The ideas and research for RAMP have been developed over several years by a working group of academics, business leaders, and policy experts. We are actively seeking to draw more people into our work.
TEAM LEADERS
John E. Schwarz is a political economist and professor emeritus of public policy at the University of Arizona. His book, Common Credo: The Path Back to American Success, develops the philosophy and economic background for RAMP. He is also author of five other books, including Illusions of Opportunity: The American Dream in Question. His publications have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The Atlantic, as well as many scholarly journals.
David Callahan is a founder and editor of Inside Philanthropy. He was a co-founder of Demos, the national public policy organization, where he served as Director of Research and as a Senior Fellow. He is the author of nine books, among them The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead, as well as numerous articles and policy papers.
Harry M. Lasker, former Harvard faculty member, is an entrepreneur who has founded several high tech companies building the learning infrastructure for large corporations. One of his companies popularized The Balanced Scorecard used globally today to manage corporate strategy. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Robbie Hiltonsmith is a data scientist and economic consultant. From 2010-2017, he was a senior policy analyst at Demos where he did research and policy development as well as advocacy regarding the economic plight of the middle class, higher education affordability and access, and retirement security. He has testified before Congress and state legislatures numerous times and his research has appeared in a wide variety of national media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, PBS's "Frontline," and NPR's "Fresh Air."
William C. Coleman has led a variety of large private and public sector organizations in the investment management, real estate, air transportation, environmental/conservation, infrastructure finance, and healthcare markets. His assignments included CEO of the largest global timberland/agriculture investment manager, airport director at Logan International Airport, and managing director, airport finance, at Smith Barney.
David Carden was the first resident United States Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a ten-member multilateral organization in Southeast Asia. As the U.S. Ambassador, he was responsible for establishing the Mission, formulating policy and conducting negotiations on a broad array of issues, including economic development and trade. Carden is the chairman of the board of the Center for Rural Engagement at Indiana University, which addresses the unique economic and other issues affecting rural America. He is the author of Mapping ASEAN: Achieving Peace, Prosperity and Sustainability in Southeast Asia.