Events

Dr. Anirban Basu is the Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, an economic and policy consulting firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Orlando, Florida. Highly recognized for his expertise, he serves as chief economist for several organizations, including Associated Builders and Contractors, the Construction Financial Management Association, the Modular Building Institute, the Maryland Bankers Association, and the International Food Distributors Association. His leadership roles include serving as Chairman of the Baltimore County Economic Advisory Committee and, from 2014 to 2021, as Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Commission, appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan. Acknowledged frequently for his impact, Dr. Basu was named one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people by the Daily Record in 2007, 2016, and 2022, and one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders by the Baltimore Business Journal in 2010.

Dr. Basu earned his B.S. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University, followed by a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, a Master’s in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Juris Doctor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He completed his doctoral work at UMBC with a concentration in health economics and has lectured at several universities, including Johns Hopkins University and Goucher College.

Dr. Wojciech Kopczuk is a Professor of Economics and International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, specializing in tax policy and income and wealth inequality. A prominent scholar, his research has been widely published in leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Journal of Political Economy, and the Review of Economic Studies. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Economics, contributes to numerous other editorial boards, and served as the president of the International Institute of Public Finance from 2021 to 2024. His research focuses extensively on the effects of taxation on wealth distribution and economic behavior, on the measurement of income and wealth inequality, and on the behavior of closely held businesses owned by high-income professionals.

Kopczuk earned his B.A. and M.Sc. from the University of Warsaw in 1996, followed by his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Columbia University in 2003, he taught at the University of British Columbia. In addition, he is a Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Public Economics program and a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Nadia Evangelou is the Principal Economist and Director of Real Estate Research at the National Association of REALTORS®, where she leads national and local market intelligence across both the residential and commercial real estate sectors. She specializes in identifying emerging trends across localized markets and translating complex economic developments into actionable insights for real estate professionals nationwide. Her extensive research focus includes housing affordability conditions, demographic and urban-to-rural migration shifts, and local policy solutions aimed at increasing housing inventory.

In addition to monitoring supply and demand dynamics, Ms. Evangelou conducts extensive analysis on federal, state, and local policy issues to evaluate how legislative and regulatory changes impact homeownership and real estate markets. Her data-driven insights are regularly sought after by prominent academic institutions, such as the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies for their State of the Nation's Housing report, as well as federal agencies like the U.S. Census Bureau. A well-respected voice in the industry, her commentary and market forecasting are frequently featured across major national news outlets. Ms. Evangelou holds a master's degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University, alongside advanced degrees in International Economics and Public Administration.

Jamie Gregory serves as Chairman of the Community Tax Coalition and is a senior Government Affairs professional with 30 years of experience in lobbying, issue advocacy, and electoral campaigns at the federal and state levels. Widely recognized for his expertise in real estate, housing finance, and insurance-related issues, he is the head of Line Honors Strategy Group LLC, representing clients on Capitol Hill and the Maryland State House across diverse sectors, including commercial real estate, retail, short-term rental, title insurance, organ procurement, manufacturing, building electrification, and climate. Previously, he began his multi-client representation as Lead Principal with the government affairs subsidiary of Calfee, Halter & Griswold, where he served clients, including an insurance company, mortgage lender, regional bank, local government, organ procurement organization, and a regional business non-profit.

For a significant portion of his career, Gregory served as Vice President and Deputy Chief Lobbyist for the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), a 1.4-million-member trade organization. Gregory holds a B.A. in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland at College Park, a Realtor Association Certified Executive (RCE) designation from the National Association of REALTORS®, a Public Policy Certification from the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics, and a Professional Lobbying Certificate from the Association of Government Relations Professionals.

Leah Cuffy serves as the Director of Advocacy Research at the National Apartment Association (NAA). In this role, she oversees the development and execution of research projects that further NAA's advocacy efforts and influence decision-making at the local, state, and federal levels. Skilled in conducting comprehensive research, analyzing industry trends, and evaluating the economic impacts of various public policies, her work has been instrumental in shaping NAA's advocacy initiatives. Cuffy has a passion for data-driven decision-making and a dedication to advancing the interests of the rental housing industry, ensuring that the association's stakeholders have a strong voice in legislative and regulatory matters.

