NICD Staff
The Common Interest, the state-level pilot organization, operated in Idaho from 2005 – 2009. Its major legislative achievements led the Idaho Democratic Party to make the unusual move of asking him, as an independent, to be their nominee for Governor in 2010.
Prior to returning home to pilot the citizens’ group, Keith became the first professor of negotiation and conflict resolution hired by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He started his academic career as a professor at Columbia.
Keith has also served in a variety of business leadership roles. Most recently, he was a partner at the Cicero Group, ranked the 12th best boutique management consulting firm in the world by Vault.com. Prior to Cicero, he served as COO of Health Catalyst. Keith’s leadership there played a critical role in attracting a major investment by Sequoia Capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Midas Gold, which trades on the Toronto Exchange (TSX: MAX).
Keith earned a PhD in Organizational Behavior from UCLA and BA in American History from Stanford. A fifth-generation Idahoan who grew up working summers on the family cattle ranch, Keith finished eighth in the world standings of the National Cutting Horse Association in 2017 after competing in the World Finals in Fort Worth. He and Christine are the proud parents of Anna (16), Dan (14), and Cate (11). The kids are still deciding if they’ve forgiven their parents for moving them from Idaho to DC this summer.
Bonnie earned her B.A in English from Wesleyan University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law (with an emphasis in environmental law). She clerked for two federal judges and served in the Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney in the Environmental Crimes Section. Bonnie prosecuted over 20 federal trials and worked on the Exxon Valdez case.
Bonnie and her husband Bruce Reed have raised a daughter Julia Reed and a son Nelson Reed who have also worked in education, law, and government. Bonnie serves on the board of the Cleveland Park Historical Society. She enjoys her women’s book groups, exercise, cooking, and sporting events – especially baseball and Gonzaga basketball. Bonnie and Bruce live in a very old house and have a young golden retriever, Wrigley. You can find them hiking around the District of Columbia.
He is the author or editor of six books, including Getting Primaried: The Causes and Consequences of Congressional Primary Challenges (University of Michigan Press, 2013); Interest Groups and Campaign Finance Reform in the United States and Canada (University of Michigan Press, 2011); and the edited volume The Deregulatory Moment? A Comparative Perspective on Changing Campaign Finance Laws (University of Michigan Press, 2016).
He received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Carleton College.
Prior to joining NICD, she served as the Senior Director of Field Support for the League of Women Voters of the United States. There she worked with national, state and local leadership on internal governance programs and civic capacity building through development of a nationwide training system and volunteer coaching structure to increase organizational outreach and effectiveness. Prior to that she served as Executive Director of AFL-CIO’s national youth group, where she developed an international anti-child labor campaign called the Toycott (a boycott of toys made in China). Cheryl also served as Legislative Director for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and helped pass a state “motor voter” law designed to increase voter registration among under represented populations through public agencies. She also worked as a district Field Representative for Minnesota Congressman Gerry Sikorski when he served in Congress.
She and her husband Alain Fournier enjoy spending time in nature and observing birds through experiences in our country’s state and national parks.
Hala has more than fifteen years of experience as a manager in the public and nonprofit sector. She organized civic engagement projects around the country with AmericaSpeaks. These community engagement campaigns brought people—ranging from stakeholders, constituents, and residents—into conversations on policy issues to help inform decisions on potentially contentious issues. Hala also worked in the office of District of Columbia Mayor, Anthony Williams, where she organized public engagement activities with local residents.
Hala holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from American University’s School of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. In her spare time, Hala can be found exploring her home of Washington, DC with her family.
Brent is a retired Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with over 35 years of business and financial experience. Born and raised in Idaho, he attended Brigham Young University-Idaho and earned his accounting degree with a minor in economics from Utah State University. For over 20 years, he was president and CEO of Rudd & Company, an accounting and business consulting firm with offices in Idaho and Montana. He has also served on various board and advisory councils for corporations, banks, charitable organizations, and universities.
Brent is a frequent contributor to newspapers and other publications and authored the book, A Matter of Principle that explores the fundamental ideals that guided America’s Founders.
Brent and Julie have raised four sons who, in turn, have blessed them with twenty grandchildren.
Previously, Tim served as Director of the Center for Leadership and Engagement at Wagner College and as Research Associate at the Kettering Foundation where he engaged in research focusing on deliberative democracy and citizen-centered politics. He came to NICD to help build the research network and to support efforts that are explicitly connected to democratic and political engagement. He earned a BA from St. Bonaventure University, MA and MPA from the University of Dayton, and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Nadine brings nearly thirteen years of Ohio state government and academic experience, serving in various liaison and communication capacities at state agencies, legislative offices, and a public university. Most recently, Nadine served as the communication and marketing manager for the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center, located at The Ohio State University. Her roles throughout state government and academia included legislative liaising, communications, external relations, social media and website management, and brand identity.
Nadine graduated from Ohio University (‘05) with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and a specialty in Political Communications and Public Advocacy. She enjoys spending time with her two young children and husband in Worthington, Ohio.
In 2016, the RII Business Center was created to serve RII Museums, Centers, and Institutes. Christina is currently serving as the Account Manager for the Arizona State Museum, The National Institute for Civil Discourse, Tumamoc Hill, and the Mining and Mineral Museum as well as PCard Liaison for all RIIBC Units. Christina has over 35 years of customer service experience and works with her customers to make sure they get the advice and/or assistance that they require for their success.
Christina is an active member of various UArizona Shared Governance Groups.
In her free time, Christina spends time with her family, and friends. She enjoys cooking, and watching TV.