Matthew Kopfer
Matthew Kopfer supports Lewis-Burke by providing research and up-to-date information on international and security, energy, and social sciences landscape and opportunities across the federal government. Matthew specializes in extramural research and workforce programs at agencies including at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Department of State (DOS), Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Having studied politics and foreign affairs as an undergraduate and gained experience in the higher education sphere, Matthew brings a unique and passionate viewpoint to Lewis-Burke’s clients.
Issue Areas: Workforce development, international research collaborations, higher education, homeland security, emerging technologies, and social sciences.
Additional Information: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Matthew interned for U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), researching, and assisting staff in tracking and analyzing clean energy, economic development, foreign affairs, and national security developments and events. Through this experience, he gained a thorough understanding of the many different priorities of federal agencies and became skilled at researching and analyzing federal policy. Additionally, Matthew gained valuable business and administrative insight in Senator Warner’s office, giving him useful skills to interact with clients.
Vital Statistics: Matthew was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia and received his Bachelor’s degree a year early with distinction from the University of Virginia, where he majored in Foreign Affairs and Politics. For his third year of college, Matthew studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and the University of Virginia: Valencia in Spain. Matthew is a Master’s in Project Management candidate at Georgetown University, interested in leveraging new mechanisms and emerging technologies to maximize organizational structure and output. Outside of the office, Matthew spends his time supporting University of Virginia athletics, especially during basketball season. He also enjoys listening to music, reading political theory journals, and running. Matthew is an avid enjoyer of researching and analyzing realist and neorealist theory, UK and EU politics, and development in Africa and Latin America.
Isabella Izquierdo
Isabella supports Lewis-Burke clients by advancing priorities in biomedical and public health research through advocacy and consulting across agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). At the firm, she focuses on agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), among others. Isabella’s background in biological science and research has provided her with a unique perspective on how scientific research can often influence policy and has allowed her to pursue her passion of bridging the intersection of experimental research and its direct impacts on public health.
Issue Areas: Biomedical research, social determinants, global health, public health, and behavioral sciences.
Additional Information: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke Associates, Isabella interned with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) where she spent a summer working on an NIH-funded R01 study focused on maternal health and drug abuse. It was here that she found her passion for public health policy. During her time abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, Isabella joined a public health program where she frequently met with different non-profits, research facilities, and social services working to solve issues such as, but not limited to, homelessness, drug abuse, and mental health. Most recently, Isabella worked with the Florida Department of Health as a Contact Tracer and in the latter half of her time there, as an Epidemiologist, offering testing, medical, and economic resources to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vital Statistics: Isabella was born and raised in Miami, Florida but received her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Pomona College in Claremont, California. She is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Health (MPH) at Johns Hopkins University. Outside of the office, Isabella loves checking out new restaurants, traveling, and admiring the full four seasons that D.C has to offer.
Agency Support, NEH
After listening to a university client’s interest in building a new educational program for their undergraduate students at the intersection of humanities and STEM, Lewis-Burke experts identified and matched their goals to a potential federal funding opportunity at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Lewis-Burke shared background intelligence on the agency and the program as well as initiated the client’s meeting with relevant federal agency staff. Lewis-Burke’s support along with the engagement of federal program managers resulted in a successful NEH award for the project.
The university is on its way in developing a new humanities program in a burgeoning interest area of students.
Kari McCarron
Kari McCarron is a trusted and highly valued expert in higher education, bringing decades of experience within the federal higher education and scientific research enterprise, having lead education and science advocacy for associations, worked as a government relations representative for a major research university, and served within federal agencies. Kari focuses on funding for and advocacy of student and institutional aid, education research, cultural agencies, and tech-based economic development. She also works closely with clients on education regulations, tax policy, and immigration issues.
Kari previously served as Director of Congressional and Governmental Affairs with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and as Senior Legislative Assistant within the Office of the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). For nearly two decades, she has actively participated in associations, coalitions, and working groups related to higher education, scientific research, innovation, and student financial aid.
Issue Expertise: Higher Education Act and related education regulations, science and tech policy, economic development, taxation, immigration, education research, and humanities and arts programs.
Additional Experience: Kari enhanced her knowledge of science policy serving at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Kari also served as an Economist with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Vital Statistics: Kari earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan. Wanting to combine her interest in economics and technological innovation, Kari received her Master of Science in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. When not enjoying the quietness of her office or the halls of Congress, Kari can be found shuttling her three boys between soccer practices.
Jack Goodman-Cheng
Jack Goodman-Cheng assists Lewis-Burke clients in developing congressional and agency engagement strategies in the realm of health and biomedical research, health professions workforce, social and behavioral sciences, and arts and humanities. Jack’s expertise covers a broad range of agencies, including HRSA, SAMHSA, NIH, AHRQ, and CDC, and assists clients in navigating the complex and changing landscape of health policy and funding. Jack additionally assists with the firm’s education and emerging technology research portfolios.
Prior to joining Lewis-Burke, Jack gained experience in the office of New York Representative Grace Meng, where he closely supported the legislative staff through policy analysis and research. Jack also held roles on political campaigns and in university student affairs offices.
Issue Areas: Healthcare delivery and services, health professions, social and behavioral science, arts and humanities, biomedical research, minority-serving institutions.
Vital Statistics: Born and raised in New York, Jack attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science through the School of Engineering and Applied Science, with a second major in Applied Economics and Business Strategy through the Olin School of Business. Outside of work, Jack can be found exploring the D.C. region on his bike or watching motorsports.