Prior to her current role, she gained experience in commercial real estate research and analytics with CoStar Group. She began her career in the multifamily sector through various roles in property management at both Equity Residential and UDR. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Washington Adventist University.

Jon Coupal is the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA), the largest taxpayers association in California with a membership of over 200,000 and offices in both Los Angeles and Sacramento. Founded by the late Howard Jarvis, the author of Proposition 13, HJTA’s name is synonymous with tax relief and the uncompromising defense of the California homeowner. From 1991 to 1998, Coupal served as HJTA’s Director of Legal Affairs, overseeing the organization’s litigation and lobbying efforts. A recognized expert in California fiscal affairs who has argued numerous tax cases before the courts, he was the principal drafter of Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on Taxes Act, in 1996, and has chaired several taxpayer initiative campaigns, including the successful defeat of Proposition 5 on the 2024 ballot. He also served on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Transition Team in 2003.

Coupal also serves as Chairman of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Foundation, a qualifying 501(c)(3) affiliated organization that provides funding for taxpayer rights litigation and educational studies. Additionally, he writes a weekly column for the Southern California News Group and is a frequent guest on both television and radio programs discussing fiscal policy and political issues. Coupal is a graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary, where he received his J.D., and previously spent nine years as an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, specializing in tax and political law.

Greg Goldner is the Founder of Next Public Affairs, previously Resolute Public Affairs, where, since launching the firm in 2002, he has built a reputation for helping the C-suite, political, and non-profit leaders navigate complex political and policy challenges. He has advised Fortune 100 executives, industry associations, and policymakers across the finance, transportation, technology, infrastructure, and civic sectors. Pushing Next to evolve beyond traditional public affairs, Goldner specializes in designing innovative, tailored strategies that meet the moment amid accelerating risk, regulatory pressure, and digital transformation. His notable campaign successes include defeating the Real Estate Transfer Tax ballot referendum in Chicago in 2024 and successfully passing a ballot referendum to preserve tax revenue for mass transit in Phoenix.

Goldner has been recognized twice by Chicago Magazine as one of the city’s most powerful people. He has served in various roles on Al Gore, John Kerry, and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, and has managed more than a dozen candidate campaigns, including Rahm Emanuel’s first run for Congress and Richard M. Daley’s 2003 Mayoral reelection. He has served as Board Chair of the Center for Economic Progress, on the President’s Circle of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and as a trustee of the Chicago History Museum and the Economic Club of Chicago. He is also a co-founder of Trusted Spaces, Inc., where he currently serves as board director.

Matt Klink serves as senior political advisor to the Community Tax Coalition and is the author of the Real Estate Transfer Tax Defense Manual. Specializing in strategic/crisis communications, issues management, public affairs programs, and political campaigns, he has more than three decades of experience working on complex issues for public and private-sector clients, including heavily taxed and regulated industries spanning automotive, energy, healthcare, and retail. Over the last decade, Klink has worked on some of California’s most high-profile and expensive ballot measures and independent expenditure campaigns, boasting an 80% success rate. An adept communicator and award-winning writer, he integrates grassroots outreach and alliance development into lobbying efforts and frequently serves as a primary spokesperson, appearing on international, national, and local TV news broadcasts and in major publications to offer political analysis.

Klink's extensive career includes serving as Director of Global Government Affairs for Philip Morris International in Lausanne, Switzerland. He has also owned or partnered with three Los Angeles-based public affairs firms, worked as a corporate communications consultant to American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and served as a Virginia-based media consultant for congressional and state legislative candidates. He holds an M.A. in political management from The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, where he serves on the Board of Governors, and a B.A. in history from the University of California at Berkeley. Additionally, he is a past president of the International Association of Political Consultants and regularly speaks globally on the importance of preserving democracy.