Karen Kunz, DPA

Education

• D.P.A., Public Administration, University of Illinois at Springfield
• M.A., Political Science, University of Illinois at Springfield

Bio

Dr. Kunz teaches courses on public financial management, public budgeting, economic fiscal policy and advocacy, and civil disobedience. Her research interests include public finance and fiscal policy, political economy, and financial markets regulation. In addition, Dr. Kunz brings over 25 years of professional experience in the financial markets industry. She began her career in the municipal bond market before starting one of the first female-owned consulting firms in the industry. Her clients included institutional investors and traders, and boutique, regional and multinational firms. Dr. Kunz serves on the board of directors for the American Association of Budget and Program Analysts (AABPA) and Public Financial Publications (PFP), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy.

Publications & Media

Securities regulation

• "What is  insider trading, the crime Rep. Christ Collins was charged with?".  The Conversation.  
• Why Dodd-Frank - or its repeal - won't save us from the next crippling Wall Street crash. The Conversation.
  
• When the Levees Break: Re-visioning Regulation of the Securities Market (Lexington Books, 2017) - Read her blog at www.revisioninginvesting.com
• Into the Breech: The Increasing Gap between Algorithmic Trading and Securities Regulation (2013)

Women in public office

• Helen Holt: A centenarian's perspective on a lifetime of servant leadership (2015)
• West Virginia Women in Public Office (2014)

Federal Budgeting

• Federal Budgeting 2013: Fundamentally Challenged (video, 2013)
• The importance of federal earmarks to states coffers: an examination of distribution trends over the decade (2012)
• Earmarks Fuel West Virginia Economic Development Spending (2011)
• The increasing use of earmarks to fund local infrastructure: A case study of Illinois municipal government (2009)

Public Policy

• Policy review: The U.S. Affordable Care Act, community health centers, and economic development opportunities . (2014)
• Ensuring equitable access to public health care: two steps forward, one step back (2013)

Educating the Public

MEDIA:

• Presidential candidates at least agree on one thing”: Marketplace (American Public Radio)
• “2016’s States with the Best and Worst ROI”. Wallethub.com
• In Post-Earmark Era, Small Cities Step Up Lobbying to Fight for Federal Grants, Ron Nixon, NY Times.

WORKSHOPS AND VIDEOS:

• Federal budgeting in 2013: fundamentally challenged
• Demystifying public finance (Chautauqua flyer)