Staff

 

Anika Heilweil

Fund Vermont’s Future Campaign Manager
anika [at] publicassets.org

Anika joined Public Assets Institute in August 2022 after graduating from Middlebury College with a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy. Prior to joining Public Assets, she worked as a political science research assistant, initiated a grassroots advocacy campaign, and worked on federal level lobbying efforts to protect public lands in the Southwest.

Anika is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah and currently resides in Burlington. In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and cooking.

 

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Jack Hoffman

Senior Policy Analyst
jack [at] publicassets.org

Jack Hoffman joined Public Assets Institute in October 2007. He does research and analysis on state fiscal and economic issues and prepares periodic reports published by the institute. Before joining Public Assets, Jack covered politics and state government in Vermont for 20 years. He was chief of the Vermont Press Bureau, the capital bureau for the Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. Covering state government, he focused on tax and budget issues, especially education funding. After leaving journalism in 2002, he served for five years as executive director of the Vermont Broadband Council, a non-profit organization promoting the use and availability of broadband in the state.

Before he started his reporting career, Jack traveled extensively in Africa. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Libya in the late 1960s. He has called Vermont home since 1965, when he first enrolled in Middlebury College. He and his wife, Lark Upson, are residents of Marshfield.

 

Julie Lowell, Ph.D.

Policy Analyst
julie [at] publicassets.org

Dr. Julie Lowell came to Public Assets after working at Vermont Works for Women for four years, as both a program evaluator and a direct service provider. She has worked directly with survivors of domestic violence, families experiencing homelessness, and women exiting correctional settings, informing her advocacy at the state level to positively impact policy for individuals living in poverty.

Julie has a PhD in Social Policy from Brandeis University, with a focus on asset distribution and inequality. Her research examined the impact of federal and local housing policy on family well-being for families living in poverty. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Women Studies and Health and Society from University of Rochester. Julie currently lives in South Burlington and loves spending time with her husband and two kids, her large extended family, baking, being outdoors, and playing ice hockey.

 

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Sarah Lyons

Director of Operations
sarah [at] publicassets.org

Sarah works to translate complex information into memorable visuals, provide Vermonters with reliable information and context for public discussions, and connect with others who support and wish to advance Public Assets’ vision of a just and thriving Vermont. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mid-life at Northern Vermont University. She lives in Walden with her husband and daughter, and manages a maple sugar orchard.

 

Stephanie Yu

President and Executive Director 
steph [at] publicassets.org

Steph has worked as both a public sector fiscal analyst and a private sector financial analyst. She also has experience in the executive branch of state government, as the Budget Manager for the Michigan Department of Treasury and the Executive Director of the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service.

She has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management from the University of Southern California. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard University. She currently resides in Burlington with her family. Despite her wandering past, as a native New Englander she has rooted for the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots and Bruins all her life.