Keynote Speakers

Elaine Maag is a senior fellow in the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute. She is an expert on the taxation of low- and middle-income families. Her work examines the interactions between tax and transfer programs, the impact of cash supports, how well taxes support families, and the administration of tax and transfer programs.

Elaine has testified before state and federal congressional committees and advised congressional staff and administration officials on the taxation of families with children and on higher-education and work incentives in the tax code. She codirected the creation of the Net Income Change Calculator, a tool that allows users to understand the trade-offs between tax and transfer benefits and changes in earnings or marital status. 

Elaine holds an MS in public policy analysis from the University of Rochester. She is a board member of the Commonwealth Institute (Virginia), a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, and a member of the Humanity Forward Policy Council.

Monique Miles is a Vice President at the Aspen Institute and serves as the Managing Director of the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions (Aspen Forum) and Director of the Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.

Monique’s career has focused on vulnerable youth and communities. Prior to joining Aspen, she was at the National Youth Employment Coalition. In her role she oversaw a national pilot that supported CBOs across the country to design and implement postsecondary programming.

Monique holds a Bachelor of Science from Springfield College and a Master’s in Education, Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at Pomfret School. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Cowen Institute of Public Education Initiatives, Independent Trust, the Corps Network and Jeremiah Program.