Lise Valentine, Ph.D. — Vice President and Director of Research
Vice President and Director of Research Lise Valentine (VanderVoort) joined the Civic Federation in August 2003. Lise oversees all of the Civic Federation's research efforts and has particular expertise in the areas of property taxes, public pensions, transit funding, and public school finance.
Lise earned a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa in May 2003, where she received numerous honors including a U.S. Department of Education Jacob K. Javits Graduate Fellowship. Her doctoral dissertation addressed methodological issues in public policy research, using the 1996 U.S. welfare reform as a case study. Lise has authored journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers on a range of issues from interpersonal communication to the rhetoric of science. She spent five years teaching undergraduate courses in writing, public speaking, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and persuasion at the University of Iowa. In 2002, Lise was elected president of the graduate employees’ union and successfully negotiated the employees’ best contract ever despite a state budget crisis.
Lise completed her undergraduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and masters’ studies at l’Université de Montpellier III in Montpellier, France where she was also a goat herder, beekeeper, and bus driver. A native of Chicago, she graduated from the Lincoln Park High School International Baccalaureate Program. She is a volunteer income tax preparer with the Center for Economic Progress and a tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County. She was recently elected to the Board of Commissioners of the Park District of Oak Park. Lise is also a certified Motorcycle Safety Instructor and can be found teaching motorcycling at various local sites on summer weekends.