus of his research and private consulting practice is on effective use of public policy research and analysis by advocacy organizations.

He is past director of the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management, where he directed and taught courses in the Master of Nonprofit Administration program. Previously he served as director of the Program on Nonprofit Organizations at the University of Colorado School of Public Affairs, and co-director of the University of Colorado Latino Research and Policy Center. He has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley, Goldman School of Public Policy, and the UCLA Urban Planning program.

Prior to becoming an academic, Mike was vice-president for research, advocacy, and legislation at the National Council of La Raza in Washington, D.C., and director of planning, finance, and administration at the Levi Strauss Foundation in San Francisco. Mike’s research publications and conference papers have addressed policy analysis and advocacy, Latino nonprofit organizations and philanthropy, nonprofit uses of technology, and disabilities among migrant and seasonal farm workers.

He has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the Center for Community Change, Hispanics in Philanthropy, the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council, the Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, the Independent Sector research committee, and editorial boards of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Mike holds an M.S.W. from the University of Michigan, and an M.P.P. and Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

DAVID F. ARONS, ESQ., Treasurer
David Arons is the former Co-Director of the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest. He is currently, Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society in Minnesota. David serves the nonprofit sector as a public interest lobbyist, organizer, teacher, attorney and volunteer. He is co-author of Seen but Not Heard: Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy (Aspen Institute, 2007); editor of Power in Policy: A Funder’s Guide to Advocacy and Civic Participation (Fieldstone Alliance, 2007); co-author of Surveying Nonprofits: A Research Handbook (Aspen Institute 2003); co-author of A Voice for Nonprofits, (Brookings Institution, 2003); and author of Teaching Nonprofit Advocacy (Independent Sector, 1999).

Prior to working at CLPI, David directed a civic education program at the Lincoln Filene Center at Tufts University. He worked in Government Relations as a lobbyist at Independent Sector from 1994 to 1997 on issues pertaining to nonprofit advocacy rights, tax policy, budget and telecommunications. David earned a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law, has a M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University and received a bachelor’s degree in political science from James Madison University.

DEBORAH AUGER, PH.D., Secretary
Deborah Auger, Ph.D. is on the graduate faculty of the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Delaware where she serves as Director of the MPA MidCareer Program and head of the nonprofit leadership specialization area. She has worked extensively conducting training for nonprofit directors in the U.S. and Japan, and serves on the Board of Editors of the central journal in the field, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. In the advocacy area, Dr. Auger founded and serves as annual instructor for her Nonprofit Advocacy and Government Relations Module as part of the University’s sixteen-week Nonprofit Management Certificate Program. She has conducted advocacy training for prospective board members as part of the Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies’ “Leadership Delaware” program, for nonprofit staff as part of DANA’s annual conference, for the national Alliance for Nonprofit Management annual conference, and for the Center for Disabilities Studies Executive Leadership Seminar.

Dr. Auger’s teaching areas include collaboration and partnerships, government-nonprofit relations including contracting issues, public policy and advocacy initiatives, strategic leadership for nonprofits, and social service networks. She received her MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and her Ph.D. “with distinction” from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Auger also holds an appointment as Associate Scholar in the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

DAVID COHEN
David Cohen is a Senior Fellow Civic Ventures and Senior Congressional Fellow at Council for a Livable World, advising both organizations on matters of policy, program and civic leadership. The overarching theme at Civic Ventures is to help practitioners use the talents and experience of older Americans to the fullest, thereby enabling the whole society to benefit from their “experience dividend.” At Council for a Livable Worrld the focus is to advance arrms control and rid the world of nuclear weapons.He also serves as a Board Chair of Global Integrity. Prior to Mr. Cohen’s retirement from the Advocacy Institute, which he co-founded with Michael Pertschuk, he served as its Co-Chair from 2001 through 2005 and pioneered the Institute's work in its international capacity building programs. Mr. Cohen Co-authored Advocacy for Social Justice: A Global Action and Reflection Guide, in 2001 and Co-Authored Advocacy Matters in 2008. He was an active participant in the Advocacy Institute's Leadership for a Changing World Program, where directed the Learning Initiatives aspect of the program.

