Goldwater Institute

Darcy Olsen is President of the Goldwater Institute, a groundbreaking research and legal center acclaimed by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will as “America’s most potent advocate of limited government.”

Olsen’s leadership style has been critical to the Institute’s achievements, which include the development and implementation of more than 100 reforms, as she revamped the Institute’s organizational structure to parallel a private-sector company focused on results.

Under Olsen’s direction, the Goldwater Institute has become a national leader in restoring the Founders’ vision of America as a compound republic, where states exercise their constitutional authority to check and limit federal power.

The Goldwater Institute developed the Save Our Secret Ballot initiative, spearheading a successful nationwide effort to protect businesses from card-check. “These aren’t merely symbolic victories,” wrote the Wall Street Journal. “States can protect their economies from the NLRB with initiatives like [Save Our Secret Ballot].”

The Goldwater Institute including also designed the nation’s first education savings accounts. Parents use the accounts to pay for a wide range of education expenses including private school tuition, educational therapies, and even college courses. The New York Times highlighted the accounts as a national model for states as they reform public education to expand learning opportunities for students..

An authority on education reform, economic policy, and government reform, Olsen is a regular guest on national media programs, including National Public Radio and Fox News Channel. Her opinions have been widely published in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and National Review.

Olsen has received numerous awards and recognition including the national Roe Award for achievement in public policy. She was named the “64^th most powerful person in hockey” by Hockey Magazine for her role in blocking a multi-million-dollar subsidy to an NHL team “Don’t let her young looks fool you,” wrote Politickeraz, “She is brilliant [and] will take your head off with a smile.”

A graduate of Georgetown University and New York University, Olsen started her public policy career at the Cato Institute. Born in Vermont, raised in Utah, Olsen resides in Arizona. She is a foster mother and the mother of one and counting.

Clint Bolick serves as the Goldwater Institute’s Vice President for Litigation.

In a recent profile, the New York Times said that Bolick is “known for his aggressive litigation to defend individual liberties.”  He has argued and won cases in the United States Supreme Court, the Arizona Supreme Court, and state and federal courts from coast to coast. He has won landmark precedents defending school choice, freedom of enterprise, and private property rights and challenging corporate subsidies and racial classifications.

Before joining the Goldwater Institute in 2007, Bolick was co-founder of the Institute for Justice and later served as president of the Alliance for School Choice.

Bolick helped author the Health Care Freedom Act and the Save Our Secret Ballot amendment, which were added to the Arizona Constitution in 2010 and adopted in several other states. He also has assisted policy activists in several states to establish litigation centers based on the Goldwater Institute model.

In 2003, American Lawyer recognized Bolick as one of three lawyers of the year for his successful defense of school choice programs, culminating in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2009, Legal Times named Bolick one of the “90 Greatest D.C. Lawyers in the Past 30 Years.” Bolick received one of the freedom movement’s most prestigious awards, the Bradley Prize, in 2006 for advancing the values of democratic capitalism.

Bolick has authored several books, most recently Death Grip: Loosening the Law’s Stranglehold Over Economic Liberty (2011) and David’s Hammer: The Case for an Activist Judiciary (2007). In addition to his work at the Goldwater Institute, Bolick serves as a research fellow with the Hoover Institution.

Andrea Woodmansee is senior editor for the Goldwater Institute and was previously the Goldwater Institute director of communications, responsible for the Goldwater Institute’s media and community relations. Before joining the Goldwater Institute, Woodmansee worked as marketing communications program manager for a Phoenix technology firm, managing document production and website development. She is a former Goldwater Institute intern and has taught university-level courses in policy and economics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University, where she was a Trustees' Scholar.

Prior to joining the Goldwater Institute, Barbara was the Executive Assistant to the President of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Foundation. She previously served as Executive Assistant to the president Grand Canyon University (GCU), transitioning from that office to assist in the creation an interdisciplinary advanced studies institute (Canyon Institute for Advanced Studies), serving as CIAS Executive Manager as well as Executive Assistant to its Founder and President. The John Templeton Foundation selected CIAS to manage the prestigious Templeton Prize and Barbara served as the Prize program’s Executive Director for eight years.

