Former Staff
Iris J. Lav
Areas of Expertise: State Budget and Tax
Iris J. Lav, after many years serving as deputy director of the Center, is now working as senior advisor. Lav maintains her special focus on the Center’s state-level work, including fiscal and health policy, and is also involved with the Center’s international work.
Together with foundation partners, she created the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, a network of nonprofit organizations that work on state budget issues. The SFAI network began with 11 state organizations in 1993 and now operates in 31 states with groups in eight other states under development.
In 1999, she received the Steven D. Gold award for contributions to state and local fiscal policy. The award is jointly given by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Tax Association.
Lav currently also teaches state and local finance at Johns Hopkins University School of Government.
Her work often is cited by the press, and she has been interviewed on major network, cable, and public television news shows. Prior to joining the Center, she was associate director of public policy for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and a senior associate at a consulting firm. She holds an MBA from George Washington University and an AB from the University of Chicago.
Recent Reports
- PAYGO: Improving State Budget Discipline While Retaining Flexibility
- A Common-Sense Strategy for Fixing State Pension Problems in Tough Economic Times
- Proposed Public Employee Pension Reporting Requirements Are Unnecessary
- A Balanced Approach to Closing State Deficits
- Rebuilding the Unemployment Insurance System: A Deficit-Neutral Plan That Limits Tax Increases and Maintains Benefits
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