Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) is a diverse campaign of national, state, and local organizations united in support of a tax system that works for all Americans. It has come together based on the belief that the country needs comprehensive, progressive tax reform that results in greater revenue to meet our growing needs. ATF believes we can start by forcing big corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes. Lawmakers need to stop allowing the richest people and companies to have their own set of rules. Closing these special loopholes is the first step in achieving greater tax fairness.
Campaign Principles
Americans for Tax Fairness was established to help make the economy work for all — with adequate levels of investment in critical areas that create and sustain jobs and a balanced and equitable approach to decisions on the federal budget challenges we face. This requires raising sufficient revenues with everyone, including corporations, paying their fair share of taxes. Read more.
Endorsements
Over 280 national and state-based organizations have come together to support Americans for Tax Fairness. Read more.
Co-Chairs
Chuck Loveless, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Chuck Loveless has served as the Director of Federal Government Affairs for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Washington, D.C. since 1993. In this position, he represents AFSCME in the nation’s capital on a wide variety of issues affecting state and local government and health care employees.
He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and an M.A. degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He is a past chairman of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plan’s Public Employees Committee and currently serves as chairman of the Foundation’s Government Liaison Committee. He has written and spoken extensively on employee benefit and health care issues.
Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress
Neera Tanden has served in the Obama and Clinton administrations as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks. Most recently, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for the CAP, leading strategic planning of the organization, managing all operations, and serving as a key member of the executive team.
Neera previously served as senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, advising Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and working on President Obama’s health reform team in the White House to pass the bill. Prior to that, she she was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, where she managed all domestic policy proposals. Neera also served as policy director for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign where she directed all policy work.
Before the presidential campaign, Neera was Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at CAP, and was legislative director for Sen. Clinton, where she oversaw all policy in the Senate office. In 2000 she was Hillary Clinton’s deputy campaign manager and issues director for her Senate campaign in New York. Neera also served as associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton White House and senior policy advisor to the First Lady.
George Goehl, Executive Director, National People’s Action
George is the executive director of National People’s Action, a network of metropolitan and statewide membership organizations dedicated to advancing economic and racial justice. George has been an organizer and strategist for 17 years, crafting city, state and federal campaigns on issues ranging from preventing foreclosures, outlawing predatory lending and advancing immigration reform.
Under George’s leadership National People’s Action has helped lead the fight to hold big banks accountable, advance financial reform and prevent foreclosures. He is a co-founder of The New Bottom Line, a national alignment designed to restructure our relationship with Wall Street and the financial sector, and advance a vision of a more equitable and sustainable economy.
Staff
Frank Clemente, Campaign Manager
Frank helped found Americans for Tax Fairness earlier this year. Previously he was Campaign Manager for the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, a coalition of 320 organizations. Prior to that he managed a health care campaign for the Communications Workers of America in support of the Affordable Care Act.
He was Issue Campaigns Director at the Change to Win Labor Federation and Director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, a national consumer watchdog organization. Frank also has been senior policy advisor to the U.S. House Committee on Government Operations and Issues Director for Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign. Frank edited Keep Hope Alive: Jesse Jackson’s 1988 Presidential Campaign.
Trevor Thomas, Communications Director
Trevor Thomas serves as director of communications for Americans for Tax Fairness. He is responsible for planning, implementing, managing and evaluating all communications for the group as the momentum grows to make sure the wealthiest 2 percent pay their fair share in the revenue battles ahead.
Thomas recently ran for U.S. Congress in Michigan’s 3rd District, garnering support in the Democratic Primary from former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend, U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette, Barney Frank, Raul Grijalva, Patrick Murphy, Chellie Pingree, Carol Shea-Porter and National Planned Parenthood. He previously directed external affairs for Media Matters for America, a non-profit media watch-dog group.
For four years, Thomas directed communications on the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Before joining HRC, he worked on the communications team for Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. Thomas began his career at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, MI. He earned his degree in broadcast journalism at Grand Valley State University.
Christine Sloane, National Field Coordinator
Before joining the team at ATF as the National Field Coordinator, Christine worked with Americans United for Change as their National Rapid Response Director. There, Christine managed the “Romney Roadshow”, a nation-wide earned-media press “bracketing” program by working with a coalition of national and local progressive groups, labor organizations, the Democratic National Committee, and Obama for America. That program generated more than 600 viable earned media events that garnered national and state-level coverage.
Christine has spent her career working for progressive issues and spent the years before Americans United working with groups like the Human Rights Campaign and NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina. At HRC Christine’s work as a regional organizer helped to usher in the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and marriage equality in New York State. At NARAL, Christine lead the second door-to-door fundraising team for choice in the nation.
Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pikeville University in Kentucky, and a Master’s degree from the University of Southampton, in the U.K. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her wife and two cats.
Bill Gordon, Digital Director
Before joining Americans for Tax Fairness, Bill was an account supervisor at the digital advertising firm Bully Pulpit Interactive. While there, he and his team won multiple awards in online political advertising for the Ed Lee for Mayor Campaign and the Gillibrand for Senate campaign.
Prior to his work at BPI, Bill served as the National Online Tools Manager for the Democratic National Committee, where he worked to turn online supporters into offline action takers. At the DNC he was instrumental in deploying the next generation of online voter contact tools and served as a user experience specialist for the development of the Organizing for America (OFA) iPhone and iPad apps.
Bill also served as the first New Media Director for OFA – New York in 2010, and created numerous web videos for OFA in Colorado during the 2008 presidential election. Before he entered politics, Bill worked on a camera crew with both FOX and CBS Sports filming NFL games.
