All staff members' email addresses are their first initial and last name at crcmich.org. Staff can be contacted directly from this page by clicking on their names and titles.

Earl M. Ryan, President

Earl returned to the Research Council in 1994 after 7 1/2 years as the first President of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute in Indianapolis. Started with CRC in 1967 in Lansing and worked for Michigan state government as a program evaluation analyst from 1970 to 1977. Returned to CRC in 1977 and became Research Director in 1979. Was President of Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana from 1984 to 1987. Received distinguished Achievement Award in 1991 from Wayne State University Graduate Program in Public Administration.

Craig Thiel, Director of State Affairs

Craig returns to the Citizens Research Council after serving as the Lent Upson-Loren Miller Fellow from 1993 to 1995. Craig most recently worked as a fiscal analyst for the Senate Fiscal Agency. Prior to joining the Senate in 2000, Craig worked for the House Fiscal Agency as a fiscal analyst for three years. Before working for the Michigan Legislature, Craig worked as a Governor's Management Intern in the Department of State, Office of Policy and Planning from 1995 to 1997. Craig began his public service career with the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago from 1991 to 1993.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from Kalamazoo College and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Wayne State University. He holds positions on various professional, non-profit, and local government boards/associations. He works out of our Lansing office.

Eric W. Lupher, Director of Local Affairs

Eric joined CRC in 1987 through the Lent Upson-Loren Miller Fellowship, and then hired in full-time as a Research Associate in 1989. Eric has researched such issues as state taxes, state revenue sharing, highway funding, unemployment insurance, economic development incentives, and stadium funding. Recent work has been focused on local government matters, including intergovernmental cooperation, police and fire arbitration, and municipal finance.

Eric holds a B.A. in International Relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University and a Masters in Public Administration from Wayne State University. He holds a seat on the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council (GASAC) and serves as Treasurer to the Governmental Research Association. He works out of the Livonia Office.

Bettie Buss, Senior Research Associate

Bettie returned to CRC after serving as Director of Policy and Research for Detroit Renaissance from 1994 until 2006. In addition to working for the Research Council from 1986 to 1994, her career also included work as a Supervising Budget Analyst for the City of Detroit. Bettie holds a BA in Business Administration and English from LaGrange College and an MBA from Wayne State.

Jill N. Roof, Research Associate

Jill joined the Research Council in 2004 through the Lent Upson-Loren Miller Fellowship, and was just hired full time as a Research Associate in September 2005. Jill holds a degree in Political Science from Grand Valley State University and a Master's in Public Administration from Wayne State University. In addition to her research responsibilities, she works as the campaign coordinator for our Because Truth is Nonpartisan Campaign. Jill works out of the Livonia office.

Thomas Clay, Emeritus

Retiring after 31 years of service with the State of Michigan, Tom joined the staff of CRC in November 1997. His career included 15 years as Director of the State's Executive Budget Offices and for his final six years with the State he served as Deputy State Treasurer.

He holds a B.S. degree in Business-Economics from Miami University (Ohio) and an M.A. in Economics from Michigan State University. He works out of our Lansing office.

Ella Brownlee, Bookkeeper/Receptionist

Ella joined CRC in 1993 as secretary/receptionist after working as a temp. She became the bookkeeper in 1997 and the office manager in 2007. Ella was elected as the Assistant Treasurer of the Board of Directors at CRC's Annual Meeting on September 29, 2006.

Ms. Brownlee earned a certificate in computers from Wayne State University and an associates degree in accounting from Oakland Community College. Ella works in the Livonia office.

Greta Reade, Development Coordinator

Greta joined the Research Council in 2006. She has over 15 years of project management experience in automotive product development, software development, and environmental investigation. Greta earned a BA in Geology from Albion College and became a certified Project Management Professional in 2005. She has been active in the Southfield public schools for over a decade, receiving the city-wide Nancy Widman Award in 2006.

Matthew Johnson, Upson-Miller Fellow