Dick Lavine was a Senior Researcher at the House Research Organization of the Texas House of Representatives from 1984 to 1994. He is currently the Senior Fiscal Analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a nonprofit advocating for better state policies for low- and moderate-income Texans. He is a Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Travis Central Appraisal District and a Chartered Financial Analyst. The Equity Center named him the 2011 Champion for Equity for his work to reform our tax system to ensure it can adequately support public education and other public services. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1969, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975.