EMAIL:
rmartire@roosevelt.edu
CAREER:
Rubloff Professor of Public Policy & Public Administration and Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
HOMETOWN:
Stratford, Connecticut
COLLEGE:
Indiana University
UG MAJOR/MINOR:
History Major—I then received my JD from the University of Michigan.
WHY YOU CHOSE THE MAJOR/MINOR:
The study of History requires delving into many different disciplines, such as economics, political science, religion, philosophy and anthropology. I found this cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the human condition stimulating and quite frankly fun.
EXTRACURRICULARS DURING UG (CLUBS, ORGS, JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, VOLUNTEER WORK, ETC.):
I worked full time during undergrad at various jobs from pizza cook to janitor and manager of a phone marketing organization. I interned as a speech writer for a Member of Parliament in London, England (then MP David Trippier, who is now a member of the House of Lords), and volunteered on numerous political campaigns.
WHY YOU CHOSE TO WORK AT ROOSEVELT:
The University’s commitment to social and economic justice made it stand out to me—given that my other job is serving as the Executive Director of a think tank which has a mission focused on promoting social and economic justice through adequately financed public services that are designed to comport with best practices and satisfy demographically driven needs.
WHAT PROJECT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
A study of how the Illinois state tax system actually worsens the growth in income inequality that the private sector has produced over the 1979-2015 sequence.
BOOK YOU’D RECOMMEND READING BEFORE GRADUATION:
“Hard Ball-How Politics is Played by One Who Knows the Game,” written by Chris Matthews
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“No matter where you go, there you are” by Buckaroo Bonzai
ADVICE FOR INCOMING/CURRENT STUDENTS:
Broaden your horizons by taking elective courses in areas unrelated to your major, because you never know what great things that could lead to.
FAVORITE SPOT AT ROOSEVELT:
YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY:
I have three—Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Dawn Clark Netsch. All three of them epitomize what a public servant and involved citizen should be: brilliant intellectually; informed on the substance of issues; passionate about social and economic justice; devoted to making real, systemic change happen; and possessed of the courage to fight for what’s right even when it is not politically popular.
CAUSE YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT AND WHY:
Eliminating structural racism in public policy systems generally and K-12 education specifically. The why is simple: if the American Dream means anything, it is that the circumstances of a person’s birth should not dictate limits for what he or she can make out of life. Public policy systems ought to be designed to level the playing field and provide everyone in America access to the opportunity to succeed, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or income class. Period.
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED:
Bad Times at the El Royale
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM:
New York Yankees
WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE GOING TO COLLEGE:
Too many items to list!