Mr. Cohen has been an advocate and strategist on many of the major social justice and political reform issues in the United States since the early 1960s, including civil rights, anti-poverty, modifying the Congressional seniority system, and reforming U.S. political processes by eliminating abuses of power and the corrupting influence of money on American politics. From 1975 to 1981 he served as President of Common Cause, the largest voluntary membership organization in the United States working on government accountability issues. Mr. Cohen continues to counsel social justice movement groups in the U.S. and abroad, including South and Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, to gain support for their public agenda.

LORI McCLUNG
Lori McClung has been involved in communications, public policy and advocacy for 15 years. Lori began her career as a reporter for several daily newspapers. She is a founder of Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS). ACS is a consulting firm that assists non-profits, for profits and organizations of all kinds build government and community support for their missions and programs. ACS provides strategic communication, government relations, advocacy, policy analysis, media relations and strategy development services. Throughout her career, Ms. McClung has been responsible for advocating on various education, health and human services and economic development issues at the local, state and national level and leading statewide campaigns to significantly increase the government’s investment in many of those issues.

Prior to Advocacy and Communication Solutions, she was Associate Director and a senior fellow for education and youth development issues for the Center for Community Solutions where she was responsible for advocating on primary and secondary education issues at the local, state and national level; advocating on youth development issues; and leading the statewide campaign to significantly increase the State of Ohio’s investment in early care and education. Prior to Community Solutions, she was the Director of Government Affairs for the Cleveland Municipal School District.

She received a “Friend of Public Education” award from the Ohio Federation of Teachers in 2005 and two awards from the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center in 2008 and in 2002 for her outstanding volunteer work. She was selected in 2005 to be a national training fellow for the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI). In that capacity she travels across the country teaching individuals and organizations about the importance of lobbying, how to lobby, and educating them about the legal do’s and don’ts of lobbying.

In addition to her professional commitments, Ms. McClung serves on the boards of the Cleveland Public Library, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, and on the national board of Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest. She also serves on the Alzheimer’s Association Public Policy Committee. Previous board appointments include the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corporation, Coalition for Greater Cleveland’s Children (now Voices for Children) and the national board of Parents for Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Certificate in Journalism from the University of Cincinnati.

Ms. McClung and her husband live in the City of Cleveland.

MARCUS S. OWENS, ESQ.
Marcus S. Owens is a member in Caplin & Drysdale's Washington, D.C. office. He joined the firm in February 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Owens was employed by the Exempt Organizations Division of the Internal Revenue Service and served as the division's director for the last ten years. In that capacity, he was the chief decision-maker regarding design and implementation of federal tax rulings and enforcement programs for exempt organizations, unrelated business income tax, private foundation excise taxes, hospital reorganizations, college and university guidelines, political organizations, and tax-exempt bonds. He also served as the IRS's primary liaison with other federal agencies, Congress, and state regulators on exempt organizations issues.

Since joining Caplin & Drysdale, Mr. Owens has been representing a broad range of nonprofit organizations including private foundations, charities, U.S. affiliates of foreign charities, and trade associations. The context has ranged from tax planning, the process of formation and application for exemption, through IRS audits including large case or team audits. Particular projects have involved the emerging rules for foreign grant making and organizations interested in public policy but concerned with legislative and political activities. He also is a frequent lecturer on the complex laws affecting exempt organizations. Mr. Owens is a recipient of the IRS Commissioner's Award for exemplary service.

PAUL THORNELL
Paul Thornell serves as Vice President, Federal Government Affairs in the Global Government Affairs office of Citigroup. Prior to joining Citigroup, he served as Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Field Leadership at United Way of America, the nation’s largest charity. In this position from 2002 to January 2007, Mr. Thornell developed and advocated on behalf of United Way’s public policy agenda before Congress and the Administration; led the organization’s relationship management work with the nearly 1,400 local United Ways; and oversaw United Way of America’s work in Disaster Preparedness and Response.

