About
Mission
Civitas Institute is a research and public policy organization dedicated to serving the common good of North Carolina by providing conservative solutions to the state's most pressing challenges.
The Institute carries out its mission by conducting sound research and analysis of public policy issues; conducting monthly tracking polls; hosting seminars for newly elected officials, community leaders, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as candidates; and communicating with the public and elected officials through the news media, Civitas website, newsletters and monthly magazine.
Staff Bios
Brian Balfour
Policy Analyst
BRIAN BALFOUR joins the Civitas Institute as a policy analyst specializing in budget and taxation issues. He most recently worked for the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation in Washington, D.C., as a tax policy associate. Prior to that, he was employed for several years in the fields of marketing, distribution and project management. Brian earned a Master’s degree in economics from Wayne State University in Detroit; and received a Bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Cincinnati.
Chloe Gossage
Senior Policy Analyst
CHLOE GOSSAGE’s primary areas of expertise at Civitas are education (K-12), voting and elections, and justice and public safety. Chloe came to Civitas with a decade of education and experience in public policy. She served as a Fiscal Analyst for the North Carolina General Assembly's Fiscal Research Division, Research Associate for the California Research Bureau, and Research Analyst for the Little Hoover Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy. Chloe graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Anthropology/Public Policy Analysis from Pomona College in California, and received a Master's in Public Policy from Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute. She and her husband, Bryan, and their daughter, Madeline, live in Apex.
Chris Hayes
Legislative Analyst
Chris Hayes comes to the Civitas Institute with a varied background in politics and public policy having worked in numerous political campaigns at the local, state and federal level over the past 10 years beginning with Robin Hayes’ campaign for Governor in 1996. Chris also served as the first ever IT Director at the NC Republican Party where he maintained the statewide voter file and developed software to empower grassroots activists with customized voter lists. He later served in the Washington DC office of Congressman John Linder (R-GA) as a legislative aide where he assisted in promoting Congressman Linder’s FairTax legislation that would replace the IRS with a national retail sales tax. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Political Science, and received a Master's degree in Business Administration from Campbell University.
Courtney Johnson
Administrative Assistant
Before joining the Institute staff, COURTNEY JOHNSON worked as an event planner for the Florida Republican Party, including organizing housing and events for the Florida delegation to the 2004 Republican National Convention and 2005 Presidential Inauguration. She also worked on the Bush/Cheney 2004 Campaign. In May 2004, Courtney graduated magna cum laude from Florida State University with a B.S. in Communications.
Dennis Parker
Communications Director
DENNIS PARKER was Marketing Manager & Copy Editor for the Biblical Recorder before joining the Civitas Institute. Dennis began his career as legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Gardner (N.C.) in 1966 and then as press secretary for Rep. Bob Mathias (C.A.). For 24 years, Dennis was owner, project manager, writer and designer of Publications Place, Inc. He earned a B.A. in political science from N.C. State University.
Dion Terry
Citizen Legislature Coordinator
DION TERRY joined Civitas as a research specialist and recently became Citizen Legislature (CL) Coordinator. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree from North Carolina Central University. Dion received her B.A. degree in Political Science from UNC Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the Civitas staff, she interned for Senator Elizabeth Dole, John Locke Foundation and the Civitas Institute. Dion resides in Burlington with her daughter, Sara.
Dr. Jameson Taylor
Director of Policy and Research
JAMESON TAYLOR'S primary areas of research at Civitas are healthcare and illegal immigration. His wider interests include constitutional law, bioethics, personalism, and family and life issues. He is author of the forthcoming book America's Drug Deal: Vaccines, Abortion, Corruption; and a contributing author and editor of Unlocking the State Budget: 1985-2005, as well as a contributing author to Taylor's Encyclopedia of Government Officials. Jameson's work has appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Citizen, Clements' International Report, Faith & Reason, and This Rock. He has also taught philosophy at Christendom College and holds distinction as a three-time Earhart Fellow, a Publius Fellow with the Claremont Institute, and an E.A. Morris Fellow. He holds an A.B. in government from Bowdoin College and a Ph.D. in politics from the University of Dallas, where he wrote his dissertation on Karol Wojtyla’s The Acting Person.
