Staff

Jackie Lynn Coleman, Executive Director

Jackie Lynn is the Executive Director of the National Community Tax Coalition as well as Vice President of National Programs for the Center for Economic Progress. She has 5 years of experience in community banking and 15 years of experience working in the areas of organizational, community, economic and workforce development, as well as public policy. In the past she has provided capacity building to a number of organizations across the country, including those in the fields of construction, child care and manufacturing; apprenticeship programs; the Chicago One-Stop Career Centers; and the Illinois Department of Human Services. Jackie holds an M.S. in Human Services Administration from Spertus College, graduating Magna Cum Laude, as well as a B.S. with honors in Political Science from Chicago State University.

Marla Green, Director, Community Building

Marla serves as the Director of Community Building at NCTC.  Marla has 30 years of experience as a trainer, teacher, coach and researcher. Her work developing and implementing learning, leadership, and employee development programs has enriched both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations, including the national office of the YMCA, the Association of YMCA Professionals, and the First National Bank of Chicago. She holds a master’s degree in Human Services from Springfield College and a B.A. in English Education from the University of Illinois.

• Marla has two sons, Robbie and Jimmy
• Marla's favorite television show is The Wire
• Marla's first job was a grocery checker at Jewel-Osco
  

Sean Noble, Director, Public Policy & Research

snoble@tax-coalition.org
Sean helps coordinate NCTC’s policy and advocacy efforts to help low- and moderate-income working people achieve economic security.  Sean worked for a dozen years as a reporter for daily newspapers in Chicago, its suburbs and central Illinois.  In 2001, he began a decade of work with Voices for Illinois Children.  As policy director there, he assisted various coalitions in strengthening a wide range of priorities – from early childhood education and kids’ mental health supports to state revenue adequacy and beyond.  He led a statewide campaign to improve the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit, which was made permanent, refundable, and easier for families to understand and for the state to administer.  Sean has a bachelor’s degree in public relations journalism from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

• Sean’s favorite sports teams are the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs
• As a kid, he enjoyed summer work on relatives’ dairy farms in Wisconsin
• His favorite books include Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and the collected speeches of Robert F. Kennedy

Dan Fair, Manager, Communications & Member Relations

Dan serves as NCTC’s Manager of Communications & Member Relations.  Prior to joining NCTC, Dan worked at the Mattison Corporation, serving regional construction associations based in Indianapolis.  Dan previously served as Campaign Manager for Joe Pearson’s successful campaign for Indiana State Representative in 2008 and managed the Absentee Voter Program for the City of Indianapolis.  Dan received his B.A. in Political Science and History from Butler University and a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

• Dan's favorite movie is Almost Famous
• Dan is from Indiana and can therefore make any basketball shot
• If Dan could have dinner with three people from any time period, they would be Bobby Kennedy, Chuck Klosterman and John Lennon
  

Cassidy Fallik, Special Projects Coordinator

Cassidy graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in English from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  After graduating college, Cassidy donated time as an intern with the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s office and their Volunteers for Victims program.  Upon completing a year of service as an AmeriCorps member with City Year of Greater Philadelphia, Cassidy received an internship with the legal department of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.  From there, Cassidy spent two years as the Legal Program Coordinator of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri

• Cassidy's favorite book is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Cassidy played Division I soccer in college and also played internationally in high school
• If Cassidy could have dinner with three people from any time period, they would be Anthony Bourdain, Jon Stewart and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Gail Parson, Manager, Civic Engagement

Gail brings over a decade of campaign and organizing experience to her position as Manager, Civic Engagement. She has worked with the state Public Interest Research Groups, National People’s Action and most recently MoveOn.org. She has developed strategies for successful local and national campaigns, including winning campaigns to build bank branches in underserved communities and increased price disclosures in consumer services and mortgage lending. In addition, she has expertise on community mobilization.  Gail earned a B.A. in psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington. After being involved in so many short-term issues and campaigns, she is currently enjoying taking a much longer view by pursuing a master’s degree in history.

• Gail’s favorite movie is The Godfather
  
• Gail has a niece named Gianna and a nephew named Thomas
• Gail’s first job was at a record store (what a thing of the past!)

Rebecca Riha, Project Manager

Rebecca is the NCTC's Project Manager for Community Building. She manages two of NCTC national programs Financial Aid U and Skills Based Volunteerism. She also gives support in the coordination of national and regional events. Rebecca holds an M.N.A. in Nonprofit Administration, from North Park University, graduating with honors, as well as a B.S. in Public Relations from Illinois State University. During her time at ISU, Rebecca served as an AmeriCorps member with Jumpstart for Young Children. Upon graduation, Rebecca became a VISTA for Jumpstart and interned at their central office in Chicago on the Read for the Record campaign, assisting with development of the campaign.

