Jaron R. Bourke
Mobile: 240-204-1837 ⋅ jaron.bourke@gmail.com ⋅ www.jaronbourke.com ⋅ linkedin.com/in/jaronbourke
President of Victory Margins, a media firm founded by political veterans to win gains for Democrats among Independent and working-class voters. Senior Advisor to non-profit organizations. Previously, a senior Democratic Committee staffer with a 30-year career advocating for workers, consumers, veterans, taxpayers, and the environment. Expertise in legislating; performing in-depth oversight of federal programs and regulatory enforcement; conducting major Committee investigations into government and corporate misconduct; managing communications with journalists; writing, and hiring, mentoring, and directing diverse staffs.
Experience
|
President Senior Advisor
Administrative Director |
Victory Margins Center for Economic and Policy Research Stop Underrides.Org; Annaleah & Mary for Truck Safety Essential Information Committee on Oversight and Reform |
Current Current
2011 — 9/2021 |
| Staff Director | Domestic Policy Subcommittee Committee on Oversight and Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC |
2007 — 2011 |
| Staff Director | Congressional Progressive Caucus | 2001 — 2003 |
| Chief of Staff Legislative Director Legislative Assistant |
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC | 2006 — 2009 1999— 2006 1997 — 1998 |
|
Legislative Assistant |
New York City Council, New York, NY |
1995 — 1996 |
| Organizer | AFL-CIO Institute and New York Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Tampa, FL, Easton, PA and Albany, NY |
1991— 1993 |
| Researcher | Center for Study of Responsive Law, Washington, DC | 1989 — 1991 |
Education
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA 1989 A.B., magna cum laude, Literature, Hoopes Prize winner.
Publications
Numerous congressional staff reports; op-eds and letters to the editor in The New York Times and elsewhere. Prior to working for elected officials, I published articles on corporate influence at universities in Legal Times, The Nation, and the Journal of the American Association of University Professors.
Security Clearance
TS/SCI (active).
Significant Accomplishments and Skills
Advocacy—Federal Legislative and Regulatory Policy
- Led series of oversight hearings and negotiations with the Treasury Department, resulting in a favorable statutory interpretation for principal reduction and financial counseling for underwater borrowers (author of Committee legal opinion memorandum, principal Committee liaison to Department);
- Focused multiple hearings on vacant and abandoned urban housing in the Great Recession, which influenced HUD’s development of an allocation formula for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Funding based on concentrations of vacant and abandoned houses, rather than gross number of foreclosures, which was critically important for midwestern cities (sole Committee staffer; principal Committee liaison to Department);
- Won House passage of international financial institutions reforms, which included prohibiting mandatory school fees in developing countries (task force leader, principal staff to members);
- Advocated for new EPA regulation of mercury waste in drinking water (sole Committee staffer);
- Countered partisan attacks on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and government rescue of General Motors (team leader).
Accountability— Congressional Investigations
- Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger — findings led to prosecution of Bank of America for securities fraud and resignation of Bank of America’s CEO (sole investigator);
- Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin — findings and oversight led to the largest reversal of a privatization in U.S. history to date (sole investigator);
- Medicaid and United Healthcare following death of Medicaid-enrolled child — findings resulted in resignation of Medicaid State Operations director and other reforms (team leader);
- Inadequate federal disaster relief in Puerto Rico (team leader);
- Michigan Governor’s role in contamination of Flint, MI’s drinking water (team leader);
- Government contractor negligence in largest data breach in government history (team leader).
Coalition Building
- Built bipartisan alliances of progressive and conservative members and staff in Congress around common objectives to defeat Fast Track trade negotiating authority and deny Presidential authorization to use military force;
- Coordinated bipartisan legal intervention in American Federation of Government Employees v. Trump (2018), in which a federal judge ruled that the executive orders concerning collective bargaining exceeded President’s authority;
- Chaired task force of global social justice and environmental groups for over two years, developed campaigns and identified opportunities around debt relief and related issues.
Staff Management
- Developed overall strategy, legislative goals and objectives, media and member communications;
- Hired, trained and supervised attorneys and professional staff, managed teams of investigators;
- Authored and edited public letters, hearing documents, Committee reports and press releases;
- Mentored and developed talent of junior staffers, assisted in agency and congressional committee placements;
- Led internal organizational assessment, developed survey tools and conducted one-on-one interviews to resolve staffing and management challenges.