Board of Managers

Board members achieve this by overseeing and directing the activities of NCTC's committees, forums, working groups, and staff, ensuring that NCTC is responsive to the needs of low- and moderate-income taxpayers by working to lift the voice and stories of their constituents and by providing a strong voice for the field on policy issues.

Mark Alvarado

Mark M. Alvarado is Executive Director of PUEBLO, a nonprofit organization focused on assisting low-income families in Santa Barbara County, CA.  Mark previously worked for the City of El Paso focusing primarily on neighborhood revitalization. A native of Santa Barbara, California, and the son of migrant farm workers, he has worked in the government and nonprofit sector for the last 10 years. Previously, Mark also developed community development projects in El Paso County, as well as urban programs in health, education and social services for a variety of nonprofits. He is the founding chair of the El Paso Coalition for Family Economic Progress, which administers county-wide Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit efforts with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. He also is the founding chair and a member of the Frontera Asset Building Network, which seeks to improve the EITC and asset building movement throughout the Southwest. Mark holds a B.A. degree in Multi-Disciplinary Studies, with concentrations in Diversity, Humanities and Mexican American Culture, from the University of Texas at El Paso, and is pursuing a master's in Sociology from there as well.

Tracy Fischman

Tracy Fischman joined  AccountAbility Minnesota as executive director in July 2009. AccountaAbility Minnesota assists Minnesotans to move out of poverty by providing pathways to increase income, build assets and become financially secure, and by advocating for change that breaks down barriers to financial success. Tracy has a long history of fostering social justice, with more than 18 years of experience in public health, HIV/AIDS, civil rights, and women’s rights. She has an extensive background in policy and advocacy, as well as organizational planning and development.

Tracy has worked for organizations such as Planned Parenthood of Illinois as the vice president for public policy, and the Chicago Department of Public Health’s STD/HIV/AIDS Division as the director of policy and legislative affairs. Tracy has served on a number of boards, including: Girl’s Best Friend Foundation, Illinois Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, Citizen Action of Illinois, and Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief.  Tracy holds a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in Minnesota and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

Lucy Gorham, Secretary

Lucy Gorham is the Director of the EITC Carolinas Initiative at MDC Inc. MDC's mission is to advance strategies that expand opportunity, reduce poverty and build inclusive communities in the South. EITC Carolinas supports a growing network of over 30 organizations across North and South Carolina, primarily in rural counties, that assist low- and moderate-income working families to access the EITC and plan for a more secure financial future. Lucy's previous positions include Senior Research Associate at the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, staff member for the Joint Economic Committee and the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources of the U.S. Congress, and consultant to the North Carolina Governor's Rural Prosperity Task Force and the Office of Economic Development at UNC. She serves as Board Chair of the Center for Economic Justice in Austin, Texas. Her areas of expertise include the economics of work and poverty and low-income housing. She attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, studying urban and regional planning and human biology.

Karen Heisler, Treasurer

Karen Heisler is the Director of the Asset Development Department of Rural Dynamics Inc., which serves Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota with programs and partnerships to "help youth, individuals and families achieve economic independence." The department also works with the Northern Plains Initiative, a partnership between rural northern plains tribes and communities, through which money is re-granted to community organizations to promote asset building initiatives. Housed within the Asset Development Department is Tax Help Montana, a collaborative effort of state organizations to provide Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) outreach and free tax assistance sites in local communities, as well as financial education, resource libraries, individual development accounts, credit reports and counseling.

David Marzahl

David Marzahl is the President of the Center for Economic Progress in Chicago, Illinois. CEP is an entrepreneurial social change organization that seeks to move hard-working, low-income families from financial uncertainty to financial security. Local in service but national in voice, the Center provides trusted tax and financial counseling, giving families the tools to make sound choices. David is a leading voice and strategist on economic security issues, seeking to advance policies and practices to create a financial system that works for all Americans. David holds a Master's Degree in Political Economy from Northwestern University.

John Pierre, President

John K. Pierre has been on the law faculty of the Southern University Law Center since 1990 and was promoted to vice chancellor in 2006. Pierre is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the Texas Bar Association.

He has previous teaching experience as a visiting and adjunct professor at California State University, Southern Methodist University School of Law, Loyola University Law School, Southern University College of Business, Saint Leo’s College, Webster University, Louisiana State University, and Baton Rouge Community College.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern University in 1980, a master’s degree in tax accounting from Texas Tech University in 1982, and a juris doctor degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1985. Pierre has published numerous articles on tax law, sales and contracts, real estate and commercial law, ranging from magazine features to legal journal and law review articles.

David Rothstein

David Rothstein is a researcher at Policy Matters Ohio, project director for the Ohio CASH Coalition and a Research Fellow at the New America Foundation. He researches and advocates on asset building, consumer protection, tax and housing issues. David produces annual reports on foreclosures, the Earned Income Tax Credit and free tax preparation. David has provided testimony to Congress, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Attorney General and several Commissions. He has authored dozens of research reports and briefs, editorial pieces, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and most Ohio media markets. Along with former State Treasurer Richard Cordray, he helped craft the Ohio EITC Commission for best practices in free tax preparation and EITC outreach. In 2011, David launched the Ohio CASH Coalition, which is Ohio's asset building and income security collaborative for capacity building and public policy.

In addition to the NCTC Board of Managers, David also serves on the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition, co-chairing their advocacy working group. He is also on the research advisory committee for the CFED Assets and Opportunities Scorecard project, implementing their work in Ohio. His work blends quantitative and qualitative methods to understand complex public policies. David has a BA from John Carroll University in Political Science and a Master's from Kent State University where he is ABD.