Barbara graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Secondary Education where she also did post-graduate work in Health Science Education.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is an economist and works as the Director of the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute. He has 15 years of experience working in and around state government. He has researched and written on tax and spending policy in two states in addition to studying transportation, health care, and education policy. Byron’s writings have appeared in National Review Online, Business Week online and numerous Texas and Arizona newspapers. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

Christina Corieri serves as Health Care Policy Analyst for the Goldwater Institute. She has done extensive research on health care legislation. Prior to joining the Goldwater Institute, Christina worked as the Vice President of Government and Board Relations for a national nonprofit. She has also worked in the offices of Senator Kyl, Congressman Flake, and Governor Brewer. Christina holds a J.D. along with a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in History from Arizona State University.

Christina Sandefur is a staff attorney at the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. Christina Sandefur most recently won Friedman v. Cave Creek Unified School District in which she upheld the contract between voters and the district when the district tried to spend bond money in ways voters did not approve. 

Before joining the Institute, Christina worked to advance liberty as a law clerk at the Pacific Legal Foundation in California and a research intern at the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Christina earned her J.D. summa cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law. While at Michigan State, she served as notes editor of the Michigan State Law Review and president of the MSU Federalist Society. Christina graduated magna cum laude from Hillsdale College with a B.A. in history and political economy and completed an honors thesis on the economic history of the U.S. Postal Service.

Jonathan Butcher serves as Education Director for the Goldwater Institute. He has researched education policy and school choice programs at both the state and national level. Prior to joining Goldwater, Jonathan was the Director of Accountability for the South Carolina Public Charter School District, South Carolina’s only statewide charter school authorizer. Jonathan studied education policy at the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas and worked with the School Choice Demonstration Project, the research team that evaluated voucher programs in Washington, D.C. and Milwaukee, Wisc.

Jonathan studied education and family policy at the Heritage Foundation, a research institute in Washington, D.C. His research has appeared in journals such as Education Next and the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy. He has appeared on local and national TV outlets, including interviews on Fox News. He has been a guest on many radio programs, and his commentary has appeared in newspapers around the country. He holds a B.A. in English from Furman University and an M.A. in economics from the University of Arkansas.

Kurt Altman is a Senior Attorney for the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. Before joining the Institute, Kurt operated a private litigation and appellate practice, focusing on criminal law in both state and federal courts. Previously, Kurt spent a number of years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, leading investigations and conducting trial in Federal District Court. As a member of the Department of Justice, Kurt earned the Director’s Award, the highest honor bestowed upon Department of Justice lawyers, for his efforts in the first capital prosecution in Federal District Court for the District of Arizona. Additionally, he has twice received the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director’s Award for his tireless efforts on behalf of FBI-conducted investigations. Since 1994, Kurt has served as lead counsel in hundreds of jury trials throughout Arizona. Because of his unique background, Kurt has been a featured lecturer and teacher at numerous seminars and centers where he has been able to share his experiences with attorneys from around the country. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law, in Winston-Salem, NC.

Le Templar is the Director of Foundation Relations for the Goldwater Institute. He manages grant writing and foundation support for the independent government watchdog.

Mr. Templar has nearly 20 years of experience in writing about government and public policy, in editing and storytelling, and in appearances on broadcast media. A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Mr. Templar earned bachelor degrees with honors in political science and journalism. From 1992 until late 2005, he worked as a reporter and editor for daily newspapers in western Nebraska, northern Texas and the East Valley suburbs of the Phoenix metro area. He covered stories about every level of government from city councils to presidential elections. He has interviewed farmers driving tractors in sugar beet fields, professional football players practicing under the Texas sun, police officers working the midnight shift, and at least one governor aboard a military aircraft.

While covering the Arizona state capitol in 2004, Mr. Templar investigated the state agency that regulates nursing home administrators. He uncovered massive budget problems, dysfunctional management and huge delays in investigations that left vulnerable adults at risk. Mr. Templar’s reporting prompted the state senator who had sponsored legislation to continue the state agency for another 10 years to request, and receive, the governor’s veto so the Legislature could adopt a different law with better oversight.

In 2006, he was promoted to the six-person editorial board of the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz. In that position, he wrote daily about policy debates and reforming government to better protect liberty and economic freedom. He also served as the newspaper’s opinion page editor for a year before joining the Goldwater Institute in early 2010.

Mr. Templar has received writing and reporting awards from the Nebraska Press Club, the Nebraska pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Oklahoma Associated Press Managing Editors association, the Arizona Press Club and Arizona APME.

