INDIANA— Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute extends a warm welcome to a new team member. The new team member was hired as a tax and Budget Policy Analyst through a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to work toward a more equitable tax code in Indiana.
Olivia Smith is a self-proclaimed data nerd who has a passion for making complex public policy ecosystems more digestible. In her time with the non-partisan Indiana Legislative Services Agency, she completed fiscal analyses for proposed legislation in the Indiana General Assembly pertaining to state and local income taxes, which helped legislators and the public have an understanding of the likely revenue and expenditure impacts of otherwise very complex bills. Later, at the Indiana Department of Revenue, she deepened her knowledge across Indiana’s 60+ tax types as a fiscal and legislative analyst by tracking tax-related legislation, estimating agency impacts of proposed legislation, and working with cross-functional teams to ensure successful implementation of any changes to the state’s tax system.
Olivia is excited to now join the Institute as a Policy Analyst, where she can bring her knowledge of Indiana’s revenue and budgeting processes to further research and promote public policies that help Hoosier children and families maintain financial well-being. Olivia earned undergraduate degrees in Applied Mathematics from Purdue University-Indianapolis, Political Science from Indiana University Indianapolis and a Master of Public Affairs from the O’Neill School in Indianapolis. She calls South Broad Ripple home with her husband Chris and two cats, and when she’s not working or baking treats, you’ll probably find her watching Star Trek.
Tax and budget policies may not sound all that exciting, but how Indiana collects and spends money expresses the organization’s values. Olivia can break this down in ways that invite discussion and action.