• Rebecca's favorite movie is Goonies
• Rebecca once swam with beluga whales at the Shedd Aquarium
• Rebecca's favorite sports team is the Chicago Cubs
  

Catherine Ro, Project Manager

Catherine serves as the Project Manager, Capacity Building and Training, managing projects in the areas of technical assistance, training and national events. She holds a master's degree in International Development from the University of Bath, England, and a bachelor's in Accountancy from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She has served as a Business Advisor for Youth Development, helping women and youth with sustainable livelihood and micro-finance projects in the U.S. Peace Corps-Philippines. In addition, she has interned at the American Red Cross in their Corporate Diversity Department, assisting in community relationship trainings and partnership development

• Catherine's favorite movie is Moulin Rouge
• Catherine has three sisters and a nephew named Noah
• Catherine's favorite sports personality is Rafael Nadal
  

Soni Sinha, Special Projects Coordinator

ssinha@tax-coalition.org
Soni Sinha was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is originally from Patna, Bihar (India).  As Merit scholar she received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Visual Communications, Video/Film, and Painting).  Themes within her artwork:  gender equality, women’s role in society, environmental awareness, and evolution of society led to her work and involvement with various non-profit organizations:  Audubon Society, Children’s Outing Association, Chicago NOW, Chicago Artist’s Coalition, the Institute for Thought, the YMCA, and the Center for Economic Progress.  She has served as the Volunteer Training Coordinator for the Center for Economic Progress for 2 years and continues her third year as Assistant Site Manager for the Uptown Tax Site.  She is dedicated to the continuous improvement of people and society, constantly seeking out new mediums for change.  In furthering her efforts she will begin her graduate studies in Business Administration this Fall.

• Soni's favorite television show is Mad Men
• Soni's hobbies include painting and cooking
• If Soni could have dinner with three people from any time period, they would be Marcel Duchamp, Mahatma Gandhi and Oprah Winfrey
  

Jennifer Thall, Coordinator, Civic Engagement

jthall@tax-coalition.org
Jennifer Thall works as NCTC’s Coordinator for Civic Engagement. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2011 with a B.A. in Comparative Human Development. During her years as a student, she worked as an Assistant for Grants and Finance in the Department of Chemistry, and also as a Research Assistant in the Booth School of Business, in the area of Judgment and Decision Making Behavior. She is originally from Tucson, Arizona, and sometimes misses the surplus sunshine there.

• Jennifer reads a lot and could never choose a favorite book. (If forced to respond: Steinbeck’s East of Eden).
• Jennifer can solve Rubik’s Cubes and crossword puzzles.
• Jennifer’s favorite TV show is The West Wing.

Don Wedd, Website/Database Manager

Don spent seven years developing local chapters and technology for a progressive national Catholic reform organization before joining the NCTC staff in 2004. Before moving to Chicago from Australia in 1995, he taught in high schools, conducted social research, trained search and rescue teams, and wrote for various periodicals. He holds an M.A. in Theological Studies from Maryknoll School of Theology, a Graduate Diploma in Intercultural Studies from Edith Cowan University, and a B.S. in Physics from Murdoch University.

• Don's favorite television show is Edge of Darkness (UK Version)
• Don's first job was teaching eighth grade
• Don's secret talents include quilling and body surfing
  

Holden Weisman, Policy Analyst

Holden earned his Master’s of Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 focusing on Policy Analysis and Social Policy, particularly as it relates to poverty issues. While enrolled in graduate school, Holden helped manage a federally funded education research project focused on improving the quality and effectiveness of federally mandated supplement educational programs. Prior to and during his time in graduate school, Holden worked for the State of Wisconsin serving as an Assistant to the Board of Regents of the UW System and as a Legislative Intern in the Wisconsin State Assembly.  He earned his B.A. in Political Science also from UW-Madison in 2003. Holden is a native of the Chicagoland area and is happy to have returned to his hometown after spending the last 10 years in Madison, Wisconsin.

• Holden's favorite movie is The Great Escape
• Holden's favorite sports team is the Chicago Blackhawks
• If Holden could have dinner with three people from any time period, they would be Abraham Lincoln, Harvey Milk and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lanetta Williams, Project Assistant

lwilliams@tax-coalition.org

Lanetta received her Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Roosevelt University and bachelors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Spanish and Speech Communication. Led by her desire to see the destruction of poverty and others prosper in life, she has worked in the social service field for the past 10 years. Her past work experiences include Teen Parent Case Management which focused on high school or GED completion at Westside Holistic Family Services and Correctional Rehabilitation Worker with the Cook County Sherriff’s Department. Lanetta has also served as a member of the Metro Board of the Chicago Urban League, a network of young professionals committed to community service and the mission of CUL-better education and economic sufficiency.

• Lanetta considers having sisters to experience the beauty of life with the greatest gift she's received
• Lanetta is a professional singer, having performed background vocals for local Chicago Gospel Artists and in local plays.
• Lanetta is currently singing with Lawndale Music Conservatory Advanced Ensemble sponsored by Ravinia and Chosen to Worship gospel group.