Dr. Robert Luebke
Senior Policy Analyst
ROBERT LUEBKE ’s primary areas of research at Civitas are higher education and economic development. His other wider interests include technology policy, American history and political philosophy. Dr. Luebke’s work in education encompasses the areas of finance, governance, planning and policy development and has involved a variety of venues. He has worked as a legislative analyst with the Wisconsin State Legislature and as a policy and planning analyst with the Wisconsin Department of Administration. Dr. Luebke also served as research director for a higher education consulting firm in Washington, D.C., as well as a staff writer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush (Sr.). More recently, Luebke has worked as a researcher/writer with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. He has also assisted numerous public and private efforts dedicated to improving education. Dr. Luebke holds a B.A. in economics and a Ph.D. in higher education administration and public policy, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Francis De Luca
President
Francis X. De Luca is the Vice President of the Civitas Institute. Prior to joining the Civitas Institute he was the State Director of the North Carolina office of Americans for Prosperity.
He has a varied background that includes political consulting, owning a small business, working at all levels of government and serving on active and reserve duty for 28 years with the United States Marine Corps where he holds the rank of Colonel.
He was recalled to active duty after 9/11 and served over 4 years on active duty including deploying as part of Task Force Tarawa for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a Naval Aviator and was recalled to active duty and flew combat missions in the first Persian Gulf War.
Francis received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, and his Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida. He is married to Cynthia, another North Carolina native, and has two daughters.
Jack Hawke
Senior Fellow
JACK HAWKE has held a variety of positions serving the state of North Carolina. He served as Special Assistant to Governor Martin for Policy, Director of the State Division of Policy & Planning, Deputy Secretary of the N.C. Dept. of Transportation and Federal Chairman of the Coastal Plans Regional Commission. He also served as chairman of the N.C. Republican party and as a political and intergovernmental consultant. Jack received a A.B. degree from Drew University and a J.D. from Duke University.
Jason Bennett
Finance and Events Director
JASON BENNETT has been with the Institute since the opening in 2005. Jason came to Civitas from Duke University in the office of Federal Relations, where he represented the university in Washington D.C. on higher education issues and the advancement of the sciences. Jason’s political career began as a White House intern which afforded him the opportunity to serve the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign as an FEC analyst. After the successful campaign, Jason was offered a position working in corporate communications in Washington D.C. with Fortune 100 companies. Not wanting to stray too far from politics, Jason accepted a position with the Elizabeth Dole 2002 campaign for U.S. Senate, where he served in a fundraising and grassroots advocacy capacity. Jason is a fellow of the Institute of Political Leadership and continues to work on his off-time with political and issue-related campaigns nation-wide. Jason enjoys competitive running and remaining an active volunteer to the Wake county community.
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Jeff Mixon
Legislative Analyst
JEFF MIXON comes to the Civitas Institute after working with the Department of Homeland Security's Gulf Coast Recovery Office. He began his career on the staff of Congressman David Funderburk (N.C.) and has served as a campaign consultant on federal, state and local campaigns in North Carolina and Virginia . He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, with duty in the Submarine Force and Marine Corps. A native of Durham , Jeff is an alumnus of North Carolina Central University.
Max Borders
New Media Coordinator and Policy Analyst
MAX BORDERS is originally from Charlotte, but comes to Civitas via Washington, D.C. where he worked as Managing Editor of TCSDaily.com. Prior to that he was Program Director at the Institute for Humane Studies, a research and education institute devoted to the ideas of classical liberalism. He worked many years as a technology journalist and philosophy instructor before working on policy. Max is an adjunct scholar at the National Center for Policy Analysis. He has an MA in Philosophy from University College London.
Pat Tarbell
Operations Coordinator
Prior to joining Civitas, PATRICIA TARBELL has held a number of positions that include office manager for a church, office manager for a small construction firm, document control for Corning, Inc. in Midland, NC and paralegal for a number of law firms in both Raleigh and Wilmington, NC. Patricia is a graduate of Durham Technical Institute with an Associates Degree in Paralegal Technology.