A resident of Phoenix, Mr. Templar has an extensive history of volunteer service. He organized publicity for the Red Ribbon drug abuse prevention week in Scotts Bluff County, Neb., and launched an Explorer troop for journalism in Wichita Falls, Texas. He has served as past president and in other leadership positions with the Arizona Press Club, the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona and Valley of the Sun SPJ pro chapter. He’s also a member of the advisory board for the Maricopa County community colleges’ occupational certificate for journalism.

Mr. Templar previously served as the Goldwater Institute's communications director from January 2010 to June 2011.

In her capacity as Communications Director, Lucy is responsible for overseeing the Institute's media and outreach efforts. To this end, Lucy works to strengthen the Institute’s relationships with members of the media, as well as key activists in the community locally and nationwide to promote Goldwater policy recommendations and legal precedents.

Lucy previously served as the Institute's External Affairs Manager. Before joining the Goldwater team, Lucy served as Executive Director of Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment, a 501(c)4 organization co-chaired by Club for Growth board member Ken Blackwell and former U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck. In the 2010 election cycle, Lucy coordinated Save Our Secret Ballot efforts in Arizona. The Save Our Secret Ballot Amendment, a ballot initiative that originated at the Goldwater Institute, passed overwhelmingly in all four states where it appeared on the ballot.

As an undergraduate, Lucy served as a Ronald Reagan Fellow at the Goldwater Institute. Previously, she worked as a journalist, and her work has appeared in National Review, the Daily Caller, Slate, and other national publications. Lucy holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.

Roger Zetah, CPA, MBA, operates with strong financial controls and metrics to enhance and monitor the organization’s operations. Roger brings 15 years experience to the Institute with a background as V.P. of Finance for a publicly traded company. He also spent six years with KPMG in the audit and consulting practice. Roger received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, graduating summa cum laude. He received his MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2003. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at Scottsdale Community College for seven years. Roger has been a CPA since 1986 and is a member of the Arizona Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. He served in the United States Air Force with a top secret clearance.

Starlee Rhoades is the Goldwater Institute’s Executive Vice President. She leads the communications and fundraising departments, coordinates outreach to policymakers at all levels of government, and works directly with partner organizations in Arizona and throughout the country to advance Goldwater’s policy recommendations.

Starlee joined the Goldwater Institute in 2005 as the director of communications and has overseen a 40 percent increase in media citations, with Goldwater now cited by traditional and online media 3-4 times each day. The communication team’s work was recognized in 2008 with a Templeton Freedom Award for Best Initiative in Public Relations. 

Starlee is a frequent guest on the Phoenix, Ariz. NBC affiliate’s Sunday morning news program, “Sunday Square Off,” among other television and radio shows.

Before joining the Goldwater Institute, Starlee Rhoades was the deputy publisher of TCSDaily.com, a Washington, D.C.-based online opinion journal. Prior to her work at TCS, she was an account executive at DCI Group. Her Arizona experience includes several political campaigns, the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, and the Border Trade Alliance. Starlee is a graduate of Arizona State University.

Stephen Slivinski is a senior economist at the Goldwater Institute. He is an expert in tax and budget policy at the state and federal level. He formerly held the position of research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and senior editor in the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Prior to that he was director of budget studies at the Cato Institute, a senior economist at the Tax Foundation, and director of tax and budget studies for the Goldwater Institute.

Mr. Slivinski is the author of the book, Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government, published in 2006. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Businessweek, the Arizona Republic, and many other print and on-line publications. He has appeared on CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. He holds a master's degree in economics from George Mason University.

Travis Junion is the Major Gifts Officer for the Goldwater Institute. In this capacity, Junion facilitates greater member engagement and expansion of the Institute’s donor base.

Junion is a veteran of numerous candidate and issue campaigns at the national, state and local level. As a professional political operative, his career has focused on grassroots and get out the vote projects, election integrity operations, candidate development and public affairs consulting. In 2012, Junion served as the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action Campaign Field Representative in Arizona. Previously Junion mobilized grassroots activists for a 2010 U.S. Senate campaign, launched an exploratory campaign for Arizona governor, and advised congressional and legislative campaigns. Junion also worked on the 2008 presidential election, directing election day operations in New Mexico.

A longtime political activist and Arizona native, Junion is an honors graduate of Arizona State University.