Prior to his joining United Way of America, Mr. Thornell was Managing Director for Public Affairs in Hill and Knowlton’s Washington office managing a variety of clients, for whom he provided strategic counsel, directed government relations and developed strategies on media relations and third party engagement.

Mr. Thornell served from 1998 to 2001 at the White House as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for Vice President Al Gore. In that capacity, he was a senior liaison for Vice President Gore with Members of Congress, promoting the Clinton/Gore Administration’s policies before Congress and directing the Vice President’s activities and communication with U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.

Before joining the Office of the Vice President at the White House, Mr. Thornell served from 1996 to 1998 on Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle’s leadership staff. In his position, he was the Senate Democratic Leadership’s chief liaison to education, children’s, social service, civil rights and religious organizations, as well as directing intergovernmental affairs for the Senate Democratic Leadership.

From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Thornell was Senior Legislative Representative at the advocacy group People For the American Way. In this role, he represented the organization’s interests before Congress and the Executive Branch on various First Amendment, civil rights and public education issues.

Mr. Thornell was raised in Washington, DC and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He has done extensive research on his family history, publishing an award-winning article on his great, great grandfather in the Journal of Negro History and delivering remarks at various public engagements on his research.

Mr. Thornell is a Board member of DC Habitat for Humanity; Generations United; and The Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI). Mr. Thornell resides in Washington, DC with his wife Emily and son Nolan.

THOMAS TROYER

Thomas A. Troyer is a Caplin & Drysdale partner in the Washington, D.C. office and is the senior member of its exempt orgainzations practice, which he played an instrumental role in develping. An expert and leading figure on taxation and rules governing tax-exempt organizations, Mr. Troyer has dedicated his career to providing counsel to charitable nonprofit organizations and private foundations in all areas of tax law. As the founding CLPI Board Chair, Mr. Troyer helped define the importance of nonprofit lobbying and the significance of CLPI's role in this endeavor.

CLPI Staff Bios:

Lawrence S. Ottinger, President

Larry Ottinger is President of the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest. Prior to accepting the position with CLPI, Ottinger served for four years as Director of Policy and Leadership Development at the Fannie Mae Foundation where he led signature partnerships and programs promoting innovation in affordable housing policy at the state and local levels.

Previously as Senior Counsel at People for the American Way, and before that at Bernabei & Katz, Larry spent over ten years as a successful civil rights and First Amendment lawyer and policy advocate. In these positions, he led successful issue-based coalitions and gained years of relevant policy, communications, relationship and project management, and other advocacy experience, including lobbying on Capitol Hill and in the states.

Larry is Co-Chair of the Ottinger Foundation and has served on the family foundation’s board since 1978. He has also formerly served on the boards of 20/20 Vision, the 20/20 Vision Education Fund, and NARAL.

Larry graduated from Stanford Law School, where he was an associate editor of the Stanford Law Review. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Berkeley with a high distinction in general scholarship and highest honors in an interdisciplinary, social sciences major.

Becky Jones, Program & Administrative Associate

Becky Graduated from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 2009 with her BA in Political Science. In September of 2009, Becky began an internship with the Government Accountability Project's Legislative Department. Working as an intern, Becky accepted a position with GAP as a Legislative Campaign Associate. In this capacity, she acted as the key organizer for the 2010 National Whistleblower Assembly.

Becky is excited to have begun her career at CLPI in June 2010 as a Program and Administrative Associate.

ABOUT US

Board & Staff

Thomas A. Troyer, Esq. Chair Emeritus

CLPI Board of Directors Bios:

CLPI Staff Bios:

Lawrence S. Ottinger, President

Becky Jones, Program & Administrative Associate

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