Open Illinois.org

John Tillman, Chairman and CEO

John Tillman serves as Chairman and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute. A successful entrepreneur, John has built and led organizations in the arenas of political activism, retailing, e-commerce, and internet access. His years of experience in the business world have given him firsthand knowledge of the power of free markets and the importance of accountable government.

John previously served as president and COO of the Sam Adams Alliance and Foundation during their start-up phase. Prior to his time with Sam Adams, he served as president and director of Americans for Limited Government, where he helped ALG grow from a single, part-time employee in May of 2004 to a staff of approximately 25 that had a significant impact on political activity in 13 states in 2006.  An experienced speaker on the principles of liberty and the role of government in our society, John has appeared in media outlets ranging from Fox News to National Public Radio, and is a regular guest on top Chicago radio shows including Don Wade & Roma and the Jerry Agar show.

John remains involved with a number of civic organizations, including serving in the voluntary capacity of village president in his community. He is a former vice president of the Board of Directors at the Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club in Chicago. John and his wife, Julie, live in the north suburbs of Chicago, where they are raising their 9-year-old daughter, Lauren.

Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President

Kristina Rasmussen serves as the Executive Vice President of the Illinois Policy Institute, where she directs the Institute’s operations, policy research, and legislative outreach.  Kristina came to the Institute from the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), where she amplified the pro-taxpayer message by serving as Director of Government Affairs. In addition to her extensive tax and budget advocacy, Kristina worked on telecommunications, transportation, and state transparency issues. She also expanded NTU’s involvement with initiative and referendum measures and launched a grant program for start-up state and local taxpayer organizations.

Kristina’s opinion pieces have been featured in the Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, National Review Online, Investor’s Business Daily, and The Hill, among others. Her television appearances include CNN, CSPAN, Fox Business News, and Al Jazeera English, and she has been a guest on numerous radio shows.

Kristina completed her Master’s degree in Political Management at George Washington University, where she was named a Bryce Harlow Foundation Scholar.  Kristina graduated Summa Cum Laude from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with a B.A. in Political Science.

Heather Wilhelm, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Heather Wilhelm, the Institute’s vice president of marketing and communications, comes from a background in marketing, public relations, corporate communications, online news, web development, magazine editing, and print journalism.

Heather is a regular contributor to RealClearPolitics.com, and her written commentary has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Examiner, and the National Review Online. In 2005, she received a Phillips Foundation Fellowship for her written work promoting constitutional principles, a democratic society, and a vibrant free enterprise system.

Heather currently sits on the board of governors for Opportunity International, a Chicago-based microfinance group providing small business loans to impoverished entrepreneurs around the world. She holds an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, where she focused on international relations, and a B.A. in English and Political Science from Northwestern University.

Collin Hitt, Director of Education Policy
Collin Hitt, Director of Education Policy, is responsible for research on school choice and funding. Collin’s work has appeared in The State Journal Register, Champaign News-Gazette, and the Chicago Sun Times. He has been quoted in national publications such as Education Week and The Christian Science Monitor, and has appeared as a guest on the nationally syndicated radio segment Family News In Focus.

Collin is also a Visiting Fellow at the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a research consultant to Americans For Prosperity of Illinois, and an alumnus of the Institute for Human Studies. A graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Collin earned his B.A. in philosophy and political science and conducted graduate work at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, in addition to teaching in rural France. Collin is a native of Springfield, Illinois, where he currently resides.

Kate Campaigne Piercy, Director of Center for Government Reform

Kate Campaigne Piercy, Director of Transparency Policy, joined the Illinois Policy Institute in April of 2008.  Previously, she worked for the Heartland Institute as a legislative specialist for health care and welfare reform.

Prior to returning to her home state of Illinois in 2007, Kate worked as a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., where she worked with the late Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. Kate concentrated on foreign policy and defense while helping complete the Ambassador’s final book, Making War to Keep Peace (Spring 2007). While in D.C., she also worked as a research assistant for Mrs. Lynne Cheney, focusing on education policy while researching for Mrs. Cheney’s children’s books on American history. Previously, she worked in development for the Federalist Society.

Kate graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in 2003 where she majored in Classics and received a minor in English.

Don Soifer, Senior Fellow
Don Soifer is Executive Vice President of the Lexington Institute and a newly appointed member of the Washington D.C. charter school board, the independent public body responsible for overseeing and authoring all charter schools within the nation’s capital.  He has published research and articles on a wide range of domestic public policy topics and runs the Lexington Institute’s education program.  Don has testified before the U.S. Congress and in official proceedings of several federal agencies and state legislatures, and his work has been published in many of the nation’s most influential publications. Don will focus on education in his work as a senior fellow at the Illinois Policy Institute.

Andrew Busch, Senior Fellow
Andrew Busch is the Global FX Market Strategist for BMO Capital Markets’ Investment Banking Division in Chicago.  He is a recognized expert on the world financial markets and how these markets are impacted by political events. On a regular basis, Andy consults with the staffs from the US Treasury, Congress, and the White House on economic and market issues.  He is a regular contributor to CNBC, and is regularly quoted in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Daily, his views appear in his e-mail newsletter, the Busch Update.  Andy will cover financial and budget issues for the Illinois Policy Institute.

Leonard Gilroy, Senior Fellow
Leonard Gilroy is the Director of Government Reform at the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets. A certified urban planner (AICP), Len researches privatization, government reform, transportation, infrastructure, and urban policy issues. He is the editor of the world’s most respected newsletter on privatization, Privatization Watch, and is the editor of the widely read Annual Privatization Report, which examines trends and chronicles the experiences of local, state, and federal governments in bringing competition to public services. His articles have been featured in such leading publications as Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, and The Weekly Standard. Len will focus on privatization issues and reform in his work with